Can you imagine me creeping around London, strangling all those women with ties? That’s ridiculous…
***Spoilers Ahead***
Typically I start off a Horrorfest with a movie I love, something I am very much a fan of. When I first watched this movie (over 12 years ago), I thought it was good; however I had watched the Hitchcock films in order and all the three previous ones were okay or not that very good. Rewatching this film on its own, I didn’t enjoy it as I had previously and while many film historians have declared it is Hitchcock’s final best film-I would disagree. For me, I think his final best film is The Birds. The other films after that are not all terrible like Topaz and Marnie; but in my opinion none hold a candle to Psycho and The Birds.
While this film isn’t as great as his previous films, on a whole it isn’t a terrible movie to watch. It definitely is a lot more gritty and graphic but we see a return to form with suspense, a murdered blonde and an innocent man clearing his name.
The film begins with a dead woman, the latest victim of the so-called “necktie murderer”, a serial rapist-killer that is stalking the London night.
Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) is having a bad day. He’s fired from his job and complains about his lot to his best friend Robert Rusk (Barry Foster). Rusk gives him a tip about a horse race, but with no money Blaney can’t do anything with it. With no prospects he decides to visit his ex-wife, Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt). She owns a matchmaking company and two don’t have a terrible divorce but it isn’t exactly amicable as well. I have a feeling that he was more in love with her than she was with him. Brenda invites him for dinner and while Blaney isn’t looking she gives him £20. That night Blaney spends the night at a shelter as he has nowhere else to go.
One of the problems I have with this film is our main character. Whenever we had the “wrong man” in a prior film trying to prove his innocence he was always likable and instantly gained the viewer on his side. We, the viewers, always want them to overcome these terrible insinuations and get their freedom (and the girl). However, in this film Blaney is hard to root for. He’s too aggressive, mean, angry, and violent. I know the purpose is for us to have a guy that could be the killer, to try to play with our minds, but he’s no Cary Grant or Robert Donat.
From The 39 Steps
In a strange twist of story telling we are let known to who the real villain is early in the film. The next day Rusk goes to see Brenda, and is angry she has declined him for her her matchmaking service as he has creepy sexual inclinations. Rusk then rapes and strangles Brenda. With how they portray things in this film, I believe Hitchcock was still working out his issues, just as I believe he did with both Vertigo and Marnie. His later films feature a lot more sexual sadism than his earlier ones.
I mean I know that there was a shift to more slasher and graphic films in the ‘60s and ‘70s; I however felt that he lost some of his artistry when he went that route.
Creepy…
Unfortunately our main protagonist decides to go see Brenda again, but finds the door locked and can’t get in. He leaves and but is seen by Brenda’s secretsry who does go inside and finds the dead body.
Of course this means that Blaney is the one that they think is the killer and from his personality it isn’t a hard jump to make.
Blaney meets up with Barbara “Babs” Milligan (Anna Massey), his former pub co-worker who returns his romantic interest. He manages to convince her that he is innocent and they spend the night at a hotel. The next day they are on the run and try to find a place to stay. The stop by an old friend of Blaney, but can’t stay as his wife doesn’t want them there.
Blaney asks Babs to get his things and when she goes back for them she runs into Rusk who rapes and kills her. He hides her body in a potato sack and puts it on a truck with potatoes. It is a really sad scene.
However, the next day Rusk finds out that his jeweled tie pin with an “R” is missing. He gets freaked out as he knows it will point toward him, although if he really thought about it, it could reenforce the police’s idea that Richard Blaney is behind it all. But he’s a killer/breaking the law so he gets very paranoid about it so you know he will be making some big mistakes.
Blaney goes to Rusk for help, but doesn’t know that Rusk is trying to frame him. While Blaney hides out Rusk tips off the police.
Blaney is arrested but concocts a plan to get his revenge; injuring himself and escaping from the hospital. Blaney goes after Rusk, unknowingly being followed by the Inspector who had already deduced that Blaney would go after who he believes is the “real killer”. I felt this inspector was kind of a ripoff of the inspector in Dial M for Murder, but I liked that inspector a lot better.
Putting the pieces together from Dial M for Murder
Blaney finds a dead body at Rusk’s apartment. The inspector comes too and they both find Rusk guilty.
Chief Inspector Oxford: Mr. Rusk, you’re not wearing your tie.
[Robert Rusk is speechless for a moment] Robert Rusk: I…[he drops the trunk that he has just dragged into the room]
While this isn’t the worst of the Hitchcock films and does have some well filmed moments, as a whole I don’t really care for it. I think it was missing some of Hitchcock’s earlier style. Also with this I didn’t really care about Blaney and whether he succeeded or not.
I am a big fan of Raising Hope. I love the characters, the storyline, and just find it fun and hilarious. I especially love the ’80s references.
