At the end of the film, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her kids are suddenly ambushed by a creature who breaks into their home. Having figured out that these aliens are sensitive to high-pitched noises, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) places her hearing aid near a microphone, causing the creature to recoil and expose its inner mouth. This provides Evelyn with the perfect opportunity to shoot it dead — and she does.
The creature effects in the scene were challenging to pull off, as the mannerisms of the species had to be conveyed within close quarters, including how they sprint or attack. Even the opening of its face was a tricky design feature that had to be refined until it looked just right. To capture the essence of the scene in the most organic way, director John Krasinski (who also plays Lee Abbott in the film) ended up playing the creature (via Vulture):
“I ended up playing the creature — I put on the mo-cap suit, which was Scott’s [Farrar] idea, which I loved it. So I’m the one standing there in a way-too-tight suit, making little roaring sounds for the actors. But it was all Scott and Industrial Light & Magic putting the creature in, and figuring out how he would move through the room to get to the final gunshot.They basically painted the creature over me.”
Krasinski explained that the team wasn’t even sure whether this could be accomplished as they were “so crunched for time,” but everything came together, thanks to the dedication of everyone involved. The final image of a deceased monster is powerful, as it ignites hope for a future where survival is not only possible but also the only way forward.
