Bird Box (2018)

Plot synopsis Bird Box (2018)

The movie begins as a woman named Malorie Hayes gathers her children and informs them that they are going out on a journey. The two children, whom she calls Girl and Boy, quietly listen as Malorie explains that they will be rowing through a river for several days. The plan is to reach a secluded house in the forest, where they can meet other “friends.”

But there’s one catch. During the entire trip, they will be wearing blindfolds, and if the children take them off—even by mistake—they will be in trouble. After giving the instructions, Malorie leads them outside while being blindfolded herself. She also brings along her pet birds. Soon, they reach the bank of a river, where a boat is waiting for them.

Malorie tosses it into the river, jumps in with the kids, and begins the journey. Following this, the movie flashes back to five years in the past. Malorie is an aspiring artist who is eight months pregnant. She recently got divorced and is still struggling to cope with post-breakup stress. One day, as she is busy painting, her sister, Jessica, arrives with some news.

She mentions that while she was at the department store, everyone was stocking up on groceries as “the thing” is approaching them. Malorie, who has been disconnected from the world after her divorce, is unaware of it. So, she turns on the TV. To her surprise, all the news channels are reporting on a mysterious outbreak that has ravaged parts of Eastern Europe.

The symptoms of the virus are very strange. Anyone infected immediately wants to commit the unthinkable. The virus apparently takes control of their brain and turns them into monsters. However, Malorie doesn’t take it seriously, thinking that the outbreak is far from the U.S. After a while, Jessica takes her to the doctor.

At the hospital, the family physician, Dr. Lapham, conducts some tests on Malorie and inquires if she is ready to be a parent. Malorie hesitates for a moment before saying “yes.” On the way back, she witnesses a strange sight: a woman continuously slamming her head against a glass pane. This makes Malorie realize that the outbreak from Europe has arrived in the States.

So, she rushes outside and explains to Jessica that they have to get home immediately. However, by the time they prepare to leave, pandemonium has already set in. Hundreds of people have become infected and are attempting to end themselves one way or another. Cars are colliding, people are falling, and other shocking events are taking place. Jessica steers her car through the chaos, and it appears as if they will reach home.

But suddenly, her eyes become still, and she starts staring into something only she can see. Malorie tries her best to bring Jessica back to awareness, but to no avail. The next second, the car gets involved in a deadly accident. The sisters somehow manage to escape unharmed, but unfortunately, Jessica—who is still in shock—commits the unthinkable.

Malorie doesn’t even have time to mourn, as by this time, the city has turned into some sort of warzone. People are dying left, right, and center. Malorie tries following some people to safety, but she trips and falls to the ground. Seeing her struggle, a woman leaves her residence and tries to help Malorie, despite her husband protesting against it.

Unfortunately, her decision turns out to be fatal, as the evil entity possesses her. The woman stares at the invisible entity for a while and then walks into a burning car. Soon, it explodes, killing her on the spot. Following the horrific encounter, Malorie is finally helped up and rushed into the house by a man named Tom. There are several people inside the house, including the owner, Greg; his friend, Douglas; and Machine Gun Kelly.

In the next scene, everyone gathers in the main room and discusses the supernatural entity that has been wreaking havoc throughout the world. A grocery store worker, Charlie, theorizes that it is the end of the world, while others believe it is an act of God. At this point, though, everyone is aware that the entity is untouchable and that staring at it will result in their demise.

Meanwhile, Tom consoles Malorie, who is still distraught over the untimely death of her sister. An hour ago, she was living a happy life, free of problems and stress, but now the world around her has turned upside down. Later, the entire group gets together and boards up all the doors and windows. In the present, Malorie and her kids have been on the boat for six hours now.

At times, they cover themselves with a blanket so that they can take off their blindfolds. Malorie tries her walkie-talkie to check if someone’s nearby, but all she can hear is the invisible entity whispering her name. Back in the past, Malorie and the other survivors have started co-existing in the house. One day, a survivor named Olympia arrives at the door and begs to be allowed inside.

