"They're coming! They're coming!"

Rating: 9/10 (17 June 2000)

"They're coming! They're coming!" were the words said by Tippi Hedren at the end of the coming attractions trailer for Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds". And boy did they come when the movie opened. This is a terrifying story about what could happen if our fine feathered friends turned on man. "The Birds", like the Master of Suspense's 1960 masterpiece "Psycho", has the ability to give people the chills. I found "The Birds" to be just a tad below "Psycho" (it starts a little slow), but it's still a pretty scary movie. It features good acting by Tippi Hedren (in her most famous role), Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy (26 years before "Driving Miss Daisy"), Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright (16 years before "Alien"). Plus it has impressive special visual effects, and probably the scariest sound effects that I've ever heard. The sound effects alone give me the creeps. And it has its share of humorous moments throughout. "The Birds" is classic Hitchcock. If you like horror movies that are well made with a well told story, then you'll like this one.
***1/2 (out of four)