A Quiet Place ✮✮✮

Silent Scream

by Glenn Lovell

No less an expert on suspense as Alfred Hitchcock stressed that music should be used sparingly when setting the audience up for a shock. To illustrate Hitch pointed to Marion preparing for a shower in “Psycho” and the title character staying after hours (to rob the office safe) in “Marnie.” Both moments play out in virtual silence — and are all the more effective as a result.