streaming now
High-concept horror has one rule: see no evil
This month’s hottest shows
Netflix horror Bird Box has an irresistible high concept – you see it, you die. Hot on the heels of A Quiet Place, which played a similar trick with sound, it’s only a matter of time before “you smelt it, you’re dealt it” is unleashed on unsuspecting audiences.
A framing device sets the scene – Malorie (Sandra Bullock) is making a treacherous journey by river with two young children (called Boy and Girl), but they’re all blindfolded. The reason why is revealed in flashback. An unseen force suddenly appears on Earth and its effects are devastating – one glimpse drives you to suicide. Narrowly escaping the carnage, Malorie finds sanctuary in a suburban home with a group of survivors. But death lurks behind window, wall, and door.
Based on a novel, it’s such a good concept you often wish it was attached to a better film. While there are several effective sequences, and elements which expand the world in intriguing ways (such as roaming mad men who exist in a state of murderous euphoria) the unwieldy collection of characters are a largely insufferable bunch. Focusing on a smaller family unit, like A Quiet Place, may have yielded superior results.
Sandy gives it her all as a mother who practically abandons her humanity to survive, but go in expecting answers and you’ll ultimately be disappointed. Not bad, but in a superb year for horror this is some way off the gold standard. Jordan Farley