I LOVE the ’80s
The show is about James Bon Jovi “Jimmy” Chance, who is in his early twenties and a slacker. He left school before graduating, works for his dad, and spends most of his time getting drunk with his friends.
About life.
His mom and dad, Burt and Virginia, had him when they were 15 and have made a lot of mistakes over the years in raising him as they have no clue in what they are doing. All live with Virginia’s grandmother, Maw Maw, in her house. Maw Maw suffers from dementia and they have to care for her as she swings in and out.
Everything changes when Jimmy has a one night stand with a woman who turns out to be a serial killer. She is sentenced with the death penalty but before she dies she gives birth to a daughter, this little girl being given to Jimmy to raise.
What?!
So now they all band together to try and raise this girl, with three of the adults having no clue about children and one who is not in her right mind.
Throw in some other great characters: Sabrina, rich girl trying to “make it on her own” as a grocery clerk; Barney, the dorky but heart of gold store manager; Frank, a strange coworker; an evil cousin Delilah; and more.
Will Jimmy be able to raise her right? Or will he make the same mistakes as his parents?
This was the first episode I saw as my friend knew I would love it. This episode is fantastic as it is a homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window:
So as this takes place in the last season-I’ll do a quick wrap up. Jimmy had a gigantic crush on Sabrina and after the previous seasons of his being friends with her, them dating, they ended up getting married and moved into Sabrina’s grandma’s house. Since then Burt and Virginia have stayed with Maw Maw taking care of her.
Unfortunately, I can’t rewatch this episode as it is on Hulu and I don’t have that streaming service. So we will be going off my memory.
Hmm…?
In this episode, Burt and Virginia have new back fence neighbors and are super excited as they haven’t had any for years. They call that the “weirdo” house as no one stays very long-they are there for not that long and then gone. The meet them and the guy Gary seems like a lot of fun to Burt as he wants another best friend, and Virginia is happy to have people who she can talk to and borrow sugar from. Virginia also gets her hair done cheap at the local senior citizen home and gets it done in ’50s styles mimicking Grace Kelly’s style as Lisa. They are also doing themed weeks at her work (she cleans houses), and her dress looks just like the one in Rear Window.
So in this episode, they have started taking walks after dinner around their neighborhood. All the people they see are based off the different neighbors in Rear Window. A dancer, pianist, married couple who are sleeping outside on a mattress, etc.
IT’S TRUE!!!!
As Burt is walking, he trips on a root and falls breaking his leg. He’s stuck in a wheelchair-just like Jimmy Stewart’s character.
That night they have the back fence neighbors over for dinner. Gary is all smiles, creepy smiles and Gina is acting really strange. She is worried, keeps flubbing answers saying the wrong thing-Gary correcting her. It’s so weird-something is clearly not right in this marriage.
Hmm…
Gary likes to thumb wrestle and really enjoys facing off with Burt. Burt enjoyed his company but he is done-they go home and Virginia enjoys being with Gina but Burt feels like something is clearly not right there.
Hmm…
The next day Virginia tries to borrow a cup of sugar but Gina tells them they don’t have any. Her husband comes back and starts acting weird giving them packages. He asks if they wouldn’t mind holding them and of course the Chances say no.
That night the hear yelling and something crashing. They are both afraid something happened and call the police. The police won’t come because the Chances have called too many times-birds were attacking them (The Birds), thought a murderer in the house (Psycho), etc. and instead they send a member of their auxiliary force-Barney-their friend and the manager of the grocery store.
He has a tooth ache and mimics Jimmy Stewart’s voice as he talks. He tells them they are overreacting and that Gary and the wife are fine.
Barney leaves and the two decide they were just overreacting. They continue to collect Gary’s packages but then Burt sees that the wife isn’t there, instead it is another lady. He starts getting curious and looks through he packages finding an axe and jewelry engraved with “Carla”. They begin to believe that Gary killed his wife and is trying to be with this lady-Carla.
They start investigating, using an old toy of Jimmy’s Miss Suzy Snoop. The telescope used for spying mimics the telephoto lens used by Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jeff.
They want to investigate and try to enlist Jimmy and Sabrina, but while Jimmy is into it-Sabrina is done and takes him and Hope home.
The parents keep snooping and it is a really great episode with a twist ending I don’t want to ruin for you.
This is a great episode and even some of the shots are done to mimic Rear Window. It really is a delight to any Hitchcock fan.
Hey everybody, for this year we are doing something special: Sleuthing Sundays. Each Sunday I’ll post a film with a super sleuth! Our third film is:
It’s a weird case from the start. A case with a hole in the center. A doughnut.
So this was the first post I wrote for Horrorfest IX. I wrote it waaay back in January 2020, ah a more simpler time, when I was trying to get ahead. I usually try to do at list one post a month so I have nine ready when October rolls around to give me a little extra time in the month.
