(Spoilers) BIRD BOX Novel Had Less Happy Ending with Gruesome Twist We Didn’t See
Anytime a novel is adapted to film, liberties simply must be taken. Whether for truncation, pacing, or shifting visions, films based on books often turn out much different than their source material, like Annihilation. Others, like Bird Box, remain mostly accurate although even that film left out a final twist contained in Josh Malerman’s novel—and a gruesome one at that!
Related Article: Pictures of Actual “Baby-Faced Monster” Cut from BIRD BOX Hit the Internet
When Malorie, Boy, and Girl (played by Sandra Bullock, Julian Edwards, and Vivien Lyra Blair in the film) arrive at the sanctuary at the end of the river, it is indeed an institute for the blind. Those survivors who are taken in, however, must make a sacrifice in order to gain entry: Gouge out their eyeballs! It is, after all, the only way to be certain the nebulous entity can’t invade and endanger the community.
“Welcome to your new home! Hand over those eyeballs, please.”
Learn more facts you probably didn’t know about the film and novel in the video above from our friends at Looper: “The Untold Truth of Bird Box”! If you haven’t seen the film yet, bookmark this page for later and come back after you’ve had a chance to check it out. Skip down to the synopsis and trailer below.
Synopsis:
When a mysterious force decimates the population, only one thing
is certain — if you see it, you die. The survivors must now avoid coming face
to face with an entity that takes the form of their worst fears. Searching for
hope and a new beginning, a woman and her children embark on a dangerous
journey through the woods and down a river to find the one place that may offer
sanctuary. To make it, they’ll have to cover their eyes from the evil that
chases them — and complete the trip blindfolded.
Bird Box is directed by Susanne Bier; Eric Heisserer penned the screenplay based on Malerman’s novel.
What do you think of the novel’s ending of Bird Box versus what we saw in the film? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
