Ryan Fujitani

If the audience at the opening night of the South By Southwest Film Festival is any indication—and breakout hits like last year’s Baby Driver suggest it is—director John Krasinski looks to have a hit on his hands with A Quiet Place. Those gathered for the movie’s world premiere on Friday night shrieked, gasped, and dug their nails into those poor Paramount Theater seats. Then, of course, they tweeted about it.

The horror movie, in which Krasinski stars with wife Emily Blunt alongside Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as a family terrorized by something that reacts to sound (we’re going to keep this spoiler-free), has drawn quick and breathless praise on social media. Here’s what critics and film journalists are saying.

UPDATE: And…the Tomatometer is live for A Quiet Place. With the first official reviews trickling through, Krasinski’s third feature is sitting at a very loud 100%. Keep checking in to see if the score holds.

IT’S KRASINSKI’S BEST FILM AS DIRECTOR

A QUIET PLACE: who would’ve thought John Krasinski had an all-timer horror picture in him? One of best mainstream creature features in years with a wild pure cinema experimental streak. What a brilliant bit of a genre cinema that’s equal parts Spielberg and Romero. #SXSW2018 — Jacob Knight (@JacobQKnight) March 10, 2018

A QUIET PLACE: Fantastic horror thriller brilliantly directed by #JohnKrasinski! Really clever & unique! Terrifying, riveting, beyond intense! Great edge-of-your-seat fun! It’s gonna be a HIT! #EmilyBlunt is amazing! Silence is GOLDEN! #SXSW pic.twitter.com/G3h42VjwH2 — Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) March 10, 2018

DAMN! #AQuietPlace is John Krasinski’s best film as a director. So brilliantly intense and one of those films that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, literally. Just catching my breathe now#SXSW pic.twitter.com/KTlrigxtfz — ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 10, 2018

IT’S REALLY, REALLY SCARY

A Quiet Place had me jerking in my seat throughout the whole movie. A lot of jumpy moments, incredibly executed performances and a well crafted story of a family trying to survive. This movie was bananas! #SXSW #BGNSXSW — Jamie Broadnax @ SXSW (@JamieBroadnax) March 10, 2018

#AQuietPlace is INCREDIBLY effective; my hands hurt from clenching my fists this whole time. So tense people were actually screaming. #SXSW2018 — Angie Han @ SXSW (@ajhan) March 10, 2018

Holy shit, A QUIET PLACE is for real. John Krasinski made a horror movie that’s wholly original and, btw, really, REALLY scary. #sxsw — Meredith Borders (@xymarla) March 10, 2018

A QUIET PLACE: Holy moly what a ride! I now suspect @johnkrasinski to be a cruel human, because he absolutely tortures the audience… albeit in a wonderful, terrifying & emotional way. I barely breathed throughout the whole film 😱 #SXSW pic.twitter.com/e4jA528Dbp — Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) March 10, 2018

IT’S A CREATURE FEATURE FOR THE MODERN AGE

Wow, #AQuietPlace is an absolute stunner. A brilliant first feature from Krasinski & proves there are still amazing/innovative ways to keep making monster movies. Get hyped, y’all. #SXSW18 pic.twitter.com/a1krqoaHPH — Heather Wixson (@thehorrorchick) March 10, 2018

AND THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR SOUND EDITING (MIGHT) GO TO…

Hoooly shit. A Quiet Place is a kick-ass horror flick. Masterful use of sound design. Audience went pretty nuts for this one. #sxsw — Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) March 10, 2018

Here’s the thing… Audible horror is my kryptonite. A QUIET PLACE is the MOST audible horror movie I’ve ever seen. Emotionally, I’m spent. Intellectually, I recognize that this movie fucking rules. Krasinski, Blunt, the kids, all top notch. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/o3ymd7r63V — Neil Miller™ (@rejects) March 10, 2018

Check out the trailer for A Quiet Place below and check in with Rotten Tomatoes as reviews officially start rolling in. The film opens everywhere on April 6.

