David Pierdomenico
In the last year, it’s been utterly impossible to be on social media without hearing something about one, or two, or even all three of these films. They seemed to take the internet by storm upon each of their releases. A Quiet Place stunned fans with just how creepy and effective it was, while Bird Box inspired idiotic blindfolded challenges (which resulted in a car accidents). And while The Silence is relatively new, it’s already inspiring a wave of accusations that it’s nothing more than a ripoff of the previous two.
When it comes to question of originality, Bird Box was based on a novel released in 2014, while The Silence’s source novel was published in 2015. Despite being released first in 2018, A Quiet Place was an original screenplay and thus the concept and story came after the other two films. However, it would be pointless to argue and debate which film had which idea first. Rather it would be more interesting to analyze which aspect each film did effectively, and what they could have done better as well.
A Quiet Place
Out of the three, A Quiet Place is definitely the most well-shot, and directed. It’s shot on 35mm film rather than digital, giving it a more cinematic look, which is fitting since it was the only one of the three to be in wide release theatrically. Because very large portions of the film contain no dialogue, the film relies on facial expressions and body language have to sell the tension and emotion, which they do to a frighteningly effective degree! In a manner far superior to the other films, A Quiet Place captures an immense about of dread and suspense, not seen in many years. It remains to date, the highest grossing original horror film (not based on a previous film or other source material).
However, as amazing as this film is, there’s one area that it’s truly lacking. And it’s through no fault of the film itself. By nature of its own plot, there was no way it could incorporate everything. Its sole focus is on one family, and while that makes for a very contained and tense thriller, we never really see the greater implications of the rest of the world. We never even see what this family was like before it happened, so we never really get a sense of who they were, just who they’ve become. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, and honestly it’s a weak criticism. But with a film a great as A Quiet Place, it’s the only real drawback.
Bird Box
Between the endless slew of memes, and the “Bird Box Challenges” all over the internet, this film certainly left an impression. Plot-wise, it actually has more in common with The Happening, but tonally it deals with a lot of the same issues. It has a similar budget to A Quiet Place, but definitely feels more like a made-for-TV-film. Despite this, it’s still an incredibly entertaining film, and is probably the most re-watchable of the three. However, its greatest strength lies in its ensemble cast. Sandra Bullock is immensely talented, and she shares the screen with John Malkovich, BD Wong, Lil Rey Howery, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, Trevante Rhodes, and many others. The drama and suspense comes not just from the disturbing monsters causing people to commit suicide, but also from watching these characters from all walks of life try to survive together.
That all said, Bird Box is certainly not without its clichés. It’s fun watching the characters conflict with one another, but at times their dialogue can feel a bit on the nose, and they themselves can feel like caricatures. Some have even criticized its ending, stating that it’s too “happy sappy”, but after watching Sandra Bullock and the children traverse the river, along with everything else she’s overcome, it feels earned.
The Silence
It may be the newest of the three, but The Silence is already making quite the impact on social media. While many are pointing out that it’s essentially the exact same plot as A Quiet Place, it was based on a novel released in 2015, three years before the film people are claiming it ripped off. It also stars Kiernan Shipka and Miranda Otto as mother and daughter, after they played Sabrina and Aunt Zelda and Netflix’s other original, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And in a strange way, The Silence is far more disturbing. It really captures the idea that in a post-apocalyptic world, it’s often other people who are far more dangerous.
The family deals with a group of religious zealots who go so far as to use the monsters as a weapon against them. Bird Box had a similar idea by having some people survive seeing the creatures, only to be hypnotized into forcing others to see. However, in The Silence, it’s all the more effective as they’re not acting this way out of hypnosis, but rather their own mass hysteria, which is all the more unsettling. The said, its happier ending doesn’t feel quite as earned as Bird Box’s, and it sort of just ends out of nowhere.
Rather than debate which one is best, or which one had the idea first, perhaps it’s better to merely enjoy all three, and their unique takes on a post-apocalyptic world. In addition to terrifying audiences with survival horror, one could argue they also serve as grim metaphors for the fears and anxieties of parenthood. If nothing else, all three tap into the extreme measures a parent will go to protect and defend their child!
