Quiet Place: Day One Continues Suspense, Aliens, and Silence

You cannot make a sound.

Quiet Place: Day One is a 2024 prequel to the original films directed by John Krasinski. The film takes place on the first day of the invasion in New York City. Amidst the chaos, Samira and Eric quietly escape from these creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.

I want to apologize to Quiet Place: Day One for my early doubts. I had this film all wrong! I enjoyed it more than I anticipated, sitting forward in my seat. Quiet Place: Day One works. We needed this prequel because there is more to this story. Quiet Place: Day One is a tense, heartwarming, and bittersweet thriller about survival and friendship.

Lupita Nyong’o has already proclaimed herself a phenomenal actress, especially in the horror realm. She does an amazing job with her character, Samira, someone who is battling worse demons. For the film, Nyong’o learned to act more through body language which she enjoyed. She depicts an amazing terrified expression in one scene!

Stranger Things fans are in for a treat. Joseph Quinn’s entrance into the film is memorable and rare. I thought his character was somewhat random, and we don’t know much about Eric. He awkwardly follows Samira and says ‘okay’ repeatedly. Quinn does an excellent job in the role, conquering an empowering emotional performance.

This film is all about the endearing connection between Samira and Eric. In these types of situations, you never know who you will meet or for how long. These two help one another find comfort, watch each other's backs, and provide a needed laugh. I liked it when they performed a silent stand-up comedy show.

A cat is also along for the adventure. Frodo is played by two cat actors named Nico and Schnitzel. It is the quietest cat ever! As much as I argued over the cat’s presence, he serves a genuine purpose. Behind the scenes, Nyong’o was terrified of cats. She underwent cat therapy which helped her overcome her fear.

The film has a small ensemble. Alex Wolff is another favorite actor of mine. Djimon Hounsou reprises his role from Quiet Place 2. A large ensemble of screaming and panicked people is included. For a large group, like this, I could feel the emotions from everyone.

New York City plays as an excellent backdrop for the film’s setting. I liked the new setting. Most location scenes were filmed in London. Filmmakers gave the city a heavy disaster makeover. You’re making more noise than you realize in a big city. One scene attests to that as several characters merge in the streets.

Michael J. Sarnoski excelled in his direction. He did a fantastic job with the layouts of scenes, the cinematography, and the suspenseful tension. Quiet Place: Day One experimented with different ideas, though it treads similar grounds. Aside from its horror premise, Sarnoski focused on human connection. We can’t overlook this important element.

Quiet Place: Day One is a scary and suspenseful film. Like the previous films, the terrors involve any little noise and the monsters come after you. The film achieves an award-winning nightmare jump scare. Nobody saw it coming! I jumped in my seat and silenced my scream.

In a rare moment, the theater was stone quiet. Once the action started (or silence began), I was afraid to eat my final Kit Kat bite. I also jumped when someone sitting in the back coughed during a suspenseful moment.

Quiet Place: Day One was surprisingly bittersweet. You need to experience this film in theaters. Everyone sat forward in their seats, elevating the tense silence.