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Timeline

The Silence (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 90 min · English
Echo score 31
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Directed by
John R. Leonetti
Starring
Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto, John Corbett, Kiernan Shipka, Barbara Gordon, Billy MacLellan

A family traveling through a desolate rural area must confront a terrifying, sound-sensitive creature that hunts by listening. Seeking refuge in a remote, isolated town, they discover the previous inhabitants mysteriously vanished years earlier. As the creature's presence grows closer, the family must find a way to survive the encroaching silence and protect themselves from the devastating consequences of making a sound.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 The book behind the movie
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like The Silence
  7. 7 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

The Silence Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Silence (2019) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Cavers Discover Vesps

    A group of cavers in Pennsylvania's Appalachian Trail stumbles upon a vast underground chamber. This chamber is filled with prehistoric bats that are later identified as 'vesps,' unleashing chaos across the nation.

    Where
    Pennsylvania Appalachian Trail
  2. Family Receives Warning

    In Montclair, N.J., Hugh Andrews and his family watch a news broadcast detailing the deadly vesps. The family realizes the seriousness of the situation, with their lives potentially at risk, prompting a desperate need for action.

    Where
    Montclair, New Jersey
  3. Family Hits the Road

    To escape the impending threat, Hugh's family decides to flee with their dog, Otis. Teaming up with Glenn, Hugh's lifelong friend, they embark on a road trip filled with uncertainty and fear.

  4. Ally Facetime with Rob

    During the journey, Ally manages to contact her crush, Rob via FaceTime. As she tries to comfort him, the situation he faces grows dire amidst the chaos caused by the vesps.

  5. Gas Station Encounter

    While stopping at a gas station, Glenn confronts an armed assailant in an act of bravery. The situation escalates into chaos as Glenn shoots the attacker, showcasing the desperation of their circumstances.

    Where
    Gas Station
  6. Traffic Jam and Accident

    A severe traffic jam forces the family to take an off-road route. This decision leads to a harrowing near-fatal accident for Glenn, who ends up trapped in the wreckage as the vesps close in.

  7. Desperate Measures

    As time runs out, Glenn urges Hugh to leave without him, leading to a heartbreaking choice. In a frantic moment, Hugh releases Otis, whose barking only attracts more vesps, increasing the danger.

  8. Lynn's Coughing Attracts Vesps

    Lynn's coughing incident draws the attention of the vesps, prompting a swift reaction from Hugh. In an attempt to divert the creatures, he ignites Glenn's overturned vehicle, risking it all for his family.

  9. Discovery of the Cabin

    After abandoning their damaged vehicle, the family ventures into a nearby forest and discovers a fenced cabin. However, their brief sense of security is shattered when the elderly owner is killed by the vesps.

    Where
    Fenced Cabin
  10. A Close Call with Danger

    While hiding in the cabin, a rattlesnake inadvertently leads the vesps to the family. This dangerous encounter results in Kelly being injured, further complicating their already precarious situation.

    Where
    Fenced Cabin
  11. Urgent Search for Supplies

    With Kelly's injury worsening, Hugh and Ally leave the cabin in search of medical supplies. During their quest, they meet The Reverend, a mysterious man who attempts to recruit them into his unsettling cult.

  12. Cold Weather Advantage

    The family learns that vesps are averse to extreme cold, leading Ally to identify a potential refuge to the north. This newfound hope drives them to push forward in their fight for survival.

  13. Confrontation with The Reverend

    The Reverend reappears with his followers, suggesting sinister plans for Ally. This confrontation escalates into chaos as one of the cult's members inadvertently leads a vesp attack on the cabin.

    Where
    Fenced Cabin
  14. Lynn's Sacrifice

    In a heroic act of sacrifice, Lynn distracts the vesps to allow Ally to escape. Her courageous decision highlights the family’s bond and the high stakes of their survival.

