Horror from "Day One"

Graphic by Caitlin Orsino

“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski, is the most recent addition to a unique story of an alien invasion. There are two other films in the franchise: “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place: Part Two.” The 2024 film is a prequel to its predecessors, so watching this one first is best if you want to experience the series chronologically. “A Quiet Place: Day One” tells the story of the first day of apocalyptic disaster.

The film’s star-studded cast includes Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and Djimon Hounsou, who have all been part of notable projects and franchises such as “Black Panther,” “Stranger Things,” and “Fast & Furious.” You’re sure to recognize some of them if you have any experience with those three, and for all the animal lovers out there, the film also contains an adorable cat!

The twist in “A Quiet Place: Day One” is that the aliens that invade not only make their way to Earth via meteor shower, but they are also blind. They don’t have eyes at all, but what they do have is an extreme hearing level.

The series’ characters find out that a single snap of your fingers will send a horde of aliens barreling toward your location. They also have four limbs, capable of rearing back like frogs to power up for a jump. If you’ve seen them before, you know that they’re extremely vicious and nasty. But if you haven’t watched a single “A Quiet Place” film, then this one will surely tell you whether or not you want to watch the rest.

The film follows the same formula as the others. In order for you to survive, you need to be quiet. The cast mainly interacts with each other when there are brief moments between the action where a loud environmental noise is present, like a waterfall. Besides this, you will find that most of the sound present in the film comes from the aliens themselves. From their heavy stomps to their eerie clicking noises, the aliens are truly sinister.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” is largely focused on Nyong’o and Quinn’s characters Samira and Eric, who are trying to reach the ultimate objective: survival. This isn’t your typical thriller, however, as this film has unique moments of suspense that are hard for a viewer to witness. Every move that the characters make can mean death, from yelling to dropping a pin.

A unique effect of the “Quiet Place” movies is that they make the audience want to be quiet as well. The director makes you feel as if you’re really in this world, and I think that speaks well to the level of immersion the film has. If none of these things have turned you away so far, then you will most likely enjoy this movie.