FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Dead Birds [DVD] [2004]

Dead Birds [DVD] [2004]
enlarge	Director: Alex Turner Actors: Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Isaiah Washington Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy New: £3.47 as of 25/11/2009 17:40 GMT details You Save: £16.52 (83%) New (11) Used (3) from £1.98 Seller: halfpricedvds Rating: 13 reviews Sales Rank: 29122 Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL Languages: Arabic (Subtitled), Bulgarian (Subtitled), Czech (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Greek (Subtitled), Hindi (Subtitled), Hungarian (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Polish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Romanian (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Turkish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Italian (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 87 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5035822893139 ASIN: B0007RUSUS Theatrical Release Date: 2004 Release Date: May 16, 2005 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 13 1 2 3 Next » Very Creepy December 4, 2005 Green Man Music (United Kingdom) 24 out of 24 found this review helpful This is a really atmospheric, scary film with all my favourite ingredients. The cinematography is particularly good; the shots of the lamplit inside of the creepy old mansion with its yellowing walls put you on edge without needing any supernatural intervention. The main fear tactics are the camerawork and the music; they turn a bit of black and white face-paint into something grotesque and hellish. From ghostly vistitations through voodoun ritual to demons lurking outside in the cornfields on a stormy night, this film had me on the edge of my seat with its nightmarish feel. The ending was, as already mentioned by someone else, slightly confusing; but it wasn#x27;t a happy Hollywood one, which is the main thing :) A creepy film that really delivers the goods June 8, 2005 Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA) 41 out of 42 found this review helpful The black heart of horror no longer beats in Hollywood, as none of the major players even try to come up with original, let alone good, horror films these days. All is not lost, however, as indie filmmakers have risen up to carry the dark banner. Do not look askance at all of today's low-budget, direct-to-video horror offerings, for only here can you find new horror films of substance and genuine creepiness. You would do well to start right here with Dead Birds, as director Alex Turner has given us one gem of a horror movie. pThings start off with a bang - well, several bangs, really - as a group of no-good outlaws rob an Alabama bank in 1863. These guys are free and easy with their trigger fingers and knives, leaving a real mess of blood and gore in their wake. It's bad enough that they slaughter innocent civilians, but they go too far when they also kill a group of Rebel soldiers trying to deposit two bags of Confederate gold. Thus it was established that, whatever happened to them, these guys would get no sympathy from me. I was actually a tad concerned about the gore in this early scene, though - it was effective but a tad gratuitous (does a head really explode in such a complete manner from one well-placed shot?), and I worried that the filmmaker was trying a little too hard to play up to us gorehounds. Such concerns quickly fell by the wayside, as the rest of the film is masterfully done. pThe gang (which includes a woman as well as a black man) rides off in search of a certain plantation house the leader learned about from a fellow wounded soldier, planning to bed there overnight before heading off to Mexico with their new riches. Personally, I would have taken one look at that deserted plantation house and kept on riding, but the gang moves on in for the night. They find respite from an approaching thunderstorm, but there will be no rest for the weary tonight. It's pretty easy to see that this house just isn't right; heck, some unclassifiable beast runs out of the cornstalks at them before they even get close to the front door. One by one, these hardened outlaws are given glimpses of the dark history of the place - it starts out with the usual kind of stuff (e.g., giggles, voices, creaks, etc.) but the cinematography makes it work like gangbusters. Eventually, ghostly images appear and, more often that not, morph into frightening demonic creatures. The CGI is rather Grudge-ish, yet it is very effective. Of course, the key to good horror is not the ghostly manifestations, it is the atmosphere and level of suspense that precede and accompany them - and this is where Dead Birds truly excels. If you're like me and watching this movie alone, odds are you will find yourself advising the characters on screen not to do this or to stay away from that or to simply run like the dickens (or words to that effect) on more than one occasion. The characters, I can assure you, will not heed your advice, even as things get spookier and more dangerous as the night wears on.pSome of the movie descriptions that I saw led me to believe the characters all turn