The Silence 2019

Deep within Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail, a team of cavers unwittingly unlock a massive underground cavern teeming with ancient bats. The cacophony of sounds attracts these flightless creatures, which begin to swarm the countryside, earning them the moniker “vesps.” As panic sets in, the world is gripped by an unprecedented epidemic.

In Montclair, New Jersey, just 20 miles northwest of New York City, Hugh Andrews (character) and his family - wife Kelly, deaf daughter Ally, younger son Jude, and Kelly’s mother Lynn - are caught off guard as they learn about the deadly vesps and the imperative to remain silent. The news broadcast is interrupted by a frantic Glenn, Hugh’s lifelong friend, who joins the family in their bid for safety.

As chaos erupts worldwide, the group decides to abandon the city and hit the open road. They pile into two vehicles, accompanied by Ally’s loyal dog Otis, and embark on a treacherous journey. Along the way, Ally uses her iPad to FaceTime with her crush Rob, sharing concerns about the crisis unfolding around them.

A sudden traffic jam forces Glenn and Hugh to take a detour, leading them off the beaten path. When they encounter a stampede of deer, Glenn’s hasty decision to swerve results in his vehicle careening down an embankment, leaving him trapped. As he instructs Hugh to leave without him, the vesps converge on Hugh’s vehicle, prompting panic among his family.

In a desperate bid to draw the swarm away from his loved ones, Glenn sacrifices himself, firing his gun to summon the vesps and ultimately meet his demise. With their vehicle now useless due to its noise, Hugh is forced to release Otis, whose incessant barking had previously alerted them to potential dangers.

Lynn’s asthmatic cough inadvertently draws a vesp back to the vehicle, prompting Hugh to improvise by hurling a tire iron to distract the creature and using Lynn’s lighter to torch Glenn’s wrecked vehicle. The pyre attracts the vesps, which then immolate themselves in a gruesome display of self-destruction.

Realizing their noisy vehicle is no longer a viable option, Hugh, Kelly, Ally, Jude, and Lynn set out on foot into a nearby forest. As they navigate the treacherous terrain, they stumble upon a fenced cabin compound, only to find their elderly owner brutally attacked and killed by the swarming vesps.

In a daring move, the family crawls through a drain tunnel to evade the fence and its deadly occupants. However, Kelly’s legs become ravaged by vesp bites and claws as she disturbs a hissing rattlesnake in the process. Hugh activates a wood chipper, drawing the swarm away from their group and ensuring their survival.

Finally, they find refuge within the cabin, where they tend to Kelly’s wounds and Ally reconnects with Rob, only to discover that his family is struggling to cope with the escalating crisis. As the darkness closes in around them, Hugh’s family must confront the harsh realities of their new world and find a way to persevere against all odds.

As Lynn’s dire warning about Kelly’s escalating infection resonates with Hugh and Ally, the trio is faced with an existential crisis: if they fail to administer antibiotics, the consequences will be catastrophic. In a tense standoff, Jude remains steadfast by Kelly’s side while Hugh and Ally embark on a perilous journey to scavenge for medical supplies in a desolate town that seems devoid of life.

Their odyssey takes them through treacherous terrain, where they narrowly escape another vesp attack, only to stumble upon an enigmatic figure known as ‘The Reverend,’ whose tongue has been surgically removed. This unsettling individual invites Hugh and Ally to join his cult, ‘The Hushed,’ promising a new era of peace and tranquility. However, Hugh’s skepticism and Ally’s trepidation are palpable as they politely decline the offer and return to their cabin.

Back at home, Ally shares a shattering revelation with her father: CNN reports that vesps have an abhorrence for extreme cold, prompting people to flee northward in search of refuge. She also whispers rumors about ‘The Gray,’ once-thriving areas now ravaged by the apocalypse, cut off from electricity and external communication. As if this wasn’t enough, Rob texts Ally, revealing his intention to head to a sanctuary called ‘The Refuge.’

Just as they’re trying to process these developments, The Reverend makes a surprise appearance at their cabin, accompanied by a retinue of followers. Hugh’s refusal to join ‘The Hushed’ prompts The Reverend to make an unsettling overture, implying that he has a specific role in mind for Ally in his twisted plans. Faced with this affront, Hugh readies a shotgun, forcing The Reverend to beat a hasty retreat.

As night falls, the family’s tranquility is shattered by the arrival of a young girl, her tongue surgically removed like ‘The Reverend.’ This eerie visitor reveals a vest filled with cellphones that suddenly erupt into a cacophony of ringing. Unbeknownst to them, additional hidden phones in the cabin emit a signal, drawing an unforgiving swarm of vesps that crash through the windows. Amidst the chaos, members of ‘The Hushed’ burst in, intent on abducting Ally.

In a desperate bid to protect her daughter, Lynn sacrifices herself by screaming loudly, drawing the vesps and kidnappers toward her. As the attackers flee in disarray, Hugh and Kelly mount a fierce resistance against their assailants, ultimately claiming The Reverend as their latest victim.

With their world having gone haywire, Hugh, Kelly, Ally, and Jude embark on an arduous journey northward, driven by the promise of finding solace at ‘The Refuge.’ Upon arrival, Ally is reunited with Rob, and they begin honing their survival skills to take down the vesp menace.