Douglas refuses, but the others eventually persuade him to let her in. When Olympia enters, it is revealed that she is also pregnant. Later, Greg comes up with an idea. He decides to inspect the CCTV cameras to see what’s going on outside. The others are skeptical about the idea, but none of them object. Soon, Greg sits in front of his computer and observes the footage.

Suddenly, he notices something and instantly freezes. It appears as if the entity has possessed him. After a while, the others hear a loud bang from his room, and when they rush to inspect, they find Greg lying in his own pool of blood. This makes them realize that the entity can possess them even through the computer, so they destroy it immediately.

In the present, it’s been 14 hours since the family has been rowing on the river. Suddenly, Malorie hears a man’s voice saying it’s okay to take off her blindfold. Realizing that the person might be infected, she orders the children to stay low and keep their blindfolds on. Soon, the voice—which appears to be coming closer—mentions that he has food. He also claims to have seen the entity, which he describes as “friendly.”

Just then, he lunges toward the boat, but Malorie is prepared. She strikes him with a machete and finishes him off. In the next scene, we are again taken to the past, where the group has run out of food. Since help is unlikely to arrive, Malorie, Tom, and a few others decide to travel to a nearby department store where Charlie used to work. They cover the car windows with black paint and use GPS to direct them.

In the midst of their journey, the GPS begins to beep violently, indicating that the entity is nearby. However, Tom manages to get them out of harm’s way and into the store. The group immediately rushes inside and stocks up on whatever they can get their hands on. Meanwhile, Malorie notices some pet birds and decides to take them home.

The group is almost done scavenging when suddenly, a guy starts screaming from the freezer. He mentions that he has been trapped inside for days and that food is running out. Tom and the others buy his story and open the door. At the same time, the birds start making noise. It seems as if they can sense the possessed people nearby. The man inside the freezer suddenly changes his behavior and starts acting like a demon.

Tom and the others try to hold him inside, but the man seems to be just too powerful. Realizing that everyone will die if he comes out, Charlie sacrifices himself to rescue the others. That night, as Malorie and Douglas are talking in the kitchen, they hear a noise from the garage. Unfortunately, Machine Gun Kelly and his girlfriend have escaped with their only vehicle.

Back in the present, the family has spent 24 hours on the river. Malorie has become so tired that she ends up colliding the boat against an old truck. This results in the boy tumbling into the river, along with all their supplies. Fortunately, Malorie rescues the boy and docks the boat near the shore.

She then warns the children to stay put before heading into the woods to look for supplies. Using a thin rope, she locates an abandoned hospital, where she collects some food items and clothes. As Malorie hurries outside the building, the entity can be heard calling her name. Meanwhile, at the shore, the little girl becomes anxious, as it has been an hour since her mom left.

So, she disobeys Malorie’s order and heads into the jungle to search for her. Unfortunately, the entity starts talking to her, suggesting she remove her blindfold and see the green forest. The little girl becomes convinced, but right before she can do it, Malorie arrives and takes her away. Together, the three get back on the boat and resume their journey.

In the next scene, Olympia allows a suspicious-looking man named Gary inside the house. The others are livid that she made the decision without consulting anyone. Nonetheless, they examine Gary and let him stay. After a while, he claims that there are other people outside who are not wearing blindfolds. They have somehow learned to co-exist with the entity.

Everyone trusts him except the old man, Douglas, who pulls out his gun and asks Gary to leave. However, he is quickly subdued when Greg’s mom, Cheryl, knocks him out with a vase. The group then locks Douglas in the garage. Afterward, Olympia profusely apologizes for causing trouble and being a burden, but Malorie reassures her that she did nothing wrong.

As the two pregnant women bond, they promise to look after each other’s children in the event that one of them dies. Malorie even gifts Olympia a Hello Kitty toy as a baby shower present. In the present, the little girl is holding the same toy, revealing that she is Olympia’s daughter. Malorie wraps herself and the kids in a blanket as they approach the rapids, warning them that this will be the most dangerous part of the journey.

