Given its name, you may be forgiven for assuming it’s pretty obvious when A Quiet Place: Day One takes place on the A Quiet Place timeline. However, the answer is actually a little bit more complicated, as it’s not explicitly stated when the horror movies take place. And with the new prequel in particular, the dates are pretty important as a major character is shared with A Quiet Place 2.
So if you’re looking to get up to speed on the A Quiet Place timeline, you’re in the right place. We go into how many days have passed between the films, as well as all of the evidence we can find on when exactly the alien invasion happens in the horror universe. Not only that, but we’ve also got the lowdown on how it connects to A Quiet Place 2.
But be warned, we're getting into big spoiler territory from here on out, so make sure you've seen the movie. If you have, you can also check out our A Quiet Place: Day One ending explained for more details.
When does A Quiet Place: Day One take place?
The first day of the invasion of the Death Angels is June 18, 2020. This is the day that A Quiet Place: Day One begins, and that film spans what seems to be two days after that, based on Sam and Eric’s sleeping patterns as they make their way across to Harlem.
We know this date because, in the first A Quiet Place film, young Beau dies 89 days into the Death Angels invasion. According to his memorial, he died on September 14, 2020. The remainder of the first film takes place around a year later in October 2021, which we know because it’s revealed that this is Day 473 of the invasion.
The events of A Quiet Place 2 happen very soon after Lee Abbott’s (John Krasinski) death in rural New York. The film begins after Lee and Evelyn's baby has just been born as the family searches for more survivors after their home has been destroyed, which leads them to Emmett and his underground bunker.
Emmett and Regan travel to a nearby island where they think they may find survivors, which is where Henri from Day One is. He died on Day 477 of the invasion.
How does A Quiet Place: Day One link to A Quiet Place 2?
The main link between the two movies is the character of Henri. The prequel gives him a backstory, alongside the group of survivors who make their way to the island colony in A Quiet Place 2. As we learn in the prequel, the National Guard quickly works out that the Death Angels can’t swim, so it organizes a boat evacuation off the island of Manhattan after they’ve destroyed the bridges.
Henri and his family make it onto this crossing, and in the final few moments of Day One, so do Eric and Frodo. Now, we don’t see those survivors again until near the end of A Quiet Place 2. During that film, Eric and Frodo are nowhere to be seen, but the community has been living peacefully on the island, so it’s possible that they’re there. Unfortunately, even if they are, the creature who sneaks on via Emmett’s boat may have put a swift end to them, but it’s never explicitly revealed.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, director, and co-writer Michael Sarnoski opened up about the links between the films. "So, I thought it'd be fun to sort of use that as a bit of a foil, but then also give him a little extra backstory about the things he's had to go through and deal with to become the person that he is in the second Quiet Place when he's kind of a leader of this community," he said. "So, there were a few things to play with. It was also just amazing to work with Djimon [Hounsou] and I really wanted to get to work with him because he's an incredible actor and so easy to work with."
A Quiet Place: Day One is in UK cinemas now and out in US theaters tomorrow. For more on the film, check out our stories on:
- A Quiet Place: Day One post-credits scene explained
- Does the cat die in A Quiet Place: Day One?
- When is A Quiet Place: Day One on streaming?
- Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong’o say Quiet Place prequel "expands what the horror genre can do"
- One of A Quiet Place: Day One's biggest characters is a cat - here’s why
- Marvel star Lupita Nyong’o has some unusual advice for Fantastic Four’s Joseph Quinn on joining the MCU
- A Quiet Place: Day One director talks casting Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn as the perfect mid-apocalyptic duo
- A Quiet Place: Day One director talks *that* ending: "I wanted it to feel triumphant"
