Horror isn’t exactly my genre of choice, but I’ve been delving into more psychological-based horrors in recent years. And one of my recent favourites of those delvings (not a word, I know, but please continue) was A Quiet Place. Watching it at the cinema was an amazing experience, and rewatching it back at home provided a different vibe, but it was nonetheless an engaging session. But in order to provide a cathartic release following the viewing in the form of some comedic genius, Hot Fuzz seemed like a safe retreat. And it was. I’ve seen it a few times already, and don’t quite get the excessive fanfare in comparison to Edgar Wright’s previous work Shaun of the Dead, which I feel is superior. But each to their own, I guess.
Anyway, onto Quiet Place’s amazing first scene. Part of what makes it so good is the lack of expository information. While an expository voiceover could’ve been employed to tell us what’s happened, that would have completely dampened the on-screen tension and intrigue. No doubt having an impact on the recent television adaptation of apocalyptic dystopia The Last of Us, we learn about the desolate streets through a through newspaper articles of brief information, then through the Abbott family. Since silence is the focus of the world building right from the off, genius use of design makes us twitch if any character even steps over scenery in a mildly noisy manner. So when Regan Abbott (a brilliantly expressive Millicent Simmonds) gives her younger brother Beau a rocket from a deserted store he has just been explicitly told not to play with, you can tell things aren’t going to go well. Especially when Beau decides to put the batteries back in the rocket. Come on dude, you know you’re not supposed to make loud noises! Why couldn’t you have at least taken the rocket without the batteries? Such is the frustration evoked by a well-written horror film. Yeah…that decision wasn’t a great one. The overall cast is incredibly impressive, with real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt adding some great emotional beats, particularly in the powerful finale. And…that nail. That goshdarn nail. Well, you could kind of guess something bad was going to happen there, but surely someone would have noticed it sticking out on that step during the few hundred days they’d been down there? But anyway. Horror logic. A darn fine film.
And Hot Fuzz was great as always. Loads of great actors in there, most of whom would go on to much starrier careers (Olivia Coleman, Paddy Constantine, Martin Freeman etc.). The swan was great too, even if its career didn’t go a whole lot further. It did send Jim Broadbent’s character into a violent car crash, though. To paraphrase the immortal words of Father Fintan Stack, it had its fun, and that’s what matters. Speaking of the violence and general gore, it’s used a lot more obliquely here than in Quiet Place, but that’s cool. During my first viewing of the film when it came out on DVD all those years ago (having two older brothers comes with its privileges), my dad took the central role of covering my eyes during gorier moments. This was mostly successful (church spine impaling scene, Simon Skinner mini church impaling scene), sometimes less successful (flashing images of decapitated body parts on road scene). But you know, all in all a good job. Edgar Wright has his own distinct editing style which really comes to the fore here with effectively used, swift editing cuts and rapid increases in volume (no, not you, Fast and Furious series. Your cuts don’t work). And I’ve always been a fine appreciator of slapstick comedy too, so watching a bunch of elderly people getting injured in the film’s climactic battle sequence is a whole lot of fun.
All in all, a great combo of tension and gory comedy. Would recommend.