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The Birds (1963) - Alfred Hitchcock


Classics are always amazing, they may take sometime to build up, but they always have an amazing payoff. This is my first Alfred Hitchcock film. I have kind of steered away from them for some reason. It just so happens that the local theater down the street from me is playing The Birds for $3. So I popped on over there and got some popcorn and had an awesome time.


The Birds is about a small town that gets over-run by vicious killer birds. There is no motive and there doesn't seem to be any resolution. The movie instead focuses on the exploits of a young socialite that falls instantly in love with the weirdly shaped "hero" of the movie. She creepily drops in on him while he is on vacation in Bodega Bay, CA. If anyone is keeping count, this is the forth horror movie that I have reviewed that is set on the Central Coast. Anyway, while she is "visiting/stalking" the seagulls, sparrows, crows, and other birds start going crazy nuts! They kill people left and right, its a slaughter. This movie has some pretty horrific scenes. They look cheap, but its amazing for its time.

The movie's antagonist(s) were actually creepier than I thought they were going to be. I was ready to be disappointed but it didn't bother me. It looked cheesy but good for its time. They were crazy vicious too. They killed people! They could break through walls, you couldn't out run them. They all worked together and congregated in huge flocks that would lay over large portions of the town.


The acting is really pretty decent too, but we are talking about Alfred Hitchcock here. This man is a legend, he knows what he is doing. I am planning on watching Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo soon. I cant wait. This movie is awesome because it has a real horror feeling, which I assume Psycho has. This movie has a horror feeling and it also has a great plot with good character development. This movie serves as a rare gem in the Horror genre. Its so easy to become a stereotypical horror movie. This movie keeps a few car lengths from being stereotypical.


I would highly recommend this movie to anyone that is curious about Hitchcock's work, its a great jumping point. His stuff is incredibly intricate, he really pays attention to the little things. He really had some great movies and I am really excited to explore his catalogue. It is going to be a fun trip.

Tippi Hedren is the lead actress
"It's the end of the world"
  • Actress Tippi Hedren is the mother of actress Melanie Griffith. 
  • The film has no musical score. 
  • The movie was filmed on location in Bodega Bay, CA and Bodega, CA. A few scenes were done in studio. The movie was filmed in 35mm.
BTW... This trailer is one of the best in the movie world. Please if you don't watch this movie watch this trailer. It is really good.

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