Possible Alternate Appearances for Horror Movie Monsters

The murderous creatures of “A Quiet Place” never had an official name. A news clipping seen in the original film calls them Death Angels, and their arrival in the opening minutes of the sequel justifies it. That’s good enough to give them a unique heading on movie monster wikis. Their appearance is definitely unearthly; long, leathery limbs and a head that unfurls into toothy nightmare. But their inspiration is all natural, including prehistoric fish and the wasted appearance of mummified bog men. Their only weakness is a specific band of sound, and it’s a good thing that gets figured out before John Krasinski’s grieving family is wiped out.

The original concept for the Death Angels didn’t emerge until the film came to home media, and they’re definitely a twist on the final result. The first primitive inspirations for these alien invaders were still fish, yes, but bony, nautiloid shellfish instead of the organic shape we got. The early CGI roughs look more like a concept for a Decepticon from Michael Bay’s “Transformers”franchise, spindly and cruel, with horns jutting out of their brows. It’s a harsher look, but also somehow boring and familiar, like something Vin Diesel would fight. Krasinski, who also motion-capped for these CGI beasties, was fascinated by the way the final designs abruptly evolved into today’s “death angel” baddies, and it’s not hard to understand why.