First reactions to A Quiet Place praise it as a masterful horror experience

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

John Krasinski made us all laugh and cry as Jim Halpert on THE OFFICE, but now he’s setting out to just make everyone cry with his terrifying-looking movie, A QUIET PLACE. The movie debuted at South by Southwest this weekend, and word around the campfire is he’s achieved his goal of scaring the living daylights out of everyone. The early reactions have come out in praise of Krasinski’s latest directorial effort (starring himself and wife Emily Blunt), calling it a masterful horror masterpiece that’s far more intense than the already intense trailers make it look. Several critics and journalists have taken to social media to shout their praises, and you can take a look now. Long story short, no one left the theater with dry pants.

A Quiet Place milks its high concept (make a sound and a monster will get you) for all it is worth. Justifiably filled with jump scares but it never feels cheap. Whole cast was great. Smart, fun, tense, different. Big recommend from me. pic.twitter.com/zcmoOwjNa6

— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 10, 2018

DAMN! #AQuietPlace is John Krasinski’s best film as a director. So brilliantly intense and one of those films that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, literally. Just catching my breathe now#SXSW pic.twitter.com/KTlrigxtfz

— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 10, 2018

A Quiet Place had me jerking in my seat throughout the whole movie. A lot of jumpy moments, incredibly executed performances and a well crafted story of a family trying to survive. This movie was bananas! #SXSW #BGNSXSW

— Jamie Broadnax @ SXSW (@JamieBroadnax) March 10, 2018

Holy shit, A QUIET PLACE is for real. John Krasinski made a horror movie that’s wholly original and, btw, really, REALLY scary. #sxsw

— Meredith Borders (@xymarla) March 10, 2018

A QUIET PLACE: Holy moly what a ride! I now suspect @johnkrasinski to be a cruel human, because he absolutely tortures the audience… albeit in a wonderful, terrifying & emotional way. I barely breathed throughout the whole film 😱 #SXSW pic.twitter.com/e4jA528Dbp

— Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) March 10, 2018

I feel ill. That rocked me so hard my stomach literally hurts.

Also sorry to everyone around me who was witness to my shrieks and yelps! #SXSW18 #AQuietPlace

— Kristy Puchko ➡️ SXSW (@KristyPuchko) March 10, 2018

#AQuietPlace is a masterclass in suspense. It weaponizes your own screams against you. The tension is so taut your stomach will turn in relentless knots. Totally deliciously terrifying. #SXSW18

— Kristy Puchko ➡️ SXSW (@KristyPuchko) March 10, 2018

A QUIET PLACE: A great horror film that excels at living and thriving in painfully uncomfortable tension. A couple of cheap jump scares aside, it’s a lean, mean adrenaline generating machine. The audience went wild when the credits rolled. #AQuietPlace #SXSW

— Caleb Masters @ SXSW2018 (@CMastersTalk) March 10, 2018

#AQuietPlace: Wow. Opening night at #SXSW brought it *hard.* Thrilling, tremendous sound design and genuinely frightening. What could have been a “gimmick” flick strikes fear and tugs the heartstrings. Survival horror with the right influences.

— Howlin' Matt Donato (@DoNatoBomb) March 10, 2018

#AQuietPlace is INCREDIBLY effective; my hands hurt from clenching my fists this whole time. So tense people were actually screaming. #SXSW2018

— Angie Han @ SXSW (@ajhan) March 10, 2018

Here’s the thing… Audible horror is my kryptonite. A QUIET PLACE is the MOST audible horror movie I’ve ever seen. Emotionally, I’m spent. Intellectually, I recognize that this movie fucking rules. Krasinski, Blunt, the kids, all top notch. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/o3ymd7r63V

— Neil Miller™ (@rejects) March 10, 2018

A QUIET PLACE: Ruthlessly efficient and brutally effective stuff. Krasinski knows how to move his camera, and how to build bomb-under-the-table suspense. Went in skeptical; an excellent surprise. #sxsw

— Jason Bailey (@jasondashbailey) March 10, 2018

As of this writing the movie has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (with 11 reviews, granted), but it seems safe to say everyone is already going head over heels for this exhibition of terror, with much of the praise going to Krasinski for his precise, taut direction. Any fans of horror will probably make a wise decision seeing this in a theater!

A QUIET PLACE hits theaters April 6.