[Whispering] Welcome to the Kill Count, where we tally up the victims in all our favorite horror movies.
I'm James A. Janisse and today we're looking at A Quiet Place Part II, which premiered in 2020
but had its wide release in 2021. The first A Quiet Place was a breakout hit in 2018, earning
glowing reviews, an Oscar nod for Sound Editing, and perhaps most importantly, a metric asston of
money. Paramount immediately announced a sequel, even though it was never written with one in
mind - the first film had been something personal for co-writer and director John Krasinski.
"The first movie was a love letter to my kids."
Krasinski originally said he wouldn't return to write or direct,
but he fell in love with an idea he came up with while outlining a story.
"And as I was writing the outline I was halfway through it typing and I went 'Dammit, I'm directing this movie'."
For me, A Quiet Place 2 is a movie that doesn't need to exist. I enjoyed the first film as a
cinematic experience that frequently sacrificed logic for style. Why was that nail there? I dunno,
but it created a lot of tension. Did Lee have to write basic facts on a whiteboard? No,
but it helped set up the world. It was a quiet story told in a quiet way,
and I could overlook its faults because the emotional throughline was done
so well. The relationship between Lee and Regan has a wonderful arc to it.
But hey, sometimes ya gotta sequel it up or you're just leaving money on the table. The
first film was an intimate tale that took place in a beautifully-rendered post-apocalyptic world.
The second, which was given a budget more than 3 times as big, explores that world further,
which is a treat to see. I like that we get a flashback showing the day of the invasion,
and that Krasinski and the effects team were confident enough to show more of the aliens. In
the original, they were mostly hidden in shadows and blurred by their fast motion. In Part 2,
these sound-based alien scum are shown in full daylight, moving slowly,
up close, and they never look bad. It's impressive.
The film's structure, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. About midway through,
the story unravels, and never finds itself again. Disparate scenes are cross-cut back and forth
relentlessly, and the ending feels abrupt. Some character decisions don't make a lot of sense,
and while that might be forgiveable in a slasher focused on kills,
this movie is about surviving under specific circumstances. You lose the tension and fun
when you're questioning why someone's doing something. I don't hate A Quiet Place Part 2,
but I don't love it, either. It's a safe step forward for the series - too safe,
I think - and if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably have a good time here, as well.
I can already tell you this thing about to have more kills though. How many more? Let's find out.
The movie begins in the quiet town from the first film, but it's not
quiet out of necessity just yet. This is the morning of Day 1 of the alien invasion,
back before noisy toys spelled certain death. The whole Abbott family attends a baseball game that
Marcus is playing in - even his, as of now, still living little brother Beau! Here, Beau's played by Dean Woodward,
younger brother of Cade Woodward, who played Beau in the first film. They're lucky they had
a spare Woodward lying around, kids age fast as hell. Just look at how much older Milicent
Simmonds and Noah Jupe look. Gotta ignore it to believe this took place before the first one.
Marcus's feeble batting gets interrupted by a giant fireball in the sky,
something that's popped up in nightmares of mine ever since I was a kid. That shit's scary,
yo! Since that's about game, the Abbotts split up to head home,
Evelyn with the boys and father Lee with daughter Regan. I like seeing how close these two were
prior to the rocket ship incident. It adds extra weight to their arc in the first film,
showing the close relationship that they had lost and then had to repair.
An alien is first spotted at the end of a long one-take when it slams into a police
car and causes chaos to erupt. Great sequence here that repeats the first
film's use of silence to give us Regan's perspective. The first kill I'll count is
when an alien crushes the car in front of Evelyn's, I think that lady driver's
a goner. Evelyn tries to get the hell out of there in another excellent long one-take
that feels like a theme park ride. Don't worry Evelyn, Optimus Prime will save us in no time!
Krasinski used several "oners", as they're known, in this opening sequence
to make the audience feel at home in the world. The first one is done pre-invasion,
when Lee is walking down the street. The town they filmed in was Akron, New York,
just outside of Buffalo - and 200 miles away from Little Falls, where they shot the town in the
first film. Production Designer Jess Gonchor had to re-create the first film's location
using fake storefronts on Akron's main street. I think he did great, I had just assumed they
filmed in the same town again. He also made this Brody's Pizza sign, a reference to Jaws.
The oner with the alien's debut is actually a fake oner. The beginning of it sees a
police car pull up, but since it ends with that car being tossed by a flipper unit,
they had to cut so they could replace the real
car with a fake one. The invisible seam occurs when Lee gets out of his truck.
[Krasinski] "So this is one shot here"
"And this is another shot, and you're gonna see my head go from one shot into the next shot."
"And this shot is the shot that has the stunts."
"And this shot is no stunts just a dumb actor."
