A shockingly pro-life horror film
By Tom Quiner
I just got around to viewing “A Quiet Place” which came out a year ago. There was a time when I loved horror films, that is, until they became dependent on gore as a substitute for suspense. A Quiet Place restores the genre to its proper place with a smart and surprisingly pro life movie. Even more, the film abounds with religious imagery.
‘What?’ you may ask! A pro life horror film? Yes, and it is a central plot element of this rich film. Before I proceed, be aware that I will spill the beans on key plot elements. So stop reading if you plan on watching this movie anytime soon (it’s available on Amazon Prime). In addition, if you are a fan of such films, you might want to find a website that can provide you with a horror movies list along with streaming links.
Coming back, A Quiet Place is another in a long line of post apocalyptic movies. The premise: Most of the earth’s human population has been wiped out by unstoppable monsters who move quickly and kill you before you can say “Planned Parenthood.”
The monsters are blind, but they have hyper sensitive hearing. If you utter a peep, you’re dead within minutes, thus the movie’s name.
No one talks. Communication must be done by sign language.
Where did the monsters come from? How many people are left on earth? Don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. All we know for sure is that one family is left, the Abbots.
Mr. and Mrs. Abbot are portrayed by John Krasinksi and his wife in real life, Emily Blunt. They have three children, and when their youngest activates a loud toy, both parents … and the audience … watch in horror as a monster speeds through the forest towards the little guy. And just like that, he is gone.
Dead.
Nothing remains.
Violence is not really depicted. It’s suggested, which really makes it all the more horrific in our imagination.
So how is any of this pro life?
Time passes, and we learn the mom is pregnant. Can she possibly deliver a baby without uttering a sound? Ask any woman who has experienced the pain of childbirth.
Even if she does, have you ever heard of a baby that doesn’t cry? This baby could mean the death of the family.
In this disposable culture, the quick solution is abortion. Tens of thousands take place on a monthly basis in the U.S. because the baby is considered inconvenient.
If ever there was an inconvenient baby in the womb, it was the Abbot’s child. And yet they never consider the option. This is a family that holds hands and silently prays together before each meal.
In fact, the entire movie is about the profound depth found within the family unit, a depth defined by ‘agapé love.
Most filmmakers consider love a feeling or a passion quickly spent beneath the sheets. To a man with a Polish Catholic heritage, Krasinksi knows love is sacrificial in nature.
He traveled back to his homeland with his father a number of years ago to learn about the profundity of the Pole’s struggle to survive against the monsters known as Nazism and Communism.
Six million Poles were sacrificed on the altar of atheistic totalitarianism. In A Quiet Place, the father sacrifices himself to the monster so that his children might live.
Love is all about giving
In other words, this is a film that tells us love is all about giving, a direct contradiction to a culture that tells us love is all about taking.
For a movie that downplays the violence element, A Quiet Place is still terrifying. It struck a chord with audiences who love to be scared, scoring an awesome $340 million at the box office on a $20 million budget.
As I mentioned, the film is peppered with religious symbolism, which Bishop Robert Barron touches upon in his video review below.
My takeaway from this movie is simply this: life matters. It is worth dying for.
[Iowans for LIFE is trying to save lives from abortion through a pro life billboard campaign. You can help with a donation. Thank-you.]