Pretty average, minus the intensity.

Rating: 2/10 (3 September 2008)

Hitchcock isn't necessarily the amazing director everyone credits him as. Of the films I've seen by him, all of them were boring and never gave the "suspense" that everyone also credits him for. Far better and more original directors have been bashed and hated by critics and never once recognized for what they do. That said, Hitchcock was solid and has some nifty camera angles that do make his films much more unnerving and intense than a good chunk of modern horror.
The movie itself must have been amazing in its time. A lot of R-rated movies today are tamer than this PG-13 rated movie, and nowhere near as intense. The bird animations are laughable, the first hour gives boring a new definition, the acting and dialog are trite and sillybut it's hard to call this a bad movie.
The lack of music and the camera style both reek of realism, and that's a very good thing. The scares and intensity of the last 30 minutes are hard to match if you aren't laughing at the bird animations. Add a couple weird-out moments and an ending so open it's effective, and you have a solid movie. I'd go as far as to say it's superior to the modern movie The Mist.
If the remake keeps all the positives and makes it less cheesy I don't see how any horror fan could dislike it.
2/10