When A Quiet Place first premiered back in 2018 audiences were immediately thrown into
a story of one family’s struggle to survive in a time when humanity is on the verge of
extinction from ferocious monsters that hunt by sound.
The remnants of the human populace that managed to quickly adapt after the violent arrival
of the alien predators try to adjust to their new normal eking out an existence as quietly
as possible in order to ensure their survival.
In the first film not many details were provided about the creatures themselves, the circumstances
surrounding their arrival or the motivation for their subsequent attack on everyone and
anything making the slightest noise.
Though its sequel provided more details about these monsters there are still plenty of questions
to be addressed in future installments.
In this video I’d like to discuss what we know so far about these strange creatures
and what mysteries have yet to be explored.
The extra terrestrial nature of these beings was confirmed by Co-Writer and Director John
Krasinski upon the first film’s release in April of 2018 when he appeared as a guest
on the Empire Podcast saying quote: “They are absolutely aliens.
They’re from another planet.
Where I developed the idea of them and what I wanted them to look like was most alien
movies are about takeovers, agendas, they’re a thinking alien creature, and for me this
idea of a predator, this idea of a parasite, this idea of something that is introduced
into an ecosystem [was interesting].”
This was a detail that was revealed early on regarding these aliens, that their arrival
wasn’t an invasion typical of the sci-fi genre.
They didn’t come in ships but instead on meteorites that fell to the Earth.
The fact that they survived such a trip is indicative of their indestructible nature.
This particular aspect of their design and arrival was also confirmed by Krasinski who
continued in the interview saying “The other idea was [the armor is] also the reason why
they were able to survive kind of the explosion of their planet and then survive on these
meteorites, because they’ve evolved to be bulletproof.
Until they open themselves up to be vulnerable, they’re completely invulnerable.”
It certainly is intriguing that these aliens are in fact survivors of their own cataclysmic
event and now act as a predator species introduced to a new environment negatively disrupting
the ecosystem.
In regards to their physical attributes, these aliens, also referred to as death angels,
are large quadrupeds, using all 4 limbs for mobility.
They appear somewhat humanoid however their forearms are overly long and the creatures
movements were intended to mimic how bats move when they run.
They are extremely fast and strong with razor sharp teeth.
Standing about 9 feet tall, they weigh roughly 400 lbs as they are covered with an extremely
tough and heavy armor plated exoskeleton.
Considering their armor was tough enough to withstand the destruction of their homeworld,
the trip through space and violent descent to Earth it stands to reason that most conventional
military tactics and armaments used to combat these hostile creatures were rendered useless.
The most notable feature of these fearsome beasts is their hypersensitivity to sound.
They are completely blind and rely solely on sound and echolocation to survey their
surroundings and hunt their prey.
The armored panels on their head open up so they can better determine where sounds are
coming from.
There is also another flap towards the back of their heads that they can open to reveal
a massive ear canal, enhancing their hearing even further to enable them to detect even
the most subtle changes in sound.
Doing so, however, leaves their vulnerable unarmored flesh exposed and open to attack.
As Krasinksi noted, until they open themselves up to be vulnerable they’re completely invulnerable.
It’s unclear how intelligent the aliens are as their sole objective appears to be
hunting prey and they are not observed communicating with each other.
However they are definitely smart hunters and even though communication between these
creatures was not featured in the films the artists who created the aliens signature sounds
viewed them as highly intelligent and communicative.
What has been observed is that when a creature has targeted their prey and is moving to attack
they emit a terrible shriek alerting other angels nearby to its location so they can
also move in to attack.
Another detail regarding the aliens that was mentioned by the Sound engineers in an Interview
with Inverse is that “There’s some sort of electromagnetic interference between anything
electronic and these creatures…
When they come into a room, the lights will flicker or when they appear on the security
monitor, they’ll fritz.”
Their greatest strengths under certain circumstances can also be their greatest weaknesses when
manipulated accordingly.
Extremely high frequency sounds will disorient, immobilize and cause them physical pain.
In this situation they instinctively and uncontrollably open up their armored plates revealing their
vulnerable inner flesh where conventional weapons can then be used to kill the creatures.
And while their heavy outer armor protects them from the harshest of elements it also
weighs them down greatly and in water deep enough they are unable to swim and sink like
a stone.
As such, certain landmasses where the aliens haven’t landed offer a measure of protection
for any inhabitants.
It is unknown how these creatures reproduce and even how they sustain themselves as they
have not been observed eating.
It appears that they do not hunt humans for food as they immediately abandon their prey
once they’ve silenced them permanently.
This is one of the more intriguing mysteries of the death angels which will most certainly
be considered as the franchise moves forward.
Until more is known about them, for now it appears their sole motivation for their predatory
behavior is their own survival with their killer instinct possibly stemming from the
motivation to protect themselves from unknown threats.
Finding themselves in a completely new environment on Earth they can only perceive the world
around them by sound.
And yet when sound itself can be weaponized against them; their single minded desire to
eliminate anything that could weaken and potentially wipe them out makes sense.
Again there is so little known about them including how they reproduce, it is unclear
if they are even able to do so in this drastically different environment.
If they operate as a hive that would beg the question of whether or not a queen of their
species even made it to earth, If not, it could be the case that the death angels that
landed on the planet are the only ones that there will ever be.
Certainly the surviving humans will need answers to these questions as they try to stave off
extermination.
One of the reasons why I enjoy the quiet place franchise is the persistent aura of mystery.
With the concentration on the Abbot family and their own story of survival, the aliens'
origins and their initial arrival took a back seat to the characters' journeys.
This served not only to facilitate good character development and a growing attachment to the
protagonists it also inspired the imagination allowing for theory crafting and speculation
on the part of the fans.
As this universe expands it will be interesting to learn more about these terrifying creatures
and how humans can adjust and ultimately survive their cataclysmic arrival.
But I’m curious to know what you think about these Death Angels.
Do you have any theories about their origins or life cycle?
What kinds of stories set in this universe would you like to see featured as the franchise
moves forward?
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
I hope you enjoyed this video.
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Thank you all so much for your support and as always have a very nerdy day.