Hitchcock in full flight and fright

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2001)

Following up an undisputed horror masterpiece like PSYCHO would have been a very hard bargain for almost every other director, but Alfred Hitchcock was not like "every other director." THE BIRDS was the result; and while its special effects aren't up to snuff when compared to the CGIs we've got today, one should keep in mind that THE BIRDS is an early 1960s product.
Although sometimes labeled as science fiction, THE BIRDS offers no explanation, scientific or otherwise, for why Bodega Bay, California and its residents and visitors should be besieged by half the avian kingdom. The performances, particularly by Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren, sometimes seem very distant--which is not to say they're bad, quite the contrary. But it does produce an emotional and psychological chill that hadn't been seen in the horror genre before.
It is also clear that, despite its age, THE BIRDS has worn rather well as a movie and continues to be hugely influential. The nighttime sieges at Taylor's house seemed to have influenced that aspect of George Romero's 1968 cult film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. And certainly this film's influence is clearly felt by Steven Spielberg, whose great suspense thrillers DUEL and JAWS pay homage to the Hitchcock aesthetic.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that I rate THE BIRDS a clear 10.