I absolute despise the term "elevated horror." To me it's a low key insult for a genre that never gets the recognition it so richly deserves. Horror has been cinematically and thematically relevant going back as far back as James Whale's 1935 classic THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Horror has always been important and socially relevant even if it's not always recognized by self-aggrandizing award shows that hand out golden trophies.
But I'm getting off topic here.
In recent years, the horror genre's been front and center for critics and at the box office. Jordan Peele's biting social commentary GET OUT, about cultural appropriation and the dangers of visiting your significant other's parents' house, was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Ari Aster's magnificent film HEREDITARY was not only profoundly disturbing and horrifying, it was also an excellent examination of grief. Aster's followup film MIDSOMMAR deftly explored trauma and solidified my desire to never go to Sweden. Hell even Nicholas Cage's film MANDY was a delightfully trippy and visually engaging movie.
Another recent horror film that made quite the impression with both audiences and critics was 2018's A QUIET PLACE. The John Krasinski directed movie currently holds a 95% Certified Fresh approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and raked in almost $350 million at the worldwide box office. The film depicts a post apocalyptic world where most of the Earth has been annihilated by sightless aliens who hunt by sound. This forces humans, like the movie's Abbott family, to live in virtual silence. While ostensibly a creature feature, A QUIET PLACE delves into the nature of parenthood and how we try to protect our children from the inevitable dangers of the world.
Not surprisingly, the unmitigated success of A QUIET PLACE almost immediately resulted in a sequel being greenlit. Indeed A QUIET PLACE PART II releases in just under two months and the first trailer just dropped on New Year's Day. What's fascinating about the trailer is that it actually goes back in time to the first day the aliens invaded. It's a pulse-pounding trailer highlighted by an insane action sequence where Emily Blunt's Evelyn Abbott reverses her car away from an alien attacking an oncoming public transportation bus. However, lest you think all of that happened in front of some green screen, Blunt is here to set you straight. Appearing recently on an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show, Emily Blunt categorically stated that the sequence was an actual stunt:
"I’m really proud of John for that shot because it was choreographed for two weeks. That is not a CGI bus, that is a real bus. And then there’s a stunt driver on the top of the car. And so really, my life is in his hands. So I said to him before, I looked up at him and I went ‘Well, I hope you’re good because my life is in your hands.’ And he just bent down and he went ‘I’m the best.’ And he really was. But it’s sort of terrifying. I’ve never done a stunt like that."
While I admit it would have been really cool if Emily Blunt was actually driving the car, not everyone can be Tom Cruise. Like Blunt I'm glad that John Krasinski went with an actual practical effect for this sequence. CGI tends to still rule the roost when it comes to films like this. Using an actual bus with actual stunt people as opposed to a green screen lends an air of verisimilitude that you don't get with CGI. It just makes things more authentic and – at least for me – more entertaining.
Are you guys psyched for A QUIET PLACE PART II? Did you enjoy the first film? How do you think the sequel will stack up? Sound off in the comments below!
A QUIET PLACE PART II starring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, a Djimon Hounsou opens March 20, 2020.