On June 28th, 2024, “A Quiet Place: Day One” was released in theaters, a prequel to the award-winning horror movie, “A Quiet Place”. This movie series sprung from the minds of Brian Woods and Scott Beck. The prequel expands the eerie universe of “A Quiet Place” by immersing the audience into an intense, heavy-hearted, frightening perspective, set on the first day of the apocalyptic alien invasion. The movie backtracks roughly a year before the events of “A Quiet Place” and the sequel, “A Quiet Place Part ll”.
The movie follows the chilling survival story of Samira, a terminally ill woman (Lupita Nyong’o), as well as her beloved cat Frodo, and one of the few apocalyptic survivors, Eric (Joseph Quinn). The trio silently navigate through New York City, evading mysterious and bloodthirsty creatures that they quickly learned can only detect humans by sound.
The film blends horror with heartache. Unexpected scenes made viewers jump in surprise, while tragic moments left some audience members in tears. The heart-pounding events of the movie where the protagonists are tirelessly running and evading the uninvited creatures keep the audience alert for what’s to come. West Orange High School freshman Chloe Oquendo said “The creatures would pop out when I least expected them to and made me flinch every time. I kept bracing myself in my seat.” The mood constantly changes from calm to terror within a second, sending the message to the audience that no character is safe.
Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn display their phenomenal acting skills throughout the entire movie. The deafening silence keeps the audience in constant suspense but even with the limited dialogue, the actors are able to communicate with the audience simply through their facial expressions. This is especially shown through the performance from Lupita Nyong’o as Samira. The pure terror and despair displayed on her face, specifically the anguish in her eyes, sends chills down viewers’ spines.
Although “A Quiet Place: Day One” is unquestionably frightening, compared to its preceding movies, it does not feature as much gore and horror. In contrast, it focuses as much on the developing bond of the two main characters, Samira and Eric. The viewers are able to gain a sense of connection as the relationship evolves from two strangers to two friends bonded by inconceivable circumstances. The audience can’t help but be drawn in by the characters’ individual circumstances conveyed by their emotions.
The film also unravels more details to the “A Quiet Place” universe. Scen
es show the extraterrestrial creatures feasting on egg or spore-like vegetation, which is something not shown in the previous two movies. While nothing is explained literally, it allows viewers to speculate and develop their own interpretation of its relevance. Maggie Wootton, a freshman student at West Orange High School, said “The movie left a lot of things unanswered. Where did these creatures come from? What are they eating? What is their goal? I personally think that the monsters might be eating their own eggs.” The movie dives deeper into the series but still leaves fans with more questions than before.
The final moments of the movie leaves fans with a bittersweet ending. The film, while adding on to the “A Quiet Place” franchise, gives a whole new story and perspective to the chaos and grief caused by the hostile invasion. Taking the audience back to the beginnings of the apocalypse. However, along with the sorrow gives the viewpoint of newfound friendships, hope, and love.
