In 2018, Netflix released their horror hit Bird Box, which followed the story of a group of survivors trying to make it through a world that has become inexplicably overrun by monsters that kill all of those who look upon them, forcing what remains of the world to reorganize itself around the threat.

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Updated on July 16th, 2021 by Mark Birrell: The best movies like Bird Box are ones that deal with the element of threat in the same way, keeping the tension razor-sharp for the audience throughout whilst not forgetting its impact on the drama of the story. There are many similar films that illicit that impending dread, whether they be classically-themed monster movies or sci-fi glimpses of a dark near-future, and many of them are available to stream from the biggest subscription services like Netflix.

The Invisible Man (2020)

elisabeth moss the invisible man horror movie leigh whannell universal

● Available on Cinemax

One of the other big sensory-themed horror hits of recent years is Blumhouse's modern take on the classic Universal monster hit The Invisible Man, starring Elisabeth Moss in one of her best movie roles.

Fans who loved how Bird Box intelligently dealt with an evil force that can't be seen by the main characters will likely find a similar appeal in the movie's creepy thrills, not to mention the performances.

Hush (2016)

● Available on Netflix

Hush tells the story of a deaf writer staying alone in the woods when they are then preyed upon by a killer who she can't hear lurking around her house.

Hush will be an interesting experience for Bird Box fans as it deals with an enemy that the protagonist can't hear as opposed to one that can't be seen but the movie's use of suspense is universally great.

A Quiet Place (2018)

a quiet place

● Available on Fubo TV

A Quiet Place stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as two parents who try their best to keep their children safe from a monstrous alien enemy that hunts by its very accute hearing.

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With the survivors of this post-apocalyptic world having to base their lives around making as little noise as humanly possible, it makes for an interesting contrast to Bird Box's world without sight while also utilizing family drama in a comparably effective way.

Don't Breathe (2016)

● Available on Fubo TV

Flipping the home invasion movie on its head, Don't Breathe revolves around a blind man who hunts a group of thieves who break into his house, his deadly skills seeming almost supernatural.

The suspense of Don't Breathe will be a big plus for Bird Box fans, with the movie pouring most of its energy into staying unpredictable with plenty of shockingly graphic moments.

The Road (2009)

The Road

● Available on Pluto TV and Prime Video

The Road stars Viggo Mortensen as a father traveling across a post-apocalyptic America with his son in search of some kind of hope or safety, finding little of either in what has to be one of the harshest futures depicted in a sci-fi movie.

There aren't any otherwordly creatures in the story but fans of Bird Box will not be dissatisfied with either the performances or the survival aspects of this unforgiving and ultimately beautiful tale.

The Mist (2007)

David and others staring up in the Mist

● Available for purchase on Prime Video 

The Mist follows a group of people who get trapped in a supermarket as an ominous mist surrounds them. It not only takes away their field of vision but also blinds them from the bloodthirsty monsters that lurk within.

There is a distinct Stephen King quality to the survivors of Bird Box's world, with the outstanding ensemble of The Mist highlighting this better than perhaps any other movie, with the most gutwrenching horror often coming from the decisions of the human characters.

It Comes At Night (2017)

Travis holding a lantern in the woods at night in It Comes at Night

● Available on Netflix

It Comes At Night is a post-apocalyptic survival movie in which two families attempt to live in the same secluded house to avoid the worst of a world ravaged by a mysterious plague. Their inability to trust one another, however, leads to the real horror of the story.

RELATED: 10 Best Slow-Burning Psychological Horror Movies Like It Comes At Night

Fans of Bird Box will love the intensity of this film, with the drama and thrilling scares being of an equally high caliber. A lot of the danger taking place in the imaginations of both the characters and the audience is another interesting similarity between the two.

Julia's Eyes (2010)

Julia with bandages over her eyes in Julia's Eyes (2010)

● Available on AMC+

There's no grand apocalypse story at the heart of Julia's Eyes. In fact, it's a comparatively small-scale mystery story with a protagonist coping with the gradual loss of her sight, which makes her hunt for a vicious murderer all the more gripping.

There are some supernatural elements at work in the story in accordance with its clear allusions to Italian Giallo thrillers and their unseen, black-gloved, killers but it's actually the strong emotional and romantic elements that Bird Box fans are most likely to appreciate here.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

The main cast of Dawn of the Dead (2004)

● Available for purchase on Prime Video 

A remake of George A. Romero's seminal zombie classic of the same name, Dawn of the Dead energized the genre in the way only director Zack Snyder could, amping up the action and speeding up the zombies to blistering effect.

The blood and bullets may seem like a little too much for a Bird Box fan but the movie faithfully adheres to the core group survival dynamics at play in Romero's original zombie movies and the beginning of Snyder's take on the zombie apocalypse has served as a big inspiration for following end-of-the-world films.

28 Days Later (2002)

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later

● Available on Paramount+

This essential zombie movie flipped a lot of the genre's conventions on their heads whilst sticking to the core principles of the genre. It was the film that first popularized the now-standard fast type of zombies before they appeared in Snyder's Dawn of the Dead and the iconic opening of 28 Days Later is interestingly similar to a scene at the beginning of the massively popular Walking Dead comics.

Post-apocalyptic survival movies don't come much more brutal and intense than 28 Days Later and Bird Box fans will revel in the ceaseless chaos of the film's world.

NEXT: 10 Essential Movies For 28 Days Later Fans