Industrial Light & Magic stitched together the separate shots and also
removed the wire rigging and flipper that sent this fake cop car flying.
The oner with Evelyn was a bit more involved since it took place inside a moving vehicle.
The car was part of a rig that took more than 5 weeks to build - a Volvo with no wheels sitting
on a motorized trailer platform. A stunt driver drove the vehicle from the roof of the car,
meaning Emily Blunt was left miming like Maggie in the Simpsons intro. That also
meant her life was in the driver's hands, since the bus coming towards them was real.
"She looked up at the driver and said 'your life is quite literally in my hands' and this guy leaned forward,"
"the nicest guy in the world, he leaned forward and went 'I'm the best'."
"And that's kinda what you want to hear before you do a shot like this."
The camera inside the car was on a pre-programmed CMOCOS rig that couldn't be adjusted during the
shot, so they rehearsed for days before shooting. When it came to acting, Blunt
said she didn't have to try too hard - again, there was a literal bus driving towards her.
"She was genuinely fearing for her life. So, that's what I offer as a husband."
Once again, ILM cleaned up the final shot. Working under VFX supervisor Scott Farrar,
they seamed together the missing parts of the car's roof to make it look whole.
It's amidst this townwide terror that one lady gets her shit wrecked by an Alien atop a Taurus.
Lee and Regan take refuge inside a restaurant but might as well have hid inside the Greek
for all the noise going on here. Quit prayin so loud, Wayne Duvall, you know what's it like to be
hunted! When a ringing phone sets off an alien, it charges in and gets 5 kills, I think. The general
rule for this movie will be that a swipe equals a kill. I trust these aliens to be that lethal.
Lee and Regan get away and make a run for their family, past 8 bodies of people who were part
of the failed alien welcoming committee. Y'all really dropped the ball. A local cop, Ronnie,
rises to the occasion, but this guy's gonna need a Mulligan cause he fails to kill the alien.
After a
[whispering] Title Card
we're back to the present, on the same day the first film ended. Again,
ignore how different the kids look, they just grow up so fast!
Things are... yeah, just how the Abbotts left them: big ole fire, random nail,
dead aliens from shotgun blasts. With their sound-proof barn basement flooded from a random
pipe burst, it's time to collect what they have and leave. And they'll head towards that
beacon way yonder. Because fire means someone's alive! Unlike Lee, he's dead
They leave the farm and the safety of their sand walk as Marco Beltrami's beautiful score backs
shots of their desolate world. Both A Quiet Place films do such a good job
transporting you to their reality. It's why we cringe at the threat of the slightest noise.
[Clanking bottles]
and straight-up freak out when something loud happens.
This mill they've come across is protected with that alarm system,
a sniper, and a bear trap Marcus steps into AH SHIT! That screaming ain't gonna
help the alien problem but I get it, kid, your ankle is NOT looking good. Luckily,
these Abbotts know the aliens's weakness - high-pitched feedback that opens their armor. Yo,
you seein this shit, sniper man? Yeah, the Abbotts are dope as hell. I'd steal that family too.
The shushing man carries Marcus and leads the ladies through a factory,
all while the alien chases, trying to track their quiet footsteps. Before it can get 'em,
everyone pulls a Mario and hops into this pipe in a ground. Hey that's not
World 1-2. I love that Millicent Simmonds actually jumped into that vat herself.
She does it so smoothly and it looks great on camera. John Krasinski was very pleased.
[Shouting] "That was awesome!"
The room beneath the vat has a large furnace that works as a sound proof chamber. They have to keep
the handle unlocked with a towel or else they won't be able to escape when their limited air
runs out. The man who led them here is Emmett, a family friend from the before-times. He was in
the opening baseball scene, being friendly and personal with the Abbotts. Regan even taught
him how to say "dive" in ASL! Emmett's played by Cillian Murphy, no stranger to the horror genre,
having starred in zombie fare like 28 Days Later and Craven thrillers like Red Eye.
He says he can't help them, that there aren't enough supplies, but dude, they got a baby!
That's more valuable than gold? Certainly shines brighter, anyway, Evelyn is positively glowing!
The sound-proof furnace allows them to fix up Marcus's injury, and the rest of the lair is deep
enough that they can quietly talk to each other. Emmett tells Evelyn his two sons died on Day 1
of the invasion - and I'll go ahead and count them because we saw at least one in that opening
scene. The other, ehunno, probably a baseball boy. He says his wife died only 2 weeks ago,
and he's been a lonely wreck ever since. He also warns Evelyn to be wary of some survivors
[Whispering] "They are not the kind of people worth saving."
Wait, what? I can't hear, hold on
[Volume cranked up] "They are not the kind of people worth saving."
Okay, thank you.
