Whilst Psycho has been ripped off, parodied, copied and shudder Remade, there has never been another film like the Birds.

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2001)

I first saw this film when I was a cynical teenager, adamant that nothing could scare me, and it didn't- I point blank refused to let it happen. Not the Exorcist, not Freddy or Jason and not the Birds could shake this tough-girl up. So now I am a bit older and wiser and I also know a lot more about film. And I watched the Birds again for a different look at it.
It is SO cleverly done. As an earlier reviewer said, Hitch plays the audience like a finely tuned instrument and the effects can be stronger than you would realise especially for a 1963 film being watched in the 21st Century! (A lot of younger people seem to believe that old films are at best cute and at worse, old fashioned and irrelevant- oh if only they knew, they were so much worse than anything that is considered "Shocking" today) EXAMPLE: I am not scared of spiders but they bring out an almost primeval instinct in me, My hands sweat, I get cold shivers and goose bumps all over but at the same time my rational brain tells me it's ok and I pick up incy-wincy and chuck him out of the window- no problem. But after I watched the Birds, it happened again. Some scenes gave me the shivers so bad that I thought I was going to flip out and hide in a cave somewhere and by bed time I was pumped so full of adrenaline that I couldn't get to sleep. It's Hitch you see, not only does he know film, he knows YOU as well and how to get to you. I will try to keep it brief as to what makes this film so special. Firstly, he lands heavy portents on the characters. The early scenes all end with a bird acting strange, in a variety of ways. Secondly, silence is sometimes golden. The indoor attack sequences are unique in the reaction of the victims, I will say no more as it so effective and scary. But at the same time it is the sort of thing I have nightmares about a remake putting in a ditzy female screaming or something, (please leave this film alone!) Thirdly- The sounds of the birds! Enough said- I got that shiver again... Fourthly-Hitch tricks. You KNOW she has a load of crows behind her, but then it turns out you had no idea at all. He likes to lure the audience into a false sense of security "Don't worry chaps, I'll show you what's happening, just don't tell the actors" but when revelation occurs, you realise you've been had just as much as those on screen. Fively (?:-) there are some scenes which are truly horrific. It's as simple as that. It's a horror film. There are 6-10 points, I could go on all day but this is probably long enough.