The Birds

Synopsis

A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Genre Defining

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is significant for transforming an ordinary natural threat into a source of sustained psychological terror, challenging audiences’ expectations of clear explanations or resolutions in horror cinema. Its innovative sound design, special effects, and ambiguous narrative profoundly influenced the development of modern suspense and horror films.

Summary

Melanie Daniels is the modern rich socialite, part of the jet-set who always gets what she wants. When lawyer Mitch Brenner sees her in a pet shop, he plays something of a practical joke on her, and she decides to return the favor. She drives about an hour north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother Lydia and younger sister Cathy. Soon after her arrival, however, the birds in the area begin to act strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie as she is crossing the bay in a small boat, and then, Lydia finds her neighbour dead, obviously the victim of a bird attack. Soon, birds in the hundreds and thousands are attacking anyone they find out of doors. There is no explanation as to why this might be happening, and as the birds continue their vicious attacks, survival becomes the priority

Movie Information

Release Date

29 March 1963

Duration

114 MIN

Rating

PG

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Cast

Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy

Genre

Drama, Horror