Marcus is shocked to hear a song being broadcast over the radio. It's a possible sign of human
life, but Emmett says to ignore it since it's been playing on a loop for months.
Regan realizes that the song's title might be a message. It's Beyond the Sea,
like that old Carnival Cruise commercial, and seeing as the radio station broadcasts from an
island... yeah, I'd say the song is meant to bring people there. Regan wants to go and broadcast her
cochlear implant feedback over the radio - that way, people everywhere can weaponize it
against the aliens. Marcus tries to talk her out of it, but the next morning, she's gone.
Evelyn begs Emmett to go find her daughter, and though he realllly doesn't want to, I mean,
you know he gon'a. To get to the shore, Regan's following train tracks - she can't take a train
cause those things are straight wrecked, as we see in this awesome shot they filmed in Collins,
New York. I'm choosing not to count the bodies inside the train cars as kills,
by the way. Look at em. They're bastard skellies. No skin no service, ya fucks!
[bone crunch]
AH YA DIRTY FUCK!
The commotion brings an alien around, and Regan tries to fight back with feedback and a gun. She
has a hard time with it and is only saved at the last minute thanks to a shot from Emmett. Uhhhh
was that the safest shot to take there, dude? They hide in the train station where Emmett learns the
value of enunciation. Tip of the tongue teeth and the lips. He tells Regan he's gotta take her back
home, but she rightfully points out they ain't got no home. So why not join her for a hike to the
beach, brah? The next morning, he does that, and they find a marina with a couple of boats docked.
Back at the mill, Evelyn realizes they need some supplies: Things for Marcus's injury
and oxygen for wittle baby box cryer to breath. Though Marcus again frets,
she sets out for town to restock, stopping only to commemmorate Beau's grave with her wedding ring.
As night falls, Regan and Emmett cautiously walk towards the docks.
They get there and try untying a boat only to realize they're not alone. Hmm, hope it
isn't anyone dangerous. Oh, it's just a little girl. How dangerous could she be-
Okay, pretty dangerous. And creepy! Now Emmett's a one man band,
the amazing bell wonder, so he can't move as unsavory survivors come out and surround Regan.
Evelyn gets to the pharmacy after dark, and takes its delicious drugs and oxygen. Mmmmm,
air. While she's out, Marcus gets, uh, bored babysitting, I guess? He puts the kid
in its box and for no reason I can think of, pops on upstairs to limp around the factory.
Why would he do this? He can't be assed to rock a baby in safety for one night? I mean I understand
wanting more shots of this Old Mill, it's a great location they found in Lackawanna just outside of
Buffalo. This former Bethlehem Steel property was abandoned back in 1983, and its dilapidated state
works well as a metaphor, symbolizing how the modern world has crumbled apart. But all that
doesn't excuse this bonehead move from Marcus. He ends up finding Emmett's dead wife Norah, and yeah
she's REAL close to skeleterritory but not quite, so I'll count her. But just this one time, lady!
The scare causes Marcus to MAKE SOME NOISE, which siks an alien on his location immediately. He
panic hobbles into the pit and grabs the baby box, but so hurriedly hops into the sound proof
furnace that he forgets to stop the lock with a towel. Yeah kid, now you fucked up. You have
fucked up now. An alien about to break yo butt. To survive inside the chamber, Marcus uses the
baby's oxygen. It's like being on a plane - Secure your own mask first before assisting others.
The men on the dock begin toying with Regan in a very uncomfortable way. When they go to leave
and take her with them, Emmett signals for Regan to dive. She jumps into the water as he noisilly
charges the man. A lantern drops and starts a fire, causing a ruckus that brings an alien
around. I'll count 4 people who get swiped by the alien, include one who gets whiffed
into a boat, haha that sucks. Emmett ushers the alien towards him by stabbing the bad guy in
the leg and making him scream. He jumps into the water as the alien attacks, and though he's tied
up in that net for a while, he's freed when the alien murders the main bad guy above the surface.
Production had a hard time finding a marina to use, since they'd have to shut down business
and this was filmed in the summer. They found a place south of Buffalo near Westfield, New York:
The Monroe Marina at Barcelona Harbor. Production designer Jess Gonchor and Assistant Art Director
Zack Gonchor made a model of the marina and modified it as needed for their action.
Cinematographer Polly Morgan decided to shoot this scene on digital, unlike the rest of the
movie which was all shot on film. Shooting digitally made it easier to light this large, outdoor, dark
area, and the cameras were also easier to move around the tight spaces they were working with.
Evelyn gets back to the factory and realizes that there's trouble. She uses a gun to lure
the alien out of the furnace room, then lights the alien on fire using another gunshot and a whole
bunch of oil. This sets off the fire sprinkler, making enough noise for Evelyn to sneak by and
get underground. She gets to the chamber just in time to wake Marcus up from his nap slash coma.