on one another - this is misleading. Naturally, any group of outlaws hovering over two big bags of gold are going to be suspicious of one another (and there is also a touch of racial distrust for the black man thrown into the mix), but you won't see these characters act on their suspicions and become the agents of their own destruction. The threat here is external and very, very real. pAside from a somewhat shaky start, the actors really grow into their respective roles, and that makes the horrors all the more effective. You may recognize Henry Thomas, the fellow playing the leader of the gang - I knew he looked familiar, but I didn't recognize him as young Elliott from E.T. until I discovered that piece of information in another review. The female character, Nicki Aycox, looks a lot like Lisa Marie Presley, but that's neither here nor there. I must admit, though, that the film's title, while catchy, is a bit of a puzzler, as only one oblique reference is made to dead birds during the film. pIs the movie scary? Not necessarily. It is, however, thoroughly creepy, and I much prefer a creepy movie over a scary one. A good scare can be exhilarating, but it's over and done with in a hurry. Creepiness, in contrast, works its way into your bones, where it is distilled into something that stays with you long after the original source of the creep factor is gone. That, if you ask me, is what horror is really all about - and, I am glad to say, that is also what Dead Birds is all about. That is exactly why I love this movie. suprising era for genuinely spooky film March 23, 2008 A. Joseph (UK) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful I first saw this on tv as I thirst for supernatural stories. I was suprised to find out it was set during the American civil war (maybe near the end of the conflict, the movie doesn't go on about it much.) The setting worked very well for me as it's an unfamiliar era to me and you never get to hear ghost stories at this time. br /Characters are easily built as the story unfolds and their relationships don't take the best part of the movie to be realised. As I am also a fan of horror console games I want to see people explore spooky places and uncover the mysteries revolving around them. The tension builds and the incidents are never a cop out. I don't want to give too much away but I must say that when events unfold, (from the onset) I started thinking about the 'things' i'd seen in games, particuarly in silent hill 2, and was completely drawn in. br /Overall it is a very atmospheric movie that I recommend to those who don't particuarly thirst for gore or the usual obvious shock horror that the US churns out. (I personally prefer the asian horror movies any day) but this pleasantly suprised me. For the creeping fear, look here. Excellent and wonderfully unusual setting November 7, 2008 R. Griffiths (UK) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful This is just the sort of film which I would call pure horror, as opposed to the slasher/gore fests. There is certainly some of that in here but it is not the main focus of the film. Other reviewers have done a brilliant job of filling us in with the story so I wont'. The setting makes it creepy to begin with. Personally I wouldn't have gone anywhere near such a house, particularly not with a deeply unpleasant creature already having had a crack at me, and then I think I might just have sat in one room and kept my fingers crossed. The gang of outlaws, all of whom deliver more than adequate performances and play off eachother well, do - naturally - go wandering and find they have bitten off a little more than they can chew. I find the CGI effective for me: the faces have all the ingredients I personally don't like and find deeply unsettling so the film works very well for me on that level. The tension between the outlaws trying to ensure their gold is kept safe ensures they all wander off on their own, making them prey for the demons which have been unleashed, and the ending (whilst confusing) is refreshing. The period in which it is set works very well and I liked it. If you enjoy creepy atmosphere and aren't constantly waiting for a madman to run around with a saw you will enjoy this. Those who rate "Saw" as the best sort of horror movie will probably be somewhat dissatisfied but it's good to see something different. I shall definitely watch this again and am glad I bought it rather than renting. I was sufficiently unsettled that, when the cat crept in silently and leapt up onto the chair back behind me, I covered myself with tea. Good film. Surprisingly good October 9, 2009 VictoriaCinderton (U.K.) Though some of the effects look a bit artificial, this movie is genuinely creepy. Actor performances are solid as well as well as the whole setting but the atmosphere in general is very unsettling. Music is not overdone and fits in well, scare chords are in all the places they ought to be. The cast has many interesting characters and the house itself is refreshingly different from all the other haunted houses. A worthy addition to anyone's horror collection. Showing reviews 1-5 of 13 1 2 3 Next »

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