Technicalities out of the way first.
Tim Lebbon published “The Silence”–a horror novel about gruesome monsters that hunt by sound–in 2015. Netflix began production on a movie based on said novel. In 2018, “A Quiet Place” dropped and became one of the best horror films of all time. In 2019, Netflix finally released “The Silence” which seems like a generic rip-off of “AQP” but in reality, it started first.
Dark Helmet voice – everybody got that?
“The Silence” was directed by John R. Leonetti and features a great cast. Whilst plots between it and “AQP” are similar; both movies follow a family (including a deaf daughter) as they navigate survival in a new world of silence. Both worlds are under attack from beasts that hunt by sound and demolish anything that makes noise. “The Silence” falls far short of its predecessor.
The film starts with the genesis of the monsters. Prehistoric winged gargoyle type pterodactyls that are small but fly and number in the millions. The creatures are accidentally released from caverns beneath the Appalachian Mountains and immediately seek to satisfy their bloodlust.
The Andrews family
The great Stanley Tucci plays Hugh Andrews. Hugh is the standard patriarch. Hard working loves his kids. Tucci rules with anything he touches, and I’ll never say a disparaging word.
Miranda Otto plays Kelly, the wife and mother. Kate Trotter plays Lynn, the grandmother who is suffering from cancer. Kiernan Shipka and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf play the kids, Ally and Jude. My boy John Corbett plays Glenn–Hugh’s business partner and lifelong best friend.
Where “A Quiet Place” succeeds is the devotion to following the family. We know and love those characters and by the end, understand all of their motives and intentions. Here, there are too many characters to really get invested in any of them in a 90-minute run time.
We see over the top bullies picking on Ally (Kiernan Shipka) who lost her hearing after a car accident. This sets up why the family is adept at signing and living in silence but its not nearly as impactful. I love the addition of Glenn, a defacto tough guy Uncle. I laughed out loud when he joked with Hugh about being single. Hugh responds with a line to the effect of “someday you’ll understand when you have kids.” Corbett was 58 at the time of filming.
‘AQP’ meets ‘The Mist’
Its on Netflix and its PG-13. Don’t let that fool you. There are several graphic and bloody deaths throughout the picture. One impactful scene shows a woman with a crying baby, and the terror of those around her as they sit in silence. And another great but bloody moment depicts Stanley Tucci’s character and a woodchipper. Unlike “AQP” we see a lot more of the monsters, with results varying from cool aerial shots to cheesy CGI.
“The Silence” also plays loose with its own rules. The characters pick and choose when they will be silent and how much silence is required. The monsters themselves are noisy AF.
“The Silence” has flaws aplenty. But I watched from start to finish with rapt attention. It’s inferior to ‘A Quiet Place” but still digestible as a fun horror flick. The movie is available on Netflix.
