5 times Lupita Nyong’o gave us a spine-tingling scare in A Quiet Place: Day One 

A Quiet Place: Day One, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, is now playing in theaters everywhere. The movie has received high praise from audiences and critics alike. If you haven’t already made plans to see it, get to it! This is one movie you need to watch on the big screen. 

The chemistry Samira (Nyong’o) and Eric (Quinn) have is explosive, I love them on screen together. Quinn provides lighthearted moments throughout the movie, and Frodo, Sam’s adorable cat, is an absolute scene-stealer! But this movie would not be as amazing as it is (and arguably the best in the franchise?) if it wasn’t for Nyong’o. 

Lupita Nyongo’o has already proven to be a true horror queen. The actress had our full attention in the movie Us as we were too scared to look away. The same happens on Day One, so we’re highlighting the top five moments in the movie that Lupita Nyong’o gave us a spin-tingling scare. 

Spoiler alert! Go watch A Quiet Place: Day One in theaters if you haven’t already. There are spoilers ahead. 

The crash landing by the bus

I’m not sure what I was expecting here. Clearly, something big was going to happen, but I guess I thought an alien would surface from the ground, or Sam and the other hospice patients would see one of the creatures running towards them. What did not occur to me was a crash landing right outside of the bus. It’s safe to say those who were watching too closely on the bus did not survive, but Sam does. After the crash, we stare in horror as Sam tries to find shelter, and our eyes are also searching every inch of the screen trying to find Frodo and Reuben.

Sam vs. car

Aliens descending calls for a stampede. To avoid being stomped to death by the crowd, Sam crawls under a car. Our heart sinks (as does the car) after one of the tires begins to slowly deflate. I knew this wasn’t going to be the end for Sam, but that doesn’t mean the scene was any less frightening to watch! And because Sam’s leg gets stuck, I thought she would lose her leg for sure. Everyone in the theater breathed a sigh of relief when Sam managed to escape with seconds to spare. 

Reuben

Samira and Reuben were closer than Sam wanted to admit, and you can see this when Reuben is tragically attacked and killed after saving the day. We all cried with Sam as she covered her mouth in horror and despair, absolutely crushed by the death of her best friend.

Sam’s apartment 

Sam, Frodo, and Eric make it safely to Sam’s apartment. There, Sam catches her breath and takes her medication. Thanks to the thunder and rain, Sam and Eric can talk in more than a whisper. Overwhelmed with emotions, Sam lets out a loud, cathartic scream. We feel Sam’s anger and fear, her love and desperation. It’s a powerful moment. This is still during the thunderstorm so the alien creatures are not able to pick up the noise. 

The hero

Not wanting to risk Eric not making it on the ferry, Sam hands Eric her cat and tells him to go on without her. Was anyone else in absolute tears during this scene? It's such a bittersweet and emotional moment. We then watched through the tears in our eyes as Sam drew attention to herself by using a crowbar to break car windows and make all the noise possible. This allowed Eric and Frodo to escape. 

Lupita, you talented goddess! I can’t wait to rewatch this movie. A Quiet Place: Day One is rated PG-13 and has a runtime of one hour and 40 minutes.