The latest Netflix sensation to seemingly come out of nowhere and win over subscribers is the sci-fi thriller Bird Box, which has scored impressive numbers after only being on the streaming platform for a week.
The film depicts a not-too-distant future in which unseen creatures drive anyone who glimpses them mad, forcing survivors to band together in hopes of staying alive. As to avoid inadvertently looking at the creatures, many survivors wear blindfolds, making the already terrifying scenario all the more frightening.
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Having stars like Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich in the Netflix original film has led many viewers to check it out, as well as the riveting tale of survival in the face of horrific beasts that makes everyone paranoid that anyone they encounter could be “infected” with madness.
Now that you’ve watched Bird Box, here are other films with similar themes that you’re sure to love.
‘A Quiet Place’
Let’s get this one out of the way early. With A Quiet Place having hit theaters earlier this year, it’s still prevalent in audiences’ minds, with Bird Box earning constant comparisons to this John Krasinski-directed thriller.
A Quiet Place depicts a world where beasts have overrun humanity, using their incredibly sensitive hearing to kill any living thing that makes a sound. This forces a family to adopt a life of solitude and silence, which is sure to be disrupted with an expected baby on the way.
With both films featuring monsters, an apocalyptic situation, and one of the five senses being a key factor in the storyline, many fans think Bird Box is merely a knockoff of A Quiet Place, though they overlook the fact that the Netflix film was based on a 2014 novel. However, the narratives are so similar that you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who likes Bird Box and is uninterested in A Quiet Place.
‘The Road’
Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, The Road focuses on a father and his young son attempting to survive a catastrophic event. The origins of the event are unknown to the viewer, with the pair facing not only starvation, but also dangerous and cannibalistic threats that are willing to do whatever it takes to survive.
Raising kids is hard enough as it is, so when you throw in an apocalyptic situation, it makes matters al the more complicated. With The Road, the cause of the disaster is completely unnecessary, as viewers witness the powerful bond between a father and son and the lengths this small family will go to in hopes of surviving and finding a safer place to live.
With Bird Box delivering a storyline where a woman has to take care of two young children in a world filled with beasts, both films focus on what a parent will do to keep their kids safe.
‘Monsters’
Otherworldly terrors have emerged in Mexico, resulting in the entire country being cut off from the outside world, with the exception of military teams. When a journalist is tasked with bringing his boss’ daughter back to America, with the quickest passage being through this terrifying region, the duo is forced to put their differences aside in hopes of survival.
Monsters is ultimately a love story set in a horrifying environment, though audiences are constantly wondering if and when one of the titular creatures will emerge from the jungles. Similarly, Bird Box depicts not only romantic love but also the love of family members as they traverse dangerous regions in hopes of finding safety on the other side.
‘The Mist’
After an intense thunderstorm in a small New England community, residents all head to a local grocery store in hopes of obtaining supplies. While in the store, a dense mist descends on the town, making their surroundings virtually disappear. The few brave individuals who venture outside the store meet grisly demises, as horrific beasts emerge from the fog to destroy whatever is in their path.
One of the horrors of Bird Box is the ways in which society collapses almost immediately after the creatures emerge, forcing unlikely connections among survivors who demonstrate the highs and lows of society. With The Mist, the best and worst of humanity are confined in a small space together, displaying that sometimes humans are for more dangerous than horrifying beasts.
‘The Thing’
A group of researchers at an Antarctic facility accidentally collide with an alien creature that can replicate living beings exactly. The isolated environment means that there’s no chance of getting any help and, with various members of the crew unaccounted for at different times, everyone begins to turn on one another as they attempt to find out who has become a “thing.”
The victims of the creatures in Bird Box look just like everyone else, with the only distinction being their eyes becoming deformed. With everyone mostly looking out for their own best interests and unsure of who they can trust, you’ll find few better examples of paranoia and monstrous cases of cabin fever than The Thing.
‘The Crazies’
George Romero is known for helping set the standard for the zombie genre, though this quasi-zombie movie managed to explore similar themes without having to incorporate undead ghouls.
When a toxin accidentally makes its way into a small town’s water source, the residents begin demonstrating violent tendencies. Unsure of who is infected and who is merely being driven mad by the situation, a group of survivors hopes to escape the town before they become the latest casualties.
A key element of what makes Bird Box so frightening is that the madness demonstrated by infected individuals is hard to define. Some people crash their cars into oncoming traffic, others bash their heads against a window until it shatters, though some would prefer to expose new victims to the monsters. The unpredictable nature of whether the characters in The Crazies are infected or merely reacting to the terrifying scenario makes it difficult to know who can be trusted for a unique breed of horror.
‘It Comes at Night’
An unexplained virus infects most of humanity, forcing one family to take refuge in a cabin in the woods. Life is tough, but they have the resources necessary to survive, until another family appears and claims they are also hoping for nothing other than survival. This new family could pose numerous threats or could provide them necessary assistance, with each family’s paranoia being the biggest obstacle they must overcome.
Many viewers are left wanting more answers from Bird Box and having the creatures’ origins explained to them, though the film’s narrative proves to be far more important than the causes of the chaos. Similarly, it doesn’t matter how the world of It Comes at Night is explained, just that society has crumbled and anyone could get infected.
Additionally, both films prove that the best chance of survival is banding together, with the biggest challenges being the decision to open up your home to others who want nothing more than to live as long as they can.
