Ultra HD Blu-ray

A Quiet Place is a finely-crafted horror film that, while ostensibly about a world terrorised by blind monsters that hunt with an over-developed sense of hearing, actually centres on a family dealing with tragedy.

John Krasinski (Jim from the US version of The Office) co-writes, directs and stars in this imaginative shocker with a small cast who are uniformly excellent in largely non-verbal roles. Krasinski's real-life wife Emily Blunt stands out as the pregnant and grieving mother, struggling to deal with an imminent birth and a world-wide apocalypse.

Krasinski marshals his limited resources to great effect, and aside from a rather obvious plot device, delivers a cleverly structured horror that provides plenty of tension and some big scares.

Picture: A Quiet Place was shot on 35mm film but finished at a resolution of 2K, so the image was upscaled for this Ultra HD release. The transfer is framed in the correct theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and graded in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The resulting image has a lush film-like quality, with a thin layer of grain, excellent detail and vibrant colours that emphasise the golden Summer hues. Much of the film takes place in a rural setting; the transfer reveals all the details in the landscape, although the occasional shot appears slightly soft.

HDR adds greater realism to the highlights, as sunlight shines through the leaves or reflects off metal and water. The whites are bright and clean, while the blacks are nice and deep, with plenty of information in the shadows. However, there is a touch of black crush, particularly in the nighttime scenes that take place in the cornfields.

While the difference isn't especially pronounced, Dolby Vision does add a bit more clarity to the darker scenes, and delivers the highlights with slightly greater precision, along with a more saturated image.
Picture rating: 4/5

Audio: For a film about not making noise, A Quiet Place's Dolby Atmos track is surprisingly powerful. The sound is all about dynamic range, with the mix often dominated by long periods of what seems like silence, but which is actually alive with subtle effects like rustling leaves, breathing or footsteps on sand.

The filmmakers fully utilise the object-based mix to deliver a three-dimensional soundscape where audio cues surround you in a highly directional manner. So you get a ticking clock that emanates from a specific point in the room; or effective use of the overhead channels as a monster moves around above while a character hides in a cellar.

When there is a loud noise or the alien beasties themselves arrive, the mix deliberately amps up the sound, giving the scene greater impact. A liberal use of LFE adds to the track's ability to make you jump out of your seat. Excellent work.
Audio rating: 5/5

Extras: There are no extras at all on the 4K platter, but pop in the accompanying 1080p disc and you'll find three short but satisfying featurettes offering a general overview of the production (15 minutes), plus more detailed explorations of the film's sound design (12 minutes) and visual effects (eight minutes).
Extras rating: 2.5/5

We say: This clever little shocker hits UHD BD with lovely 4K visuals and exceptional object-based audio.

A Quiet Place, Paramount, Ultra HD Blu-ray & All-region BD, £35
HCC VERDICT: 4/5