If you keep up with film at all these days, you’ve heard about the rivalry between two of the most popular thriller movies of the past year: “Birdbox,” starring Sandra Bullock, and John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place.” Ever since “Birdbox” was released on Netflix in mid-December, people have been debating whether it holds a candle to “A Quiet Place,” which made its theatrical debut in April 2018. It’s an easy comparison to make: Both films attempt to terrify their audiences by portraying a group of people forced to abandon one of their key senses, rendering themselves either mute (in the case of “A Quiet Place”) or blind (“Birdbox”) for fear that an unseen monster would immediately and savagely murder them.

For all intents and purposes, both “Birdbox” and “A Quiet Place” are fairly mediocre horror movies in terms of scare factor. Neither of them can compare to the mounting, raw terror inspired by, say, “Hereditary” (which I say with no qualms whatsoever was the best horror movie of the year), nor do they present the same bizarre, murky unease as Luca Guadagnino’s remake of “Suspiria,” another huge, awesome horror film of 2018. Despite this, both films have amassed huge followings—fans of “Birdbox” have even concocted a dangerous “‘Birdbox’ Challenge” after the release of the film, in which fans of the movie went about their daily lives blindfolded, just like characters in the film. Of course, the similar premises of both movies, coupled with the explosive response from horror fans, created a conflict just waiting to happen—the cinematic debate, dare I say, of the year—Which is better, “Birdbox” or “A Quiet Place”?

Which of these two films is more relevant, more terrifying, better executed, better acted, etc.? Personally, I believe that “Birdbox” is a better, scarier horror movie than “A Quiet Place.” However, I have been yelled at enough times for having this opinion that I, Kiva Runnels, am writing this article to present my opinions on the pros and cons of both films and, hopefully, to inform the public as they try to determine the best sensory deprivation-based horror movie of 2018 (it’s “Birdbox”).

The greatest strength of “A Quiet Place” is the complex family dynamic of its main characters. Director John Krasinski also co-stars alongside his wife, Emily Blunt. The two play the parents of three children, one of whom is eaten by the monster in the beginning of the film. Their other two children have very different relationships with their father; the older daughter, played by Millicent Simmonds, is a deaf teen who blames herself for the death of her brother (and thinks her dad blames her, too), while her younger brother (Noah Jupe) is being reluctantly trained by his dad to take care of the family. I won’t spoil this film, in case any readers out there haven’t seen it, but the complex dynamics of blame, jealousy, protectiveness and unconditional love play out in very complex and interesting ways throughout the movie. It’s also wonderful that Krasinski cast Simmonds, a deaf actor, to play the role of a deaf character. Blunt’s character goes through hell and back to protect her children.

A strong directorial debut by Krasinski, with a lot of cool shots and camera movement, this piece clearly has many strengths, and it’s not a bad film by any means. However, as a horror/thriller movie, it fell a little flat for me. First of all, I didn’t like that the movie had a score. I think that the whole thing would’ve been so much more powerful if we only heard what the characters heard so that tension could build more realistically and naturally; for example, a pregnant Blunt attempting to give birth, alone, silently (a crazy scene). Honestly, this film didn’t scare me. It felt too far away, like a cliche—not in terms of the dramatic arc but in terms of the one-dimensional, boring villain. The monster appears on screen multiple times, which I think was a mistake because it looks like every other unbelievable “scary monster” from films and shows like “Alien” and “Stranger Things.” “A Quiet Place” is a dramatic triumph but doesn’t provide the unseen, unique, terrifying villain that it promises. The greatest strength of “Birdbox,” on the other hand, is its unseen, illusive, almost possessive villain.

“Birdbox” has a similar premise to “A Quiet Place,” but its narrative is quite different, and its villain diverges in several key ways from the “Quiet Place” monster in ways that I think make for an all-around scarier movie. The monster in “Birdbox” is never shown on screen. In the film, anyone who looks at the monster is immediately compelled to commit suicide, with the exception of one key demographic: people who are mentally ill to the point that they are immune to the suicide-inducing spell of the monster. Instead, they see the most beautiful thing that they’ve ever laid eyes upon and are compelled to force everyone else to look at it, by any means necessary. The monster’s caveat is what makes this movie so scary: the fact that one must fear not only the monster itself, but also everyone else around them. Anybody could be tricking you, charming you, reeling you in one step closer to your doom. This unseen monster holds the puppet strings not only to your mind but also to the minds of those around you, forbidding you from trusting anyone.

This villain is the only thing that puts “Birdbox” above “A Quiet Place” for me, though the movie certainly has many flaws. Bullock’s justification of her own insensitivity toward her own children—that she is protecting both them and herself by being unfeeling—fell flat for me. Though Bullock gave a valiant performance, I felt that her character wasn’t written very well. The film also expects you to suspend a whole lot of disbelief to think that a monster can induce you to kill yourself (if not for the controlling other people thing, I would’ve probably hated this villain). However, the whole “secure compound being infiltrated by an enemy in disguise” premise really got me, and I thought that this film was a really strong horror/thriller film overall. I was definitely scared, shocked and on the edge of my seat at points.

So, after all this, I suppose the question you must ask yourself is whether you are willing to sacrifice good horror for the sake of a well-done dramatic arc or ignore the holes in a character’s development and be scared as hell…Neither of these movies has it all! Everyone who enjoys thrillers and horror should definitely watch either “A Quiet Place,” “Birdbox” or both.