  15. Reaching The Refuge

    Hugh, Kelly, Ally, and Jude finally make the arduous trek north to reach The Refuge. There, they reunite with Rob and begin the challenging task of adapting to a new reality amidst ongoing danger from the vesps.

    Where
    The Refuge

Last updated: November 15, 2024 at 15:57

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Timeline questions answered

The Silence Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Silence (2019): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why are the vesps attracted to sound?

The vesps are prehistoric bats that evolved in complete darkness underground. Since they are blind, they evolved to hunt exclusively using echolocation, detecting sounds to locate and pursue prey. Any noise, no matter how small, triggers their predatory response, making silence the only defense against them.

Foreshadowing: The cavers first discover the vesps when their equipment and voices disturb the underground chamber.

  • vesps
  • sound
  • bats
  • hunting
  • creature
  • prehistoric
Q2

Why is Ally's deafness significant?

Ally being deaf is crucial because she already lives in a world of silence, giving her innate advantage in the vesp-filled world. She understands how to communicate through sign language without making sound, and she can move quietly by instinct. Her skills become vital for the family's survival.

Foreshadowing: The family watches the news warning about deadly sound-sensitive creatures just as Ally communicates silently nearby.

  • Ally
  • deaf
  • silence
  • survival
  • sign language
Q3

Why does Glenn die in the crash?

Glenn trapped in the wreckage after their vehicle crashes during an off-road detour around a traffic jam. As vesps swarm toward them, Glenn insists Hugh leave him behind to save the family. Hugh is forced to abandon him while Glenn distracts the creatures, allowing his friend to escape with the family.

Foreshadowing: The family takes the risky off-road route after being stuck in traffic, leading directly to the accident.

  • Glenn
  • crash
  • sacrifice
  • vesps
  • trapped
Q4

Why does Lynn sacrifice herself?

Lynn coughs, attracting vesps to the family's position at the cabin. To give Ally a chance to escape, Lynn deliberately draws the creatures away from her granddaughter, sacrificing herself so Ally can flee to safety.

Foreshadowing: Lynn's earlier coughing incident at the crashed vehicle already demonstrated how dangerous sound can be.

  • Lynn
  • sacrifice
  • cough
  • escape
  • Ally
Q5

Who is The Reverend and what does he want?

The Reverend leads a cult called The Hushed, a group of survivors who have embraced silence as a way of life, but with disturbing methods. He attempts to recruit the family and shows sinister interest in Ally, suggesting he wants to use her for unclear purposes within his community.

Foreshadowing: The family first meets The Reverend when they seek medical supplies and he invites them to join his group.

  • Reverend
  • cult
  • Hushed
  • recruitment
  • threats
Q6

What is The Refuge?

The Refuge is a community in the far north that Ally learns about during their journey. It appears to be a haven where survivors have established themselves away from the worst vesp activity. The family treks north specifically to reach this community, finally arriving at the end of the movie.

Foreshadowing: Ally discovers mention of The Refuge while researching how vesps behave in extreme cold.

  • Refuge
  • north
  • haven
  • community
  • survival
Q7

How do the characters survive the vesps?

The key survival strategies include: staying completely silent, using sign language to communicate, and exploiting the vesps' aversion to extreme cold. The family also uses fire and distractions, like igniting the overturned vehicle, to divert the creatures. Ultimately, reaching northern regions where cold weather naturally suppresses the vesps offers the best survival odds.

Foreshadowing: The family learns about cold weather affecting the vesps from their observations and research.

  • survival
  • silence
  • cold
  • fire
  • escape
Q8

Why is The Hushed cult a threat?

The Hushed cult represents human danger on top of the vesp threat. The Reverend forcibly tries to recruit families and shows predatory interest in Ally. A member accidentally leads vesps to the cabin during an attack, demonstrating their recklessness. The cult adds human antagonism to the already deadly creature scenario.

Foreshadowing: The Reverend's第二次 appearance makes clear his sinister intentions toward Ally.

