Dead Birds (2004)

Set in Alabama at the end of the Civil War, we focus on a group of criminals who turn a bank into a bloodbath as they steal the gold and head for the border and Mexico. Their leader Will (Thomas) decides to stop at an abandoned plantation house for the evening. Making their way through a large cornfield in front of the house a white hairless creature with fangs jumps out of nowhere and delivers the first jump scare of the film before being gunned down. Once at the house, a few of the gang's members are thinking of grabbing the gold and deserting the gang but that is the least of Will's troubles. The house has a sense of dread and dark atmosphere hanging over it from what the former owner (Muse Watson) may have done to his family and his slaves. Voodoo may be at the end of it but the group begins having frightening visions, hearing voices and some of them start turning up missing. This independent feature from Writer Simon Barrett and Director Alex Turner is a high quality horror film. Making the most of an excellent two story house in the middle of nowhere, the house is practically a character in this movie. The rain storm raging outside makes this film's atmosphere top notch, and the creepy sounds and visions this film provides will put any viewer on edge. Don't forget the gore and some of the scariest original creature monsters you've seen in a while and Dead Birds is one creepy Horror film. Director Turner gets a lot of credit for not going overboard with the spooky elements and gore, he sticks to the story and all of it comes off very believable. The only frustrating part of this movie is its back story concerning the former owner and what happened on the property. It's obvious it has everything to do with what is happening to our gang of thieves and why the house is the way it is, but we never really find out why. They're a few flashbacks which show you some great stuff but the film never ties it all together in an understandable fashion. It's a shame but this head scratching over the storyline will be what stops this from becoming a classic. It's still a ton of fun and must view for any horror fan.

1863, Alabama. A motley group of thieves rob a bank and seek refuge in an old abandoned house that's haunted by angry and lethal demonic spirits. Will any of them survive the night? Director Alex Turner, working from an original, intriguing and unpredictable script by Simon Barrett, relates the arresting story at a slow, yet steady pace, does a sterling job of creating and sustaining a deeply spooky and unsettling mood which becomes more increasingly eerie and upsetting as the story unfolds, offers a flavorsome evocation of the period setting, stages the shock scenes with considerable skill and flair, and punctuates the narrative with startling moments of grisly violence. This film further benefits from fine acting from the sturdy cast: Henry Thomas as levelheaded leader William, Patrick Fugit as the soft Sam, Nicki Aycox as the fetching Annabelle, Michael Shannon as treacherous troublemaker Clyde, Mark Boone Junior as the scraggly Joseph, and Isaah Washington as the proud Todd. Muse Watson has a chilling minor role as an evil occultist. The grotesque creatures are genuinely freaky and scary. The special effects are excellent and convincing. This picture earns bonus points for its admirably hard and gritty no-nonsense tone: The gradual build-up and powerful sense of dread and unease culminate in a positively harrowing last third that's capped off by a perfectly grim surprise downbeat ending. Steve Yedlin's polished cinematography and Peter Lopez's shivery score are up on the money sound and effective. But what really makes this movie so good and commendable is a welcome and invigorating element of freshness and creativity: The story isn't cut and dried, there's a compelling ambiguity evident throughout, and the neat theme about greed and mistrust bringing about the thieves' ruination gives the picture some extra substance. Offbeat, inspired, and well worth seeing.

This movie is just awful - do not waste your time!I watched it after reading the synopsis and reviews on IMDb. Normally both are right on and I'm not usually disappointed.Not the case with this movie.I've seen amateur stuff better than this. Not only is it cliché' - they didn't even get the clichés' right.The acting is unbelievably awful as well. They all seem to be sleepwalking through the entire movie, especially the one female part. They're all totally ambivalent about the "scary" signs that should tell them to turn back.And, by the way, the title is "Dead Birds" yet only ONE dead bird is ever shown and, even then, it's completely inexplicable. "Scary" music builds and builds and builds with no real pay-off.Do yourself a favor - if you want to watch a scary movie no one's ever heard of, watch "The Other."

"Dead Birds" is a movie that I neither liked nor hated. After watching it, I really couldn't care less about it. What's interesting is why I watched it. I never really watch movies that haven't been released in theaters, as those are notoriously awful. But I don't know. Something about a movie called "Dead Birds" just intrigued me in some way. I knew I was going to end up seeing it, but I was somehow reluctant.But that's beside the point. In the end, "Dead Birds" is just too unmemorable (in any sense of the word) to really remember, much less see. I wouldn't recommend seeing it, but, if for some reason you have a compulsion to see it, it's not the worst thing you could do.A group of bank robbers (at least I think that's what they are, they didn't seem to come out with any more than they came in) escape from a big score and take refuge in a safehouse. But something evil resides there...Not much happens in "Dead Birds." This is a movie that has to rely on atmosphere and a connection between the audience and the characters on screen. Unfortunately, first time feature film director Alex Turner isn't able to accomplish this. Part of this is because of the poor screenplay, but Turner can't establish an ominous atmosphere, and that's what is so crucial in a movie like this.The acting is adequate at best. Henry Thomas (yes, Elliot from E.T.) is the most effective, but he's really not given much to work with. Isaiah Washington looks positively bored, and would probably rather be anywhere but on the set of this movie. Patrick Fugit, who shined in "Almost Famous," does what he can, but that's not much. Michael Shannon, known for playing creeps and borderline psychotics, is in the same boat. No one else is worth remembering.One of the more noticeable flaws with "Dead Birds" is that the ominous presence isn't fully explained. Neither the characters nor us know what we're dealing with, and that severely hinders the film's effectiveness.To be fair, "Dead Birds" has some creepy moments, but they don't last long, and they aren't that effective anyway. But all in all, it's clear that this is a low-budget first feature from a director. It's okay, but you could do better.