A Behind the Scenes Look at the Creation of A Quiet Place‘s Predators
Ever wonder about the practicalities of shooting a creature feature like A Quiet Place? Here’s a glimpse behind the curtain with an all-new featurette, via Collider.
The scene in focus is undoubtedly one of the most stress-inducing of the entire film. Evelyn (Emily Blunt) is hiding from the movie’s terrifying alien predators in her basement. The room is quickly flooding, but unable to leave with her newborn, she must sit and wait long enough for the beasts to move on. The tension rises dramatically when Evelyn realizes there is an alien in the basement with her, listening for any hint of prey in the area. It soon disappears underwater before resurfacing right next to her. Rick O’Connor, the animation supervisor, provides some commentary as to what went into making the scene come to life.
“[The scene] was one of the most effective moments of the film because the creature could be anywhere under the surface. I talked to the animator, Alberto. I said, ‘You know, you can’t interact with any of the props that are already here. We don’t want to add CG props’… The actor’s head came out of the water, caused the ripples. And we had the creature’s head come out of the water at the same timing.”
Creature modeler Duncan Graham also shared the problems with creating horror creatures in an age where many people expect the best CGI available.
“People are developing a keener eye for what they’re seeing on the screen. We have to become more disciplined in trying to create something that appears real or believable. And that can be a bit of a challenge.”
It’s fair to say the artists behind the scenes surpassed that challenge with flying colors. Earthy, terrifying colors. John Krasinski’s monstrous creations were some of the few we’ve seen that give Alien’s Xenomorphs a run for their money in design and fear factor. Truthfully, the nameless invaders of A Quiet Place are one of the worst apocalyptic scenarios we can imagine. And word is we’ll be getting even more of them in the future.
Featured Image: Emily Blunt plays Evelyn Abbott in A QUIET PLACE, from Paramount Pictures.