Sound design can be so crucial in the creation of a horror flick, as every scene – every pulse-pounding moment of dread – can be greatly amplified by shrill music. Or a prolonged moment of silence.
It’s practically the lifeblood of every jump-scare, but when it comes to A Quiet Place, writer-director John Krasinski is hoping to go one step further. Most well known for his time spent on NBC’s The Office – not to mention those persistent rumors of a possible role in the eventual reboot of the Fantastic Four – Krasinski has crafted what looks to be a fascinating family thriller here in which his isolated home is hounded by “an unknown threat.”
Sound familiar? It should, but the twist is that the mysterious monsters of the film are only attracted by sound, which technically means that every peep can be fatal – every breath a brush with death. It’s a deeply unsettling and intriguing premise, and real-life husband and wife, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Mary Poppins Returns), are hoping to deliver a spooky and chilling watch. And at least based on this new trailer, it looks like they’ve achieved that.
In a recent interview with IGN, Krasinski explained that silence is as much a character in the movie as his own haunted father figure, who fights to protect his family no matter what it takes.
Silence is absolutely a character in the movie, along with each family member. It is sort of the magic trick of the movie. Could we make a silent movie? One of the fears was ‘Can we pull this off?’ and I’m happy to say that we did. Silence was going to take on this very palpable discomfort in and of itself. The idea of silence can be jarring in many ways, and so off-putting, that it gives the movie a tone that other movies don’t have.
Paramount will cordially invite horror fans to A Quiet Place when John Krasinski’s directorial effort opens on April 6th.