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The Birds is a classic suspense/horror click from back in the day. The film stands as the ultimate “animals gone wild” flick as it carries with it a sense of dread and tension that few films can even manage to muster in today’s atmosphere of lightning quick editing and thumping score. The Birds is an example of how tension should be created and handled, through on screen action, disturbing imagery, and top notch use of sound.

The Birds is the story of Melanie Daniels, a free-spirited socialite who stalks a super-chinned man’s man to the small coastal town of Bodega Bay, California. While there she begins to discover things about her mark and eventually worms her way into the family’s hearts and minds. Things are going good and then all the birds in the area start going fucking nuts and attacking people. Together Daniels, her man Mitch, and his family must find a way out of the nightmare of murderous birds. Me, I’d be more afraid of getting pooped on.

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, may not be at the top of his game with The Birds, but he is certainly better than most of the directors that have tried their hands at suspenseful horror over the years. Hitchcock’s film suffers from an excessively long, and in the end, pointless first half that is focused on relationship issues that don’t really matter in the end. Other than some lesbian undertones and the delightfully hot stems of the main character, there isn’t much going on in the beginning of The Birds. By the second hour of the film, The Birds hits its stride and chaos ensues. Hitchcock’s film is an awesome example of the world turned upside down and the tension that he creates with a minimum amount of sound and some creative imagery is palpable. The film’s ending leaves a little to be desired as it is a total copout, but the scenes of mayhem and violent bird attacks more than make up for it.

The acting is amazing and all of the actors deliver their lines with great skill. Tippy Hedron is unbelievably hot as she prances through the town showing off her stems and wearing the same clothes for three days. Her performance is memorable and the genuine terror that she affects throughout the latter stages of the film are classic. Rod Taylor is awesome as Mitch, the empty “perfect man” of the ‘60s, with his chiseled jawline, jutting chin, and amazingly high cargo pants. Taylor is charismatic and likable… I just wish he had a baseball bat or something because waving around a towel seems to be an ineffective method of bird dispersal. Jessica Tandy also does a fine job in a supporting role as Mitch’s mom Lydia.

The Birds is a little dated by today’s standards with some weak special effects and its unusually slow pace, but its use of tension still stacks up surprisingly well against most films of today. The film is fantastically written and the dialogue and characters are fascinating to watch, even though the things they say are a little pointless in the end. It’s still a classic movie that is actually deserving of the adjective “classic” unlike so many overrated flicks from years gone by.

Final Synopsis: The Birds is a good movie to watch, if you can handle slower-paced suspenseful horror. It’s not the best movie out there and may be a little overrated, but it is a solid flick full of quality performances and tension. If you’re interested in older horror/suspense flicks, give this one a watch.

Points Lost: -1 for an extremely long first half, -1 for a lame ending, -1 for some pacing problems, -1 for excessive character development

Lesson Learned: When birds attack, don’t lay on the ground. They’ll just peck the shit out of the back of your head.

Burning Question: Do you think that if Melanie Daniels had changed her clothes, the birds would have stopped attacking?

The Birds
6/10

Tags: 1963, alfred hitchcock, classic horror, horror, horror movie, jessica tandy, killer animals, killer birds, killer nature, latest movie reviews, recent2, rod taylor, suspense, suzanne pleshette, thriller, tippi hedron, veronica cartwright