BIRD BOX

Bird Box - A woman and her sister leave the hospital after a routine checkup, finding crisis amok in the city. Bird Box begins in the initial moments of the apocalypse. Her sister is overcome by an otherworldly entity, wrecks the vehicle she’s driving, and throws herself into oncoming traffic, killing herself.  The hapless pregnant woman is invited into a nearby house for safety. Years later she receives a radio transmission from survivors hiding in the forest. She decides to go to the community with her children, whose only names are Boy and Girl. Blindfolded Malorie, the children, and their pet birds in a box, make their way down the river in a small boat. She demands they not remove their blindfolds, or risk certain death. Directed by Susanne Bier, based on the 2014 book written by Josh Malerman, the film stars Sandra Bullock. Bird Box has been streaming on Netflix since December 2018. Netflix reports the largest viewership for any of the network’s original films, with over 45 million accounts watching, in a seven-day period. The film was viewed by 80 million households in the month following its release. I wonder if Netflix is the future of horror? We shall see. Although I was initially disappointed the film did not show the monster, the cast was top notch, and the film was original. A winner on all accounts.