  • cult
  • danger
  • Reverend
  • recruitment
  • attack
Q9

Why is Kelly injured at the cabin?

A rattlesnake bites Kelly while the family hides in the cabin. The snake's rattling sound attracts vesps to their location, compounding the danger. The bite becomes infected, forcing Hugh and Ally to venture out searching for medical supplies.

Foreshadowing: The family's brief safety at the cabin is immediately threatened by external dangers.

  • Kelly
  • snake bite
  • cabin
  • injury
  • medical supplies
Q10

Why does Hugh ignite Glenn's vehicle?

Hugh sets fire to Glenn's overturned vehicle to create a massive distraction. When Lynn's coughing attracts vesps, Hugh needs to draw them away from his family. The flames and explosion redirect the creatures' attention, allowing the family to escape on foot into the forest.

Foreshadowing: The vehicle was already wrecked and unusable after the crash, making it a viable decoy.

  • vehicle
  • fire
  • distraction
  • Hugh
  • escape
Q11

How does Rob survive until The Refuge?

Rob was Ally's crush who she contacts via FaceTime during the journey. Though his situation deteriorates throughout the film, he manages to survive until the family reaches The Refuge, where they are reunited at the end.

Foreshadowing: Ally maintains contact with Rob throughout the journey, receiving updates about his worsening circumstances.

  • Rob
  • Ally
  • Refuge
  • reunion
  • survival
Q12

Where do the vesps come from?

The vesps originate from a vast underground chamber in Pennsylvania's Appalachian Trail, accidentally discovered by a group of cavers. These prehistoric bats had lived in complete darkness for millennia. When disturbed by the cavers, they were unleashed onto the surface, beginning the nationwide terror.

Foreshadowing: The movie opens with the caver expedition that inadvertently releases the creatures.

  • vesps
  • origin
  • bats
  • cave
  • Pennsylvania
  • Appalachian

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Silence, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Silence tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Post-apocalyptic siege movies like The Silence

Stories of desperate groups fighting to endure an immediate, overwhelming threat. If you liked the desperate fight for survival in The Silence, explore more movies like it. These stories feature groups under relentless threat in a broken world, where finding sanctuary is only the beginning of a tense, claustrophobic battle to stay alive.

  • desperate
  • suspenseful
  • claustrophobic
  • oppressive
  • anxious
  • survival horror
  • Tone: tense, desperate, grim
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives typically follow a group, often a family, finding temporary refuge that quickly becomes a fortress under siege. The threat is constant and external, forcing characters to use their wits and resources in a confined space, with the plot driven by a series of escalating attacks and internal tensions.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their core premise of a contained survival struggle within a larger apocalyptic setting, sharing a high-stakes, tense atmosphere where the primary conflict is holding a location against an overwhelming force.

Sensory paranoia horror movies like The Silence

Thrillers where a simple sense becomes a deadly liability. For viewers who enjoyed the sound-sensitive terror of The Silence, this list features similar movies where a basic sense is a deadly trap. Discover high-tension thrillers and horror films that masterfully build dread around a simple, inescapable rule for survival.

  • paranoid
  • anxious
  • nerve-wracking
  • tense
  • suspenseful
  • high-concept horror
  • Tone: tense, paranoid, anxious
  • Pacing: fast, nerve-wracking
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative hinge is a simple, inescapable rule tied to a sense: don't make a sound, don't look, don't touch. The plot unfolds as characters navigate a world where this rule is enforced by a monstrous threat, leading to scenes of unbearable tension as they struggle to suppress instinctive reactions.

Why they belong together: They are united by their core mechanic of sensory-based danger, which creates a uniquely tense and paranoid viewing experience. The similarity lies in the specific type of fear elicited—the fear of one's own body and senses betraying you.

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Movies Like The Silence

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Every angle

The Silence (2019) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Silence in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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