By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Pop quiz, hotshot: did you know that Bird Box, the surprise Netflix horror hit, actually has a sequel? Most fans don’t know much about Bird Box Barcelona, which is probably for the best. After all, this spinoff is inferior to the original film in every single way. But the failure of that spinoff underscores the simple fact that Bird Box is one of the few truly original horror movies that deserves a proper sequel.
The Bird Box Sequel
Before we can talk about the Bird Box sequel we deserve, it’s important to discuss (if only begrudgingly) the sequel we got. Bird Box Barcelona follows a protagonist who has become one of those creepy guys from the first film who survived looking at the movie’s unseen monsters and is now devoted to forcing others to take a peek. Throughout the film, we get flashbacks of how he came to be this way interspersed with scenes in the present day where, guided by the ghost of his dead daughter, our psychopathic seer causes chaos throughout the ruined world.
Now, I’m going to say what you’re probably thinking right now: that Bird Box sequel sounds great. On paper, this is a great and unconventional idea for a follow-up film, but the execution falls short in several ways, including the film ever really developing its characters properly. The movie never moves past its interesting premise, making it easier to notice how much of this film is a lame retread of the original.
Now, Barcelona sucks, but I maintain that the original Bird Box is interesting enough to merit a proper sequel. Ideally, such a sequel would have a big name to anchor it much like Sandra Bullock did for the first film. Mario Casas does the best he can as the lead of the poorly-written Bird Box Barcelona, but someone with a bit more clout could give a future sequel more international appeal.
A Proper Follow-Up
Arguably, Bullock herself would be the best casting choice for a proper Bird Box sequel because many fans would like to see what her character is now up to. The first film ended with our protagonist safely arriving at a special community where she can safely (or at least, as safely as possible) raise her two children in this postapocalyptic world. It would have been narratively rewarding to follow up on these characters, which is why it was so weird that Bird Box Barcelona was more of a weird side story than an actual sequel.
Barcelona gestures at moving the plot forward by showing that scientists are trying to counter the effects of the creatures who drive all who see them to either suicide or insanity. Ideally, a future Bird Box sequel would explore whether that was successful and whether these mysterious creatures have any other way of harming humanity. For example, humans being immune to their psychic influence wouldn’t mean much if they just had exotic claws or fangs and started killing people more directly.
Additionally, while some Bird Box fans would prefer to preserve the mystery, I can’t help but feel like a sequel owes us a look at these monsters that we have never seen. It’s a fun horror staple to take a look under the hood, whether that means finding out who Ghostface is or just seeing how funky Jason Voorhees really looks under that mask. Fans have been curious about the Bird Box beasties since 2018, and a decent sequel would be a chance to give us what we want to see.
Until we get a proper Bird Box sequel, you can check out the original as well as Bird Box Barcelona on Netflix. They make for an interesting double feature, but watching them back to back will convince you beyond any doubt that this franchise deserves a sequel that lives up to the original. As for Barcelona, well…it’s likely to leave you covering up your eyes so you won’t be driven mad by the awful film that transformed your TV into a decidedly mediocre post-apocalyptic landscape.