Netflix’s post-apocalyptic horror/thriller Bird Box almost included a scene that showed the creatures. This latest addition to Netflix’s library of original films is based on the sci-fi novel of the same name by Josh Malerman. Upon release, it was compared to John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place and has become one of the year’s most talked about movies.
Bird Box focuses on supernatural entities driving society to commit suicide by appearing as their worst fears. The Bird Box movie trailer highlighted Malorie, a woman who must survive by leading her children to safety while blindfolded. Bird Box switches between two time periods showing the outbreak’s initial effects, and Malorie’s efforts to keep her children, as well as herself, alive as she travels down a river. The entities that have taken over society are never shown to the viewer, possibly to put the viewer in the same position as the survivors, but a scene was cut from the film that would have exposed what they looked like.
During an interview with Bloody Disgusting, the cast and crew discussed that the creature was almost shown, and explained what it would have looked like. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer admits that one of the film’s producers felt at some point the creature would need to be shown, so an entire sequence involving Malorie was written, but was ultimately removed from the final cut. Actress Sandra Bullock, who stars as Malorie, elaborated on what the creature looked like:
Directed by Susanne Bier and penned by Heisserer, Bird Box finds Malory struggling to survive amongst a group of people in a safe house. This doesn’t last long, as the survivors begin to die off after being exposed to the unseen force, which leaves Malorie alone with her two children and love interest, Tom. The familiar looking cast of Bird Box includes Sarah Paulson (Glass), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), John Malkovich (Billions), Milton Howery (Get Out), B.D. Wong (Jurassic World), Julian Edwards, Vivien Lyra Blair, Colson Baker, Danielle Mcdonald, and Tom Hollander.
“It was a green man with a horrific baby face. It was snake-like, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to see it when it first happens. Just bring it into the room. We’ll shoot the scene.’ I turn and he’s like this [growling at me.] It’s making me laugh. It was just a long fat baby.”
While the creatures remained unseen, perhaps that was best since the description of the entity sounds like it would have caused viewers to burst out in laughter. It is not always necessary to reveal the cause of fear in a movie, and Bird Box does fine on its own without it. Not knowing what the entity looks like allows the audience to ponder if what they imagine can cause more fear than what they see, and judging from the description of the creature, the imagination was probably scarier.
More: Bird Box’s Ending & Monsters Explained
Source: Bloody Disgusting
