Summary
The trending horror movieSomewhere Quiethas arrived on Hulu at the perfect time to celebrate the history of the notorious slasher trope it subverts. Written and directed by Olivia West Lloyd in her directorial debut,Somewhere Quietrevolves around a woman trying to bring some normalcy back into her life after escaping from a kidnapper. Things take a dark turn when she travels to her husband’s compound. The movie just arrived on Hulu a year after its premiere at Tribeca Festival, and it’s already trending.
On its initial release,Somewhere Quietwas met with near-universal acclaim from critics, who praised its eerie atmosphere, sympathetic characterization, and somber exploration of well-worn horror genre conventions. It earned a near-perfect 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and now, thanks to its release on Hulu, it’s finally reaching the wide audience it deserves. And it’s the perfect time for this movie to take off, because it’s the 50th anniversary of the biggest trope it subverts.
Somewhere Quiet Follows A “Final Girl” After Her Horror Movie
Somewhere Quiet is a sequel to a slasher that doesn’t exist
Essentially, the plot ofSomewhere Quietrevolves around a “final girl” following the horrific events she experiencedin the past. It plays as an epilogue to the kind of story told in classic slasher movies.In the slasher genre, the “final girl”is the character who survives the killer’s wrath, likeHalloween’s Laurie Strode orFriday the 13th’s Alice Hardy. The movies usually treat her survival as a triumphant victory and cut to the end credits before really exploring the psychological aftermath.
InSomewhere Quiet, Lloyd imagines what would happen to a slasher film’s final girl after the credits roll. How does she deal with the trauma? Can she readjust to her regular life or will she be tormented by PTSD? This PTSD is sometimes shown at the end of a slasher movie as a final stinger, but it’s never explored in any real depth. WithSomewhere Quiet,Lloyd dedicated an entire feature-length film to exploring a final girl’s mental stateafter escaping the grasp of a psychotic villain.
Somewhere Quiet’s Hulu Popularity Perfectly Aligns With The 50-Year Anniversary Of The First “Final Girl” Slasher Movie
Black Christmas turns 50 this year
The unexpected popularity ofSomewhere Quieton Hulu is perfectly timed to bring the history of the final girl trope full circle. This year marks the 50th anniversary ofBob Clark’s holiday-themed 1974 slasherBlack Christmas, which practically created the final girl trope.The Texas Chain Saw Massacrewas released on the same day with its own final girl, Sally Hardesty, butBlack Christmas’ Jess Bradford aligns more closely with the now-recognizable hallmarks of the trope. Now, 50 years later, that trope has been taken to its emotional extreme withSomewhere Quiet.
Somewhere Quiet
Cast
In Somewhere Quiet, Jennifer Kim plays Meg, a woman who is having trouble readjusting to a normal life after she was kidnapped. Hoping to ground herself once more, she heads off to Cape Cod to stay at her husband’s family compound. Her peaceful recovery is interrupted by the arrival of her husband’s cousin, Madeline. With a holier-than-thou attitude and a brash personality, Madeline’s presence begins to unearth the buried trauma in Meg, leading to an abrasive reconciliation.
