Dead Birds

I have long felt that the western genre was ripe to be mixed with the horror genre and it's nice to finally see someone agree with me. Mixing the elements alone wouldn't have worked if the film was lacking, fortunately that is not the case.

During the civil war period, a gang performs a violent bank robbery and then steals off, heading for the border with Mexico. Along the way they stop for rest at an abandoned farm. During their stay it begins to become increasingly clear that things are not right with the house and the land it occupies. Before long survival becomes the only question.

The set-up itself is not original, but the time period most certainly is. It takes an already violent period in history and puts an even darker twist on it.

Complimenting the action well is an overall nice cast that seem to fit their roles and avoid chewing the scenery. I give biggest props to the creature designers; though there is precious little footage of the beasts, what you do get to see is unique and frightening.

One of the better horror films in recent years, combining atmosphere and suspense with some good-old-fashioned visceral scares for max effect. The only glaring problem is a prodding mid-section of the film that runs on a little too long without much happening.

Quality scares worth a look.

8/10

Painfully long bits punctuated by cheap jump scares. Underutilized cast. Story was interesting but it wasn't told well.

Did someone recommend this to you because you like The Burrowers? They're not your friend.

In the wonderfully bloodthirsty opening to Dead Birds, a gang of ruthless criminals hold up a bank, killing everyone inside and getting away with a fortune in Confederate gold. They travel to a deserted farmhouse, where they intend to spend the night, before travelling to Mexico to share their ill-gotten gains.

But, in the tradition of many a horror film, this particular house is home to some hideous demons, unleashed by the owner in a black-magic ritual gone wrong.

Director Alex Turner is content to take his time building the tension and setting the mood, and this is perhaps his undoing; by the time he is ready to unleash the demons and let the horror truly begin, the audience has had to sit through far too much chatter from the thieves and watch their aimless wandering around the spooky old house. A few effective shocks (using pretty good CGI FX) are thrown in to liven up the proceedings, but it just isn't enough – even a few more gory moments do little to improve matters.

After a promising start, I thought I had discovered a real treat. Alas, it turned out to be nothing more than a so-so affair.

With a film that deserved to play in theaters, horror fans will now have the pleasure of seeing what is truly a surprising film. Packed with great performances, a great hook, fantastic special effects, and a twist ending that will surely please the most jaded film buff, Dead Birds deserves a place in your DVD collection. Taking a well worn premise, Dead Birds fashions it as a period piece and deliberately builds slowly to maximize tension and frights. While not a monster fest, the director wisely and selectively trots out his beasts for the most dramatic impact. Henry Thomas gives an astounding performance and makes you question why we do not see more of him. Overall, an intriguing experience all the way to the final frames.

I can't argue about this film for one reason. it only cost me One quid to buy. Now with one pound, you can end up buying films such as " the swamp thing" or the one with the giant tomatoes or any early Nicolas Cage film. However, Dead birds is not all that bad. Don't let the title put you off or the DVD case. Sure the title and cover art is cheap but the film itself is very polished.

The film is based in the American civil war era and I rather enjoyed that as there not to many films that focus on that era. The opening is dramatic but after the first ten minutes, the film's pace slows right down. You end up having to watch a bunch of outlaws wondering around a deserted house for half an hour with very little dialogue and character development. This can put many people off but during this part, The director creates a brilliant, spooky atmosphere that is helped with great music . The camera work doesn't contribute to the atmosphere as it lacks any creativity . But visual, the film looks great.

The huge drawback is that there wasn't to many scares. You watch these men ( and woman ) wonder around the house to only be let down by cheap jump out scares. the effects are mediocre at best. The acting is great all around but it all goes to waste. You watch them do nothing for the whole of the film until the last 15 minutes. The back story of house is told in about, 45 seconds which happens in a flashback.

I can't help but feel that this film could of been so much better. The atmosphere was spot on and the acting was good but the film doesn't really do any justice. It weren't the worst film ever but either was it the best. Would i watch again? most likely not. For me it was a just a miss.