Emmett resurfaces to watch 3 more dock dudes slashed down to death by the alien.
Their good times splasharound looks so fun that the alien wants in, too. But turns out these
fellers never took swimming lessons at the Y, and Emmett watches as the alien drowns, haha get rekt.
Regan floats by and scoops him up into a boat, so it's on towards the island they must go! Huzzah!
They reach the shore and army crawl until they come across.. ! Oh the Others?! Oooo,
maybe they can join Juliette's book club! The community here is a happy, utopian one,
safe from the aliens thanks to the surrounding water. They take in Emmett and Regan and a leading
member played by Djimon Hounsou explains how they got there. On Day 1 the National
Guard tried to evac people to the island. Only two boats made it, and they've been here ever
since. Emmett tells him they've come here with a purpose: to beat up the aliens with sound.
The next morning Emmett's enjoying a sunrise when he hears some alien-like noises. He finds a boat
has come ashore, one last seen floating away with an alien onboard. Now he's gotta warn the others
that the island's been contaminated. But it's too late! The invasion yields 6 kills, I think,
all done by a single alien. That's gotta be ground for some kind of alien promotion, right?
The aliens are seen much more clearly than in the first film, yet they never feel fake
or out of place. Once again, ILM did their design, which was primarily based on evolution,
not just to look cool. Working with Krasinski, they carefully modeled how the alien's armor
opens up in response to sound. They took some inspiration from the way
seaweed moves underwater in a current. Huge props to compositer Chris Balog for blending
in the CG aliens with the rest of the shot. I seriously never notice the seams. It probably
helps that Krasinski used practical effects for everything besides the aliens themselves.
Emmett and Regan join the man in a car. He drives off honking the horn to lure
the alien away from his friends and family. Wait, is that plan working? Oh, yeah, seems like the thing caught on.
Too bad it couldn't hang on right? [laughs]
[Alien noises]
God dammit alien, get the fuck off my car brah.
They drive to the radio station and get inside where all of a sudden the man begins to freak
out. He's worried the alien might have gone back to their village. But don't worry dude,
the alien's still right here. Or, maybe, worry more about that? Eh, too late, he dead.
Emmett and Regan get inside and find the broadcasting booth. Oooh,
wonder if this station has a Mr. Shark! The alien shows up uninvited, like so many Chop-Tops,
and knocks Emmett to the ground. At the same time, back at the old steel mill,
Evelyn and Marcus need their medical supplies. When she goes to get them, the alien re-appears
and stops them from closing the furnace door. Boy, with this alien swiping at her family, it'd
be a bad time for Regan to take a dramatic pause. Real bad time. Come on, Regan, do the damn thing.
She finally slams her cochlear implant into the microphone. The feedback is broadcasted
inside the booth and over Marcus's radio. The younger brother finds his footing and fearlessly
approaches the alien, edited nicely in tandem with his sister doing the same in the radio station.
Together, they each defeat their foes - Marcus via gunshot and Regan via bludgeoning. Good work kids,
you saved the day. And thanks to that piercing broadcast, you might have saved the world as well.
[Whispering] How many people tried to stay safe but wound up as
[Shouting] ALIEN FOOD?!
[Alien screeching] Aw shit, hold on,
I've got something I've gotta take care of.
By my count, 34 people died in A Quiet Place Part II. The victims included 24 men, 8 women,
and 2 bodies I just couldn't tell. And no, I didn't count the aliens because
they're not humanoid. Come on, learn the arbitrary rules I often break.
pfft
With a runtime of 97 minutes, that left us with a kill on average every 2.85 minutes.
I'll give the Golden Chainsaw for Coolest Kill to this woman from the opening scene,
cause she gets swiped pretty hard. Plus I used to drive a Taurus. I dunno,
makes me nostalgic. Dull Machete for Lamest Kill will be the bodies in the background,
since they didn't have the decency to die onscreen.
And that's it. A Quiet Place Part II had a premiere in 2020, but COVID delayed its wide
release for an entire year. A spin-off third film is currently being developed, so we'll
see what happens with that. Until next time, I'm James A. Janisse. This has been the Kill Count.
Thansk a lot for watching this extra Kill Count. I wanna thank some patrons like Gabriel Portocarerro
Matt Nicholls, Skippy The clown
Mattie Yapp
Shannon Byrne Dasher, Johnny Compton
Caleb Koetje, and Luis Laboy
Ah shit I should've put the fuckin' Demogorgon up there with his little petal face.
That's kinda like the... did the Quiet Place aliens have names? Guarantee they get names in a future one.
What would you name 'em? Let me know in the comments! That's how you get engagement.
Thanks everyone, be good people.