Silence is golden…again.

In a manner that felt entirely appropriate, A Quiet Place’s assault on the box office was as silent as it was deadly. With a killer concept and an impeccable execution, the film was the perfect horror storm that came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest success stories of 2018.

Stripped back, nerve shredding, and impeccably cast, A Quiet Place felt like a perfect one-and-done horror that knew exactly where it was going and what it needed to do to get there, leaving a big impression but reluctant to outstay its welcome. As such, there really wasn’t a need to take the story any further.

However, earning well over $300 million on a tiny budget made it almost impossible for the film to avoid the sequel treatment. And so it proved, as a follow up was hastily greenlit. Yet, despite the obvious financial incentives, a continuation of the story just felt redundant, threatening to undermine all the good done to that point.

So, while it looked for all the world like John Krasinski and company were setting themselves up for a fall, the fact that Part II not only matches its predecessor but builds upon it beautifully, is the most pleasant of pleasant surprises.

Moments after the deadly events at their home, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and the Abbott family must now venture beyond the farm and face the terrors of the outside world if they’re to stand a chance of survival. Forced into the unknown, their relationship with one another is tested to the limit, with the family soon realising the creatures hunting them aren’t the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.

Making the smart move to pick up right where the first film left off, A Quiet Place Part II quickly finds itself a purpose – something that so often goes missing with your average horror sequel. In edging the world open just a little and allowing for a bit more scope, the film doesn’t throw unnecessary exposition or a needlessly expanded cast at us, benefitting instead from remaining small in its scale and intimate in its approach.

Free from the kind of shark jumping that many sequels fall prey to, Part II keeps things as tight and as taut as the first instalment, locking its focus squarely on the Abbott family as they edge their way out into the wider world. Dipping us in and out of the story in no time at all, its plot is minimal and its dialogue is almost non-existent, yet the film is all the better for it, packing a huge punch precisely because of its stripped back nature.

This (quite literally) muted approach played a huge part in A Quiet Place’s success and writer-director John Krasinski knows it, going out of his way to mirror the look, feel, and stifling hush that worked so well the first time around. Hinging everything on a collection of incredibly tense set pieces, the film certainly won’t be winning any awards for its intricate plot, yet it manages to make the most of what it’s got, ensuring every sequence is structured with pin-point precision for maximum impact.

Eloquently constructed to ramp up the tension, yet handled with a striking lightness of touch, Part II’s story is a beautiful blend of heart and horror that sees John Krasinski grow in confidence as a storyteller and a filmmaker. This entire project has been his baby from the very beginning and, as such, it’s clear the man just gets the story and knows precisely how to obtain the most out of the limited setup.

Backed up by Marco Beltrami’s wonderfully constructed score and the film’s immersive sound design, Krasinski delivers a masterclass in precision filmmaking that showcases plenty of horror flair without ever tipping over into ostentation. Subtle and heartfelt but never forgetting its need to scare, the script and its execution prove that Krasinski has developed even further as a filmmaker since A Quiet Place, promising great things to come from him behind the camera.

Without delving too deep into spoilers for A Quiet Place, Krasinski’s character is now no longer with us – a fact that’s pretty obvious to anyone with even a passing knowledge of these films. Only making a brief appearance in the flashback opening, he is otherwise entirely absent from the rest of the film, and while more John Krasinski is never a bad thing, his decision to step aside works wonders for the rest of the cast.

In Krasinski’s absence, Cillian Murphy is in imperiously shifty form as he steps neatly into the void to give his own unique take on the leading man role, while Emily Blunt continues to do fine work as she embraces the fact that she’s now the film’s biggest star. However, with the headline names doing their thing, one of Part II’s wisest moves is to shift focus almost entirely from the adults to the kids, as both Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe become the film’s true stars.

In particular, Simmonds builds on her exemplary performance from the first film to absolutely steal the show this time around. With a poise and a gravitas way beyond her years, Simmonds swiftly becomes the beating heart of the film, as the script places her at the very centre of the action and right at the story’s emotional core.

Continuing to fly the flag for Deaf advocacy, the film utilises Simmonds’ real-world deafness in as organic a way as possible, making it a crucial part of the plot and allowing the young actress the platform to shine through it. And shine she most certainly does with a performance that perfectly encapsulates her character’s strength and fragility with barely a word uttered.

There’s no doubt that, despite the stars and seasoned performers around her, Millicent Simmonds is now very much the focal point of the franchise. The young actress has swiftly grown to become the very beating heart of this series, and regardless of where the story decides to go from here, it will do well to keep her as the protagonist going forward.

And make no mistake, there is very much a future for this franchise. How far things can be taken, it’s hard to tell, however, on this evidence, the story is only just getting started. Although there was quite understandable scepticism when a sequel was announced, you’d be a fool to not see just how much potential this whole thing now has, and, if handled as well as it has been so far, we may well be looking at one of the all-time horror greats.

Picking up where its predecessor left off, A Quiet Place Part II is a beautifully constructed and fittingly nerve-shredding continuation of the story. Through John Krasinski’s impeccably crafted script and devastatingly efficient direction, and bolstered by an incredible performance from Millicent Simmonds, A Quiet Place Part II delivers on the scares while nudging this world open a little bit more, all without losing any of the heart that made the first film such a scream.

A Quiet Place Part II is available in cinemas now.