Christian Humanism and True Terror in A Quiet Place

"It is in the face of death that the riddle a human existence grows most acute. Not only is man tormented by pain and by the advancing deterioration of his body, but even more so by a dread of perpetual extinction. He rightly follows the intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the utter ruin and total disappearance of his own person."
-Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

     The film A Quiet Place contains one of the most positive, life affirming portrayals of a family I've seen in a mainstream Hollywood film in the last decade. This might seem ironic on its face, after all this is a horror film. On further reflection however, it makes a lot of sense.

Cheap thrills in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

     Many horror writers have talked about the distinction between horror and terror. Terror, they say, is the feeling of dread and anticipation before a scare, while horror is the feeling of revulsion that follows after. Ann Radcliffe, the pioneer of Gothic literature, wrote that, "Terror and Horror are so far opposite, that the first expands the soul and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the other contracts, freezes and nearly annihilates them." Many films in the genre evoke horror, attempting to shock the audience with grotesque imagery or startle them with a loud noise (a "jump scare" as many would call it). Truly great horror films are those which evoke terror, which produce a sense of dread.

Overcoming fear in It (2017)

     What does this all have to do with the family and humanism? Well in his book Danse Macabre Stephen King writes that, "Horror, terror, fear, panic: these are the emotions which drive wedges between us, split us off from the crowd, and make us alone ... The melodies of the horror tale are simple and repetitive, and they are melodies of disestablishment and disintegration ... but another paradox is that the ritual outletting of these emotions seems to bring things back to a more stable and constructive state again." In other words horror stories can be a source of catharsis, the dread they invoke can, "expand the soul", can lead to a greater sense of hope. And hope is something that many modern families desperately need.

     So often, in this day and age, it feels as if the very institution of the family is under attack from societal forces. Indeed, Popes from Pius XII all the way up to Francis have spoken on this subject again and again. In the Vatican II document Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, we read, "As for the family, discord results from population, economic and social pressures, or from difficulties which arise between succeeding generations, or from new social relationships between men and women." Similarly the Abott family in A Quiet Place struggles to cope with the harsh world around them and also with internal discord. The alien monsters that devoured their youngest child are a constant source of fear and dread but its the guilt that each of the family members carry for this event that really threatens to undo them.

     The father, Lee (John Krasinski), wishes he would have prevented Cade from taking the electric spaceship toy, the noise of which leads to his death. The mother, Evelyn (Emily Blunt, Krasinki's real life spouse), wishes she had carried him home so she could have kept an eye on him. The daughter, Regan (Millicent Simmonds), who encouraged Cade to take the spaceship despite their father's disapproval, not knowing that he also snuck along the batteries for it, feels responsible and thinks that her father blames her for Cade's death.

     There's a really important scene about halfway through the film when Mr. Abbot and his son Marcus are returning from a trip though the woods and come across an elderly man whose wife has died. Emotionally crushed by this event the man yells out in despair and is killed by one of the creatures, who are sightless but have a keen sense of hearing. Isolation and loneliness lead to despair and annihilation. Similarly, the tension between Mr. Abott and his deaf daughter Regan which arises because of her guilt about what happened to her brother, causes both him and her to feel isolated and alone. This is of course exacerbated by the extreme circumstances they find themselves in. Gaudium et spes says, "as current events often attest; riddles of life and death, of guilt and of grief go unsolved with the frequent result that men succumb to despair."

     But the family ultimately overcome their sense of fear and loss. While the father and Marcus are away from the farm the mother goes into labor and they return just in time to ward off the monsters before they are attracted by her screams. Marcus and Regan end up being separated from their parents in the confusion and its up to their father to save them. This leads to a brilliant moment, where Lee sacrifices himself for his daughter, screaming to lead it away from the truck where she and Marcus are hiding. Witnessing this, Regan finally sees that her father never stopped loving her and doesn't blame her for her brother's death. While the old man's scream was one of despair, Lee's is an act of unconditional love for his children.

     Lee, in this climatic scene becomes something of a Christ figure. As Christ conquered death by embracing his own death, Lee overcomes despair and renews hope by giving up his own life. The scream that was an act of despair and nihilism from the old man becomes redeemed, sanctified even. Once again, Gaudium et spes says, "Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful." This is also an echo of that famous passage in St. John's Gospel, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

     This theme of hope in the face of nihilism and despair is also found in the Abbot's soon-to-be born child. Mr and Mrs. Abbot are willing to risk having another child despite the fact that they lost one so recently. This, I think, is their way of not giving in to despair. Despite all of the dangers of raising an infant in this film's dangerous world, they are willing to do whatever is necessary to try to make it work. This seems especially relevant in a time where many parents feel ambivalent about bringing new life into this crazy, often times unforgiving world.

     This is why A Quiet Place is still my favorite film of 2018 so far. It's not a perfect film by any means, some of the world building raises more questions then it answers, it often relies to much on musical score to create tension, and there are some fairly noticeable contrivances, but it is a film that really resonated with me as a Christian and a Catholic.

How rightly Sir Maurice Powicke says, "there have been civilized people in all ages." And let us add, "In all ages they have been surrounded by barbarism."
-C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy