Top 10 Scariest Scenes In A Quiet Place

Set in a near future where noise-sensitive creatures run rampant, this film centers on the Abbott family, who must live in seclusion and remain quiet at all times. The kids keep themselves occupied by playing Monopoly, which seems like a safe enough activity. Their fates are nearly sealed with a roll of the dice, however, as Marcus accidentally knocks over a lantern. Cool under even the most heated circumstances, Lee quickly puts out the fire, but that doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking as we wait to see if the coast is clear. Although they remain safe and sound, this scene demonstrates how even playing a simple board game is a risk in this dangerous setting.

As a movie with little dialogue, “A Quiet Place” is largely carried by its haunting visuals and emotive performances. With his wife going into labor, his kids missing, and a monster loose, Lee still manages to remain focused as he investigates the darkly lit house. It appears all hope is lost as he follows a trail of bloody footprints upstairs and uncovers an empty bathtub with more traces of blood. As the grief-stricken Lee lets his defenses down, both he and the audience are caught off-guard when a bloody hand slams on the shower door. We’re all able to let out of sigh of relief as it’s revealed Evelyn and her newborn baby are alive.

The birth of Lee and Evelyn’s son is one of the few joyous moments in the film. This happy occasion also creates some obvious problems, though, as newborns have a tendency to cry. There’s no time to waste as Lee rushes both his exhausted wife and baby to a soundproof basement. Although they make it underground just before the prowling creature catches them, the paranoia doesn’t end there. Lee is forced to place the little one in an insulated coffin with an oxygen mask to keep him breathing. With so much that could potentially go wrong, this scene will most certainly get under your skin whether you’re a protective parent, or simply claustrophobic.

After losing one child, Lee refuses to watch any of his other family members die. This builds to a terrifying, not to mention tragic, scene in which a monster tracks down Regan and Marcus inside a truck – influencing Lee to make the ultimate sacrifice. Before shifting the creature’s attention away from his children, Lee signs his final heartfelt words to Regan. The audience is left completely speechless as Lee lets out a brave scream and the beast charges after him. What makes Lee’s death especially gut-wrenching is that it could’ve been avoided had Regan known at the time that her cochlear implant was the key to fending off these creatures.

As cautious as the Abbott family is, there are some unforeseen circumstances they can’t be prepared for. Making their way through the woods, Lee and Marcus encounter an old man standing over his wife’s corpse. Part of what makes this moment so jarring is that these characters come out of nowhere and we never learn their backstory. The shocked, devastated look on the old man’s face tells us everything we need to know, however. Unable to keep it together, he lets out a scream while Lee and Marcus run for their lives. You can tell from the expression on the old man’s face that he’s accepted his fate as a creature ambushes him from behind.

Regan attempts to bring a little fun into her four-year-old brother’s life by giving him a toy rocket early on. She didn’t count on Beau taking batteries from the store, though. Our hearts sank and our spines stiffened as Beau obliviously activates the noisy toy on a bridge. Lee races after his son, but the creature lurking in the trees is faster. This not only serves as a brilliant introduction to the monsters, but it also establishes upfront the film isn’t afraid to kill off children. Beau’s demise sticks with the audience for the rest of the movie, constantly reminding us that these characters could be torn to shreds at the drop of a pin.

When Evelyn and her newborn seek refuge in the basement, it’s panic-inducing to say the least. The filmmakers only pile onto this stressful situation when Evelyn wakes up to discover the basement flooding. We feel all of Evelyn’s dread as a stream of water overflows around her infant son’s cradle with a creature scavenging in the background. The red lighting just adds to the trauma we’re experiencing. Carefully retrieving the baby, Evelyn restrains herself from screaming as the creature emerges out of the water right in front of her. Fortunately, Evelyn is able to use the environment to her advantage as she hides behind the pouring water, blocking out her baby’s cries.

What’s more horrifying than drowning in water? How about drowning in a grain silo! In this ingeniously shot sequence, Marcus plummets down a silo’s hatch door and Regan dives in after him. Grain entrapment is more common than you may think, which makes the scene more relatable and therefore more alarming. Both children almost suffocate as they sink into the sea of corn. While the siblings pull through together, their problems are just getting started. The noise attracts one of the monsters, which comes crashing into the silo. Regan inadvertently chases it off by changing the frequency on her implant, but the monster leaves a giant hole in the silo and plenty of emotional scares.

From its opening scene, “A Quiet Place” submerges the viewer into an unrelenting state of anxiety. That’s primarily because it drops us in the middle of a seemingly abandoned town where all hell apparently broke loose. A wall of missing person posters informs us that this place has been riddled with death and tragedy. From there, we’re introduced to the few lucky survivors as they search for supplies. It’s also established that Regan is deaf as we shift between her perspective and her brother’s, exemplifying this movie’s remarkable use of sound and sound editing. Although we don’t entirely know what’s happening yet, the foreboding atmosphere is enough to make us shudder in our seats.

This sequence is simply a perfect storm of terror, in which everything that could possibly go wrong for these characters slowly unfolds. Evelyn goes into labor early while alone at the house, which would be distressing even without any deadly monsters about. It’s impossible not to cringe as Evelyn steps on an exposed nail, causing her to drop a fragile picture frame. She summons the strength to signal her family, but a creature has already arrived at the house. Words can’t describe just how petrifying it is watching Evelyn give birth in a bathtub while Marcus sets off fireworks far away as a distraction. (xref) We’ll just let the intense imagery speak for itself.