Netflix has released a new trailer for Bird Box, a thriller film starring Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich.
Bird Box is based on a 2014 novel of the same name by Josh Malerman, and “follows a woman (Bullock) who, along with a pair of unnamed children, must make it through a forest and river blindfolded to avoid a supernatural entity that takes the appearance of its victims worst fears and causes them to commit suicide.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The new trailer sees Bullock and her children blindfolded and taking a boat down a raging river, and then the timeline quickly flashes back to the past and reveals the beginning of the apocalyptic events that led to the harrowing moment.
Interestingly, the creatures that are tormenting humanity are invisible to the naked eye, which makes their supernatural shape-shifting all the more terrifying.
Trevante Rhodes, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Lil Rel Howery, Tom Hollander, BD Wong also star in Bird Box, and it is directed by Susanne Bier, from a screenplay by Eric Heisserer.
Bier is an award-wining director who helmed films such as Things We Lost in the Fire and Serena, and the BBC One miniseries The Night Manager. She is the first female director to win a Golden Globe (In a Better World), an Academy Award (In a Better World), an Emmy Award (The Night Manager), and a European Film Award (In a Better World).
Heisserer is a seasoned vet when it comes to horror and sci-fi stories, as he wrote Final Destination 5, Lights Out, and the reboots of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) and The Thing (2011).
He was also nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2016 for his work on the Amy Adams/Jeremy Renner film Arrival.
While Bird Box has not yet opened in wide release, the film did have its world premiere at the AFI Fest in November, and already has a few reviews published.
“We all hope that we’re raising smart, strong kids while also allowing them to experience the joys of childhood; it’s that innate understanding of parenthood that makes Bullock’s performance feel real. It’s equally fascinating and terrifying to watch,” The Wrap’s Yolanda Machado said of the film.
“This tension-fueled, exhilarating, highly emotional experience cuts to the bone, delivering a heartrending tale of survival and a mother’s journey towards acceptance,” Fresh Fiction’s Courtney Howard added.
“Bier’s direction is coolly efficient, which fits the material to a t – anything more ostentatious would just feel wasteful,” indieWire’s Michael Nordine went on to say.
Bird Box debuts on Netflix on Dec. 21.
