5) The Birds (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock was a master of tension, displayed gracefully by taking such a typically mundane creature – birds – and turning them into a vessel for pure terror. Still heralded as a classic horror film in the eyes of many historians, so many iconic images have come out of such a classic tale of slow-burn ferocity. Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, and many other actors of old, Hitchcock gives people a reason to fear our winged brethren past being randomly pooped on.
Of course, as a bonus reference, you could also throw Birdemic in at this slot, channeling Hitchcock’s masterpiece in a much more low-budget, B-Movie kind of way. While Hitchcock’s birds are simply killers who would peck your eyes out and cause accidents, filmmaker James Nguyen creates bird foes who can spit acid and explode on impact. Sure, Hitchcock nailed a more realistic scenario, but Nguyen’s story has a much more vicious – and ridiculous – edge. Of course, no part of my being can recommend something like Birdemic (quite possibly the worst movie of all time in some critic’s eyes) over a Hitchcock classic, so The Birds stays front and center as it should be. Honestly, it’s wackier because Hitchcock makes us BELIEVE the attack can happen, where Birdemic can’t for obvious reasons.
Did I just manage to work The Birds and Birdemic into the same paragraph? I think Hitchcock just rolled over in his grave.
