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Bird Box
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Bird Box, by Josh Malerman- 4.5 Stars
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The creepiness was so well done wasn’t it? I haven’t been game to watch the movie yet.
Great review Joi! You addressed all of the questions I had on it. I never heard the term "jump scares" before, but I know that I don't like them either. We like a lot of the same thrillers, so I'll have to give this a try. I wonder if it would fit a paranormal tag.
I was saving the netflix movie for until I can read this because I feel like it would be more suited as a book since you are "blind" along with the protagonist. A lot of Malerman's writing is trending toward horror, so I would say this is an author who is writing for the horror fan, but I don't really know much about him.
I love horror (both movies and books) so I would say you probably have a preference for a certain type of horror. There is a whole range, many with no gore, nor jump scares, and those are definitely not a prerequisite. I find that when "non-horror fans" like horror they tend to call it something else, like "this isn't horror, this is a thriller." My opinion, it's horror :P
I think books can definitely have jump scares, but it is a little different. It feels more like a twist than a jump scare. I have gasped out loud reading (not just horror, but other genres).
When I read this book years ago I tried to get everyone I know to read it. I just loved it. But I couldn't convince anyone! It was so frustrating cuz I just wanted to talk about it so bad with someone I know. Haha. Now by best friend has seen the movie and says she wants to read the book. I'm like NO NO NO! No point in reading it now if you've already seen the movie! The book just did the creep factor so well.
And yes Meli that is exactly what I tried to explain to my best friend, that when you read the book first you are blind along with the protagonist and that is what makes it so good. It wouldn't be the same at all if someone sees the movie first. In fact even seeing the previews for the movie first would kind of ruin it.
100% read the book before the Netflix show. I only saw a little blurb when it came out, but it got enough hype to get me interested (Looks like it came out in December 2018- which means it took me 8 months to get my hands on the audiobook, lol). The creep factor was everything, and if you know the ending (although of course there were differences between the movie/book)- a lot of that would be ruined. I've watched a few "thriller movies" (looking at you 'The Invitation' that were definitely horror- not thriller. Maybe Netflix needs to work on their genre categorizing, lol. I try and stray away from horror, and this movie absolutely horrified me. I had to watch "eye bleach" after just to be able to go to sleep.
Malorie is living in an age where a mysterious phenomenon is going on that causes violence after seeing it. The problem is- no one knows what is it is, because the only people who have seen it- go crazy. So society turns to darkness- literally. Blindfolds, blankets over the doors, anything to not let the light in. We flip flop between when the whole dystopia starts, along with the very dramatic adventure of Malorie and two children years later looking (blindly) for a better place to live.
I really liked the 'creepyness' of this. It wasn't gore/violence/in your face horror- it was more subtle with an eerie vibe, and the suspense of not knowing really driving the scare factor. You can't help but wonder what you would do if you couldn't see, and I was constantly reminded and over-cognizant of how much I rely on sight in daily life. Can't say too much without spoiling- so go read it! Seemed like a good mix of genres for a horror book that isn't for traditional horror fans. Or maybe my tastes are changing and I like horror now? (NO!!!! I CANNOT STAND HORROR MOVIES).
Now, off to go watch the Netflix movie. Hopefully it doesn't taint my precious rom-com Netflix algorithm with horror movies that I will refuse to watch.