Warning! This article contains spoilers for A Quiet Place: Day One

John Krasinski’s horror series, A Quiet Place, burst onto the scene in 2018, and due to its overwhelming success, it immediately warranted expansion into a larger franchise. Following his incredibly popular role as Jim Halpert on The Office, John Krasinski set his sights on conquering other parts of Hollywood. Starring in new TV shows, movies, and even jumping into the role of writer and director, became a multi-talented star with great success in several mediums.

In 2018, Krasinski had his biggest break as a writer and director when A Quiet Place pulled in more than $330 million on a budget of just $17 million (via The Numbers), a nomination for an Oscar, and various other awards. Since then, A Quiet Place has expanded into a franchise with a sequel and a prequel, expanding the world and the alien creatures that act as the central antagonists. Each entry adds to the franchise in some way, with compelling new stories.

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A Quiet Place Part II

Coming in at third place, A Quiet Place Part II is the second entry in the franchise, and it continues the story of the Abbott family. Over a year after the invasion began, most of the population has been slaughtered by the terrifying alien invaders. Following Lee’s death at the end of the original movie, his remaining family, wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt), son Marcus (Noah Jupe), and deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) search for somewhere else to stay safe after losing their home.

This sequel also introduces the character Emmet, played by Cillian Murphy, as an old family friend of the Abbott’s. Despite a sparse cast, those involved excelled in their roles, with both Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy delivering seasoned performances that would be expected from actors with their experience and caliber, and their younger co-stars matching up to their talents. Both Jupe and Simmonds have pivotal roles in the film as they deliver emotional, impactful performances that turn them from scared children, into the true heroes of the movie.

A Quiet Place Part II is the perfect sequel to the original film, continuing to stick with the horror style, and maintaining a spirit of sullen distress, but it also brings the characters together through their struggles. With the loss of Lee, played by John Krasinski, the kids must step up and assume greater responsibilities of caring for and protecting their family. Regan cleverly devises a way to fight the monsters on a national scale, and Marcus becomes the man of the Abbott family, protecting the baby, and ensuring his mother does not bear the weight of responsibility alone.

However, A Quiet Place Part II did suffer from its position as a sequel, which meant the movie did not maintain an element of surprise with the monsters. Krasinski’s absence is palpable, though a necessity in order to carry the story forward faithfully. In addition, the movie naturally evolved beyond a sci-fi horror to become something more dystopian and wrought with hope. None of that is a bad thing, but the stakes in the other entries are higher, the horror is more visceral, and the stories are more focused and individual.

In saying all of this, A Quiet Place Part II also had significant hurdles to overcome as the film was released during the COVID outbreak, which would definitely have impacted sales for the movie. Despite this, A Quiet Place Part II managed to pull in just shy of $300 million (via The Numbers), just behind the original’s box office total. This feat is made all the more impressive considering the movie was also released to stream on Paramount+ just 45 days after it’s theatrical debut, which would have further impacted sales at the box office.

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A Quiet Place: Day One

A Quiet Place: Day One returns to the first day of the alien invasion, specifically highlighting the experience of a small group of people who are trapped on the island with the alien invaders. Central to the story, Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam, a terminally ill woman who goes on a day trip with a group from her hospice, her nurse and her cat into New York. When the invasion hits, Sam and several others find themselves alive thanks to quickly learning that noise alerts the monsters, and they must stay deadly silent.

Nyong’o is incredibly natural in the role, highlighting a somewhat nihilistic outlook, as she remains consigned to her imminent death, whether by the hand of the monsters, or simply waiting it out. Joining her, Joseph Quinn plays a young man named Eric, a British national who is studying Law in the US. Sam is among the first people that Eric sees, and like a lost puppy, he chooses to remain faithfully by her side. Both actors do a fantastic job, exploring a natural chemistry that perfectly captures two loners at the end of the world, simply enjoying a platonic human connection.

The beauty of the film comes from making an idea which has been explored in two separate movies in a fresh new light. While the first film hid the monsters from view in almost every scene, the sequel increased their presence. In Day One, the creatures are rampant, having just arrived on Earth, and the audience discovers them along with the characters on the screen. It also highlights human connection, as an inherent need that humans possess. The film is simple, harrowing, hopeful, and dark, weaving together these emotions with incredible fluidity.

Due to this nuance, and the evolution of the story despite its nature as a prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One deserves the second place spot. Not only did it deliver a story with new characters, and make it equally engaging and thrilling as both of the previous entries, but it created beautiful connections between characters that had nothing but their humanity in common. Sam has already given up on life, opting to chase her dream of getting pizza over any effort to stay alive. And despite Eric’s good health, he foregoes his efforts to escape the island in order to help Sam achieve that dream.

This film also marks the first entry where John Krasinski handed over control for both directing and the screenplay to someone else. Michael Sarnoski took up the double duty as a writer and director on the project and did an excellent job in carrying the franchise forward while still feeling connected to the originals. Along with the monsters who appear in all three films, Djimon Hounsou returns after his brief role in Part II to further establish his character within the series, and highlight the difficult choices he had to make in order to become a leader in a fallen world.

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A Quiet Place

The original A Quiet Place hit theaters in 2018, and it introduced the concept of an alien invasion from monsters who were completely devoid of sight, but possessed a keen sense of hearing that helped them to hunt. Once again, the film focuses on one group of individuals delivering an emotional and compelling story. The Abbott family have an advantage in this alien invasion due to the family’s knowledge of sign language, due to their daughter being deaf. With a new baby, the Abbott family must get creative in creating fortifications to keep the family safe from the monsters lurking outside.

Blunt, Jupe and Simmonds play Evelyn, Marcus, and Regan Abbott, and they are joined by Krasinski as the patriarch of the family, Lee. The chemistry between Blunt and Krasinski is enhanced by their marriage in real life, which translates well to their role as husband and wife. In addition, their connection to the kids adds up to a family unit that is strong, resourceful, and endlessly innovative. All of the actors masterfully portray emotional highs and lows in the film that are nothing short of remarkable.

With the novelty of the film as it introduced the series, and the work of Krasinski both behind and in front of the camera, A Quiet Place goes beyond a typical monster movie. Exploring disability and its unique strengths in an impossible situation, exploring the unbreakable bond between a family, and creating a world that is full and rich with lore, despite being the first entry, all add up to make this movie what it is.

All things considered, A Quiet Place is the obvious choice for first place, as the most critically acclaimed, and the original. Krasinski’s idea is delivered through his lens as an actor and director, and the vision is fully realized. But even beyond this, the movie stands out as one of the most unique horror stories of all time.

Yes, there are other alien horror movies, there are even horrors that explore what happens when the victims are restricted from using a key sense, such as Bird Box, but there is a reason A Quiet Place has spawned a franchise of films. The story is rich, the characters are thoroughly developed, and the movies explore the human condition when things are taken away. Their ability to speak, their freedom, their connection to others. A Quiet Place is haunting, not just because there are monsters lurking around every corner, but because they threaten some of the pure and simple parts of the human experience.