The Brief Summary
The monsters in Bird Box are mysterious creatures that drive people to suicide if seen. Their exact origin is never fully explained in the film, but there are some clues that they may have come from outer space and represent an extraterrestrial invasion of Earth. The creatures seem to suddenly appear everywhere all at once, hinting at a rapid global spread. Their deadly impact on humans who view them also suggests they may be some kind of psychic attack or the result of forces beyond human comprehension. While their true nature is left ambiguous, they serve as deadly catalysts for the film’s plot.
Examining the Evidence
There are several details in Bird Box that provide hints about where the monsters may have come from:
They Appeared Suddenly and Spread Rapidly
The creatures emerged and affected the entire world very quickly, implying some kind of extraterrestrial origin. News reports at the beginning of the film state the phenomenon started in Russia and spread across Europe in merely 24 hours. This rules out anything manmade or earthbound. No human force could cover that much ground so fast.
They May Be Invisible Extraterrestrial Beings
While the audience never sees the creatures directly, some kind of alien invasion seems plausible given their scale and impact. They could be invisible alien beings with psychic abilities to drive humans mad. Extraterrestrial origins might explain their powers and invisibility.
The Creatures Cause Death by Suicide
The monsters psychically compel anyone who looks at them to commit suicide. This strange effect suggests they use unearthly forces beyond normal physics or psychology to attack human minds. Their ability to override human self-preservation so easily again points to extraterrestrial origins.
The Creatures Seem to Defy Sensor Equipment
When Gary tries using thermal imaging camera goggles to detect the creatures, the cameras show no trace of them. This implies the monsters may not emit heat or electromagnetic radiation like a normal physical being or object. Their invisibility to sensor equipment suggests extraterrestrial abilities or qualities.
Theories on the Creatures’ Origins
While the film leaves the monsters’ nature ambiguous, fans have some theories about what they could be:
They Are Hallucinations Induced by Extraterrestrials
One theory is that the creatures are hallucinations psychically induced across the population by aliens. In this view, there are no physical monsters present. Instead, malevolent extraterrestrial intelligences attack humanity remotely by inducing hallucinatory suicide compulsions.
They Are Travelers from Another Dimension
Another idea is that the creatures come from another plane of existence or dimension outside our universe. They could have found a way to cross over dimensionally to Earth and drive humans mad through their very presence and unnatural qualities. This accounts for their otherworldly powers.
They Are a Kind of Non-Physical Alien Lifeform
Some fans think the creatures could be a non-corporeal alien lifeform composed of energy or psychic phenomena rather than physical matter. This could explain their invisibility and ability to induce suicide through mental forces alone. Under this view, they are not hallucinations but very real extraterrestrial attackers.
Symbolic Interpretations
There are also symbolic ways to interpret the deadly creatures in Bird Box:
They Represent Humanity’s Self-Destructive Impulses
A metaphorical reading of the monsters is that they represent the dark, self-destructive side of human nature. Seeing them drives people to suicide because they force us to confront the innate human capacity for violence, cruelty, and death. The creatures manifest the nihilistic void within us.
They Symbolize Fear of the Unknown
The creatures could also symbolize xenophobia – fear, distrust, and violence directed at those seen as foreign or different. The monsters could embody mankind’s tendency to lash out at what we do not understand. Those who look on them succumb to their worst fear of the other.
They Are a Warning About Climate Change
Given the deadly global impact of the creatures, some see them as representing climate change – an uncontrolled threat multiplying across the world too quickly for society to respond. They reflect how human behavior can unleash forces beyond our control.
Conclusion
While the origin of the deadly creatures in Bird Box remains ambiguous, they serve as a catalyst for the film’s themes of survival, sacrifice, and humanity’s capacity for both destruction and compassion. Metaphorically, they underscore how people respond in the face of forces beyond their control or understanding. Though the monsters themselves are unseen, their impact on the characters and story is immense. The unknown entity drives the film, much as unknown threats and dangers drive human anxiety in real life. Though the creatures come from beyond ordinary reality, they highlight timeless truths about human nature.
Theory | Origin | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Extraterrestrial invasion | Outer space aliens | Invisible psychic aliens are attacking humanity |
Interdimensional travelers | Another dimension | Creatures from another plane of existence |
Non-physical alien lifeform | Extraterrestrial realms | Composed of psychic energy rather than matter |
Manifestation of human self-destruction | The human psyche | Represent our innate capacity for violence and death |
Personification of fear of the unknown | Xenophobia in the human mind | Embody distrust and lashing out at those seen as “other” |
Warning about climate change | Human impacts on the Earth | Symbolize uncontrolled threats created by humanity |