Oh, Henri! Yes, as followers of the horror franchise already know, actorDjimon Hounsou’sheroic Henri is the tie that binds directorMichael Sarnoski’sprequel,A Quiet Place: Day One,with John Krasinski’s 2020 sequel,A Quiet Place Part II. While Henri doesn’t appear in the originalA Quiet Place(2018), he shows up in the follow-up along with the Abbott family survivors — plus Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy. And without spoilingDay One, Sarnoski revealed his desire for Henri to connect his prequel with the sequel. Sarnoski said in an interview withGamesRadar+:
“I thought it would be fun to bring in a little bit of a connection to A Quiet Place Part 2.But I also wanted to useHenri’s character to sort of stand in for what Sam’s [Lupita Nyong’o] story could have been,that was kind of the story of this family man who wanted to escape the city.”
A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place: Day One is a spin-off of the A Quiet Place franchise conceived by John Krasinski. The film is set at the beginning of the invasion as humanity scrambles to survive, before the events of the original film, with Lupita Nyong’O leading the cast, directed by Michael Sarnoski.
Sarnoski continued:
“So, I thought it’d be fun to sort of use that as a bit of a foil, but then also give him a little extra backstoryabout the things he’s had to go through and deal with tobecome the person that he is in the second Quiet Place when he’s kind of a leader of this community.So, there were a few things to play with. It was also just amazing to work with Djimon,and I really wanted to get to work with him because he’s an incredible actor and so easy to work with.”
Lupita Nyong’o Is Clearly ‘Tethered’ to Horror Genre
Many cinephiles knowA Quiet Place: Day One’sstar, Lupita Nyong’o, as a fixture in both theMarvel Cinematic Universeand theStar Warssequel trilogy. But the Oscar-winning actress (12 Years a Slave) is effectively “tethered” to the horror genre thanks to her unforgettable appearance in Jordan Peele’sUs. Nyong’o also starred in the macabre comedyLittle Monsters,and she opens up aboutalways “coming again and again to horror”in an interview withVariety:
“This genre helps us exercise emotions that we are otherwise running away from a lot of the time.We don’t get permission to be openly scared in our real life.I found myself coming again and again to horror because of the roles that have been offered to me there.There is a heightened nature to horror that makes for a really interesting character to explore.”
A Quiet Place: Day One’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Scary Good Out of the Gate
As early screenings of A Quiet Place: Day One get underway, the horror film’s Rotten Tomatoes score reflects very good reviews from the critics.
Director Michael Sarnoski’s “Pig touch,”whichA Quiet Placecreator John Krasinski wanted for the prequel, is definitely part of the reason the new horror film is being so well-received. On the film’s opening day (Friday, June 28),A Quiet Place: Day Onesecured the top spot at the box office with an impressive take of $22.5 million (perThe Numbers).
And Sarnoski’s prequel has officially received a “B+” CinemaScore, which is utterly fantastic for a film in the horror genre. That matches the original movie’s score, but isn’t quite as good asA Quiet Place Part II’s“A-” CinemaScore.
A Quiet Place: Day Oneis now playing exclusively in theaters.
