The Birds

PG-13

Released Mar 28, 1963

1 hr. 59 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Horror

List

94%

66 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

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Critics Consensus

Proving once again that build-up is the key to suspense, Alfred Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history.

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Dinos K

How a 45-years-old man and an 11-year-old girl are brother and sister?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Robert S

Very scary, but weak ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

elana k

Its terse and tight and a viewing delight.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

Kesava Dharshan

It's spectacular that the scenes with birds are made with real ones. The suspense builds up and up and on. Really enjoyed this one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

Full Review

Jeff M

I'm quite certain that I'll never be able to pinpoint exactly what makes Hitchcock head and shoulders above the rest. I suppose it's an IT-factor thing. You can have a thousand vocalists singing the same song but only one or two have that indefinable IT thing that makes them stand out from the crowd. This is a 2 hour movie about a bunch of birds that swoop down when the desire arises and peck at human flesh. It shouldn't work. How can this work? It works. It helps on a personal level that I've always had a slight fear of birds - the cawing and sharp talons and armored beaks… But to be quite frank, many of the scenes with birds here look like stuffed crows being thrown at the actors while sound effects editors scratch their fingernails on a nearby chalkboard. Amazingly enough, I couldn't give two rips about the birds. What drew me into the movie was the scenes in between the terrorist tweeters. I became fascinated with these characters - their motivations, their secrets, their relationships with one another. I've never seen Hedren in a movie before, and I may never see another movie of hers again, but I was inexplicably transfixed with her. And Hitchcock had a way with camera angles and editing that was mesmerizing and iconic. This is one of the few horror movies/thrillers that I not only anticipate but look forward to watching again - I had a ball with this one!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Michael F

Classic horror movie with some romantic nuance peppered in. Overall an enjoyable movie although things did get a bit unrealistic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Rod Taylor

Mitch Brenner

Tippi Hedren

Melanie Daniels

Suzanne Pleshette

Annie Hayworth

Jessica Tandy

Lydia Brenner

Veronica Cartwright

Cathy Brenner

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The Birds: Official Clip - The Gas Station Explosion

1:48

The Birds: Official Clip - Eyes Pecked Out

1:13

The Birds: Official Clip - I Think You're Evil!

2:53

The Birds: Official Clip - Crows Stalk the Playground

2:02

The Birds: Official Clip - Escaping The Birds

2:57

The Birds: Official Clip - Crows Chase Children

2:50

The Birds: Official Clip - The Birds Invade Through the Chimney

2:11

The Birds: Official Clip - The Seagull Attack

1:03

The Birds: Official Clip - The Birthday Party Attack

1:52

The Birds: Official Clip - Attacked in the Attic

2:55

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Brendan Gill

New Yorker

Hard as it may be to believe of a Hitchcock, it doesn’t arouse suspense, which is, of course, what justifies and transforms the sadism that lies at the heart of every thriller. Here the sadism is all too nakedly, repellently present.

Aug 15, 2022

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

There’s a fair amount of beak-based eye trauma.

Aug 1, 2022

Full Review

James Powers

Hollywood Reporter

Hitchcock prolongs his prelude to horror for more than half the film, playing with audience suspense with comedy and romance while he sets his stage. The horror when it comes is a hair-raiser ...

Mar 28, 2017

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

When you put, essentially, a creature feature like The Birds in the hands of someone as brilliant as Alfred Hitchcock, you're not getting a cheesy B-movie. Instead, you're getting quality ratcheted suspense that exudes creativity.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 16, 2024

Full Review

June Butler

Film Ireland Magazine

Both moving and unique. A masterful touch to one of the greatest film classics of all time...

Jan 22, 2024

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

After watching The Birds, audiences will never look at birds in the same way ever again, which is perhaps Hitchcock's original intent.

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 28, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Evan Hunter, Daphne Du Maurier
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 1963, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 2023
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2014
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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