7 Movies to Watch Like A Quiet Place

Back in 2018, one of the biggest horror hits was A Quiet Place, with the film not only becoming a [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh - March 31, 2020 11:32 pm EDT

Back in 2018, one of the biggest horror hits was A Quiet Place, with the film not only becoming a critical success but also a financial triumph. Based not only on its successes, but also on its narrative potential, a sequel was confirmed later that year. The sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, saw the return of director John Krasinski and star Emily Blunt, with the follow-up also adding Cillian Murphy. The film was on pace to make a major dent at the box office in its March 20th opening weekend, but the coronavirus pandemic saw theaters around the world close their doors and put the sequel's release on an indefinite hold.

Despite our disappointment that we have a long wait ahead of us before seeing the sequel, there are a number of different horror films that offer thrilling experiences that borrow elements of what we love about the Quiet Place franchise, whether it be their exploration of survivors hoping to evade monsters or certain senses being directly connected to what makes a monster so powerful.

Scroll down to see movies you should check out as we wait to see A Quiet Place Part II.

Jaws (1975)

Arguably the best "monster" movie of all time, what makes Jaws such a success is that it relies so little on showing audiences the monster they should be afraid of.

After a series of attacks occur off the shore of New England's Amity Island, the community's police chief, a legendary fisherman, and an accomplished scientist all set out to capture and destroy the beast. While the film offers a number of exciting and thrilling sequences, in addition to a handful of frightening encounters, what really makes the film exceptional is the ways in which it explores the diversity of reactions the three men have to the situation, similar to watching the family at the center of A Quiet Place being what made that film so engaging.

Tremors (1990)

kevin bacon tremors movie original — (Photo: Universal Pictures)

A number of bizarre events begin to unfold in the small Southwestern town, including a man being found on at the top of a telephone pole and having starved to death in addition to a station wagon being found fully buried in sand. The town's residents make the horrifying discovery that a group of monstrous worm-like creatures have targeted the town, with their lack of eyes resulting in them using sound to hunt.

Much like the beasts in A Quiet Place, the monsters in Tremors rely on sound to hunt, though their underground habitat fundamentally alters the dynamic of the threats. Additionally, while Quiet Place jumps to a significant amount of time after the monsters' arrival, Tremors serves as Ground Zero for a potentially world-altering catastrophe.

Pitch Black (2000)

The origins of the creatures in A Quiet Place are mostly unknown, though it's believed they came from another planet as opposed to being terrestrial terrors. In this regard, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think the intergalactic nature of Pitch Black could somehow connect to the world of A Quiet Place.

Instead of focusing on a group of survivors being terrorized by threats who hunt by sound, Pitch Black delivers a story of creatures who are perfectly attuned to hunting in absolute darkness. While this isn't inherently a problem, our survivors facing an upcoming eclipse means that the beasts can wreak havoc across the planet.

While there are distinct differences between Pitch Black and A Quiet Place, both offer a blend of sci-fi, horror, and action, as well as creatures who are perfectly attuned to hunt in a specific environment, giving them impressive advantages and specific weaknesses.

Splinter (2008)

When a romantic camping trip goes awry, a couple is car-jacked and this unlikely quartet finds themselves at a remote and seemingly abandoned gas station. As they investigate the facility, they realize why it appears so desolate, with a bizarre creature to blame for attacking and infecting animals it comes into contact with.

Splinter follows in a long tradition of monster movies that take a contained setting, introduces an otherworldly being, and solidifies the beast's strengths and weaknesses. The setting of the film is slightly more limited than what is seen in A Quiet Place, but this story similarly keeps its focus on a small, interpersonal dynamic.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

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The original Cloverfield saw the expansive destruction of New York City by a towering monster, with 10 Cloverfield Lane taking an entirely different approach to exploring a world overrun by beasts.

When a woman wakes up after a car accident, she finds herself in an underground bunker with two others, with the pair claiming the surface world has been overtaken by monsters. The more time she spends underground, the more she begins to worry that it's not the threats aboveground that she has to worry about, as the people she's trapped with could be even more deadly.

The premises of 10 Cloverfield Lane and Quiet Place might have some similarities, but this Cloverfield sequel explores an entirely different angle of the premise to immensely effective results.

Don't Breathe (2016)

Three teens aim to exploit a blind man who lives in the neighborhood by breaking into his house to steal from a safe, but, once inside, these thieves get more than they bargained for as they discover the man is far more accustomed to navigating his own home in the darkness, making the burglars the ones who should be fearful.

A Quiet Place features creatures who ravage anything that makes a sound, while Don't Breathe features characters who risk exposing their positions if they're too loud. The vulnerabilities in each film are quite similar, but Don't Breathe feels at least somewhat more grounded in reality.

Bird Box (2018)

Given that it came out the same year as A Quiet Place, Bird Box drew a number of comparisons to the former, and for understandable reasons. Rather than sound, though, the real killer in Bird Box is related to the sense of sight.

When a mysterious force decimates the world's population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope, and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they'll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded.

While the threats in Bird Box are much more conceptual, we're still given an unexpected exploration of navigating a world in which denying yourself one of your senses is a key to your survival.