‘Bird Box’s Original Book Ending Is Much Darker

Despite the dark and heavy tone of Bird Box, the millions of Netflix users that have watched the film over the past couple of weeks were treated to a surprisingly happy ending. If you were glad to make it out of the Sandra Bullock thriller with a feeling hope, it’s probably best that you don’t seek out the novel that the movie is based on.

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Netflix’s Bird Box! Continue reading at your own risk…

When Sandra Bullock’s Malorie finally got her two children to the end of the river in Netflix’s record-breaking feature film, and overcame the creatures in the woods, she came upon an overgrown house on the edge of the forest. This was the safe haven that was promised to her, though there was no telling what was inside. When the trio entered the building, they learned that it was a former school for the blind, and it was filled with a thriving community. Safe from the creatures, Malorie and her children finally got the chance to live without much fear.

If you didn’t know, Bird Box was based on a novel of the same name by Josh Malerman. In the original source material, Malorie didn’t exactly get a happy ending.

So, in the book, Malorie does make it to her destination, though it isn’t what was initially promised to her. There are survivors there, along with some shelter, but nothing more than she already had. Instead of a school filled with happy people, this community was still wearing blindfolds to shield themselves from the dangers of the creatures. They weren’t any safer than anyone else, and they didn’t really have anything to help Malorie.

This ending basically renders all of Malorie’s actions and sacrifices worthless. Sure, she survived the trip down the river, but it didn’t enhance the lives of her family in any way. She went through all of that for nothing.

Are you glad Netflix’s Bird Box changed the original ending of the book? Let us know in the comments!