Netflix's answer to A Quiet Place adapts a book that predates the recent hit but nonetheless comes across as a timely, lesser, riff.
As far back as forever, the film industry has been doubling down on its surprisingly niche films, cashing in on meteor-driven apocalypses, erupting volcanoes, or even the story of Wyatt Earp, all in stereo. With the massive critical and commercial success of actor John Krasinski's directorial debut, A Quiet Place, it's not wholly surprising to find that studios want to cash is on the success, with Netflix already serving up their own decent enough twist on the theme, with last year's Birdbox.
What is interesting is that this latest Netflix production was actually based on a 2015 novel, and further was shot in 2017, taking its sweet time making its way onto the streaming giant when they could have arguably beaten A Quiet Place to the punch (c.f. Costner's Wyatt Earp being beaten out of the gate by Tombstone) and, in the process, perhaps avoided many of the striking similarities which almost make this high concept horror feel like a prequel to the hit.
The story follows a family who get swept up in the mayhem that ensues after a cave research team unearth flying bat-like creatures from deep underground. The vicious beasts soon threaten to take over the planet, hunting down anything that makes a sound, leaving the family to walk in silence, improvising along their way and using sign language - learned after a car crash left the teenage daughter deaf - to communicate.
What is interesting is that this latest Netflix production was actually based on a 2015 novel, and further was shot in 2017, taking its sweet time making its way onto the streaming giant when they could have arguably beaten A Quiet Place to the punch (c.f. Costner's Wyatt Earp being beaten out of the gate by Tombstone) and, in the process, perhaps avoided many of the striking similarities which almost make this high concept horror feel like a prequel to the hit.
This high concept horror feels like a prequel to A Quiet Place
The story follows a family who get swept up in the mayhem that ensues after a cave research team unearth flying bat-like creatures from deep underground. The vicious beasts soon threaten to take over the planet, hunting down anything that makes a sound, leaving the family to walk in silence, improvising along their way and using sign language - learned after a car crash left the teenage daughter deaf - to communicate.
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