She then mentions that one of them will have to remove their blindfold and navigate the way. Both innocent kids want to volunteer, but Malorie is caught in a dilemma. She is not ready to give up on either of them, so after a bit of consideration, Malorie decides that no one will look; they will simply battle the rapids and let God decide their fate.

Back in the past, both Malorie and Olympia go into labor at the same time. While Tom and Cheryl assist the women upstairs, the suspicious man, Gary, is doing something creepy downstairs. He brings out his collection of monster drawings, revealing that he is also possessed. It turns out his main agenda for arriving there was to infect the others. He is one of the few messengers of the entity.

To begin with, he puts Malorie’s birds in the refrigerator so they won’t warn the others. Then, Gary starts tearing the newspapers off the windows. Meanwhile, Olympia gives birth to a girl and Malorie to a boy, making everyone happy. Unfortunately, the happiness is short-lived as Gary barges into the room and raises the window shades. Malorie quickly looks away, but Olympia is not so lucky.

She becomes possessed and decides to commit the unthinkable from the window. But before she can do so, she somehow hands over her daughter to Malorie. After she dies, the old woman, Cheryl, is forced to open her eyes, and she too dies a painful death. Just then, Douglas arrives with his gun and manages to shoot Gary in the arm. The two tussle for a while, but in the end, Douglas is also terminated.

Fortunately, before the freak can kill more people, Tom finishes him off with the help of his gun. Now, it is just him, Malorie, and the children left. Five years pass by, and the four have been living in a secluded house in the woods. Even the birds are alive and well. They have stayed away from the evils of the city, and the children have become used to the new environment. However, they still don’t have any names.

Tom criticizes Malorie for this, but she believes it is not a priority. One day, they hear some noise outside and, upon checking, find a group of infected people in cars, looking for the uninfected. This makes the couple realize that even this house is no longer safe. That night, as they are sleeping, Malorie’s walkie-talkie suddenly comes to life. A man by the name of Rick starts speaking from the other side.

He claims to be in a secure complex with lots of supplies and food. However, reaching there will not be easy. Rick explains that they will have to travel along the river for several hours while battling dangerous rapids. Before hanging up, he makes two things clear: the river is not safe for children, and the birds are key to finding the complex. The next morning, the couple discusses the matter.

Tom wants to visit the compound, but Malorie is skeptical. After the last incident with Gary, she does not want to trust anyone. Later that day, as the couple is scavenging at a nearby house, the infected people show up again. Realizing that they don’t have enough time, Tom urges Malorie to take the children and leave while he takes care of the problem. Malorie is almost brought to tears, but she agrees for the children’s safety.

After a while, she packs her belongings and leaves through the back door with the kids, while Tom grabs a gun and goes to face the infected people. He takes down a few of them before getting shot himself. To finish them all off, Tom decides to remove his blindfold. Once he does, he turns into a monster and eliminates the remaining people one by one. Then, he commits the unthinkable.

Meanwhile, Malorie and the kids reach home, where she begins briefing them about their journey—just as shown at the start of the movie. In the present, it’s been 42 hours, and they have finally reached the deadly rapids. Malorie tries her best to navigate through the waves, but the boat capsizes, and everyone tumbles out. Fortunately, she manages to grab her kids and reach the shore unharmed.

Following this, the three slowly walk through the woods. The entity also appears in its invisible form and tries to manipulate Malorie and the children into removing their blindfolds. However, they ignore it completely and instead follow the sound of the birds. Soon, they reach a large compound, and Malorie starts banging on the door desperately. Fortunately, someone opens it and lets them in after confirming that they are not infected.

Inside, they finally meet Rick, who explains that the compound used to be a school for the blind. That is why the people there were never infected. Dr. Lapham is also present and approaches Malorie, congratulating her on her beautiful children. She asks their names, and after a moment of thought, Malorie says, “Olympia” and “Tom.” The movie ends as she opens the bird box and releases the birds.

Full movie recap of Bird Box (2018)