‘A QUIET PLACE’

PG-13 1:30 ★★★

Much of John Krasinski’s ingeniously creepy new film, in which he stars alongside his real-life better half, Emily Blunt, takes place in virtual silence. “A Quiet Place” is a movie about a world where noise gets you killed.

We begin on “Day 89.” But what exactly happened 89 days ago?

Our first clue is that there’s nobody in the streets of the desolate town where the Abbott family — Lee, Evelyn and three young kids — makes a precarious shopping trip.

The next clue is all the “Missing” posters on the streets. What happened to all these folks?

The most obvious clue is that the family cannot speak, or make a sound. They communicate in sign language, and walk barefoot on soft sand and dirt so even their feet won’t give them away.

An early, shocking tragedy makes it clear what they’re up against: evil, hungry monsters who consume anyone who catches their attention with sound. Soon, that fateful Day 89 skips ahead to Day 472. The monsters still rule, and now Evelyn (Blunt) is pregnant. As the family goes about its soundless daily routines one wonders how they’ll possibly bring a baby into the world without making noise.

“A Quiet Place” may not have the weighty social meaning or piercing comedy of another recent high-profile horror thriller, “Get Out.” But like that movie it is smart, it moves fast, it has a hugely satisfying ending.

Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds. (Terror and some bloody images)