So back in January 2020, my friend called me up about wanting to hang out and I agreed. Last time we went to her place so I wanted to reciprocate with mine, but I had been working on Valentine’s Cards and had paper everywhere and a mess.
I’m a mess
To hide this I suggested going to the movies, (remember when we could do that?), and she agreed saying she had wanted to see Knives Out.
I heartily agreed as I love mysteries and the trailer made me think of those old Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple films from the ’70s.
Mystery, you say?
We went and saw it and I really enjoyed it, although there was one thing I did not like. The whole film from the text, color choices, decor, costumes, hairstyles (talking about you detectives with those sideburns) etc-evoked a late 1970s vibe to it, but it was set in modern times. It was extremely jarring to be watching and having all your senses set you in 1970 and then someone whips out an iPhone or talks about instagram. I think it would have been a bit better if they had just set it in the 1970s, but that’s just me.
I also didn’t like the vomit parts, but other than that I really enjoyed this film and have already seen it three times this year.
I also like how his had no romantic pair or love angle. It was refreshing to have the main characters just be about something else, than to have them get together in the end.
So the film starts off with a big birthday party for the family patriarch, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). He invited his whole family and his nurse, but the next day is found dead-throat slashed.
Lt. Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) are called on the scene and believe it to be suicide, (the Trooper is one of my favorite characters as he fanboys over all the Thrombey books), but then world renowned private investigator, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) appears saying that he was delivered a note and cash, so he is here to investigate.
Time to get on the case!
Each person is taken aside and questioned, all having a motive-but which one did it?
Hmmm…
Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the eldest daughter and built a real estate company from the ground up (not really as she got the money from her dad). She was told that she would no longer receive any money and neither would her spendthrift son, Ransom (Chris Evans). She says she doesn’t care about herself or her son being cutoff, but is she lying? Could she kill him to protect her young?
Hmm…?
Richard Drysdale (Don Johnson), Linda’s husband is cheating on her and Harlan caught him. If Linda divorces him, he’ll have nothing (he signed a prenup). Could he have killed him to keep it a secret?
Hmm…
Hugh Ransom Drysdale (Chris Evans) was told by his grandfather that night that he was to be written out of th will. The two argued and he didn’t return until the will was read. Did he secretly return and kill him to protect his inheritance?
Hmm…from Saboteur
Joni Thrombey (Toni Collette) is the widow of Harlan’s middle son. She is famous on instagram and is a lifestyle guru. She has the followers, but still relies on Harlan to meet the cost of bills and day to day living. She’s been cheating him by getting twice as much money having the accountants give her her daughter’s college fees, while Harlan also pays straight to the school. He told Joni he was cutting her and Meg off. Did Joni kill him to keep the money?
Hmm…
Megan “Meg” Thrombey (Katherine Langford) found out about hr college fund being cut off. She also left and when she returned was seen to go straight to her bedroom. Could she had killed him so she could continue her schooling?
Hmmm…
Walter “Walt” Thrombey (Michael Shannon) is the youngest brother and in charge of his father’s publishing company. He is fired from the company as Harlan wants his son to be free to be his own person. Did he kill him to keep control and have the money? (This out of all the people I actually feel bad for. Where is he going to get a job now? How is he going to start over at his age?)
But P.I. Benoit Blanc believes that something is missing. He continues to search and forces nurse, Marta Cabrera, to join him on his investigations…but Marta ended up killing him when she switched his accidentally gave him the wrong medication. Harlan kills himself to protect her. So she is helping Blanc solve the murder she committed…oh no.
That’s not good.
I also love the white sweater that Ransom wears. It makes me think of the one Rod Taylor wears in The Birds.
The best part of the film, besides Trooper Wagner, was Craig’s character-Private Detective Benoit Blanc.
I could happily watch film after film of his character. I hope they make a sequel with him.
I liked the plot-but I did figure out the ending. Things just didn’t sit right with me of what they showed. I was whispering to me friend, when Blanc said the doughnut line and I was like, yes! That’s what I was thinking!!
Benoit Blanc: I spoke in the car about the hole at the center of this doughnut. And yes, what you and Harlan did that fateful night seems at first glance to fill that hole perfectly. A doughnut hole in the doughnut’s hole. But we must look a little closer. And when we do, we see that the doughnut hole has a hole in its center – it is not a doughnut hole at all but a smaller doughnut with its own hole, and our doughnut is not whole at all!
But it was great, and every time you watch it there is more that you pick up on. Like the symbolism of Go and the way Marta plays it becoming important later. There is more, so if you haven’t watched it yet-you should.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if all the Austen characters were friends and lived in the same town. Hmm, have I asked this before? Oh yeah…
That was a good book, unfortunately this isn’t a review of the next novel in that series but of the TV show:
Yes, all the Austen characters live in the same city, the city of…hmm they never say where this takes place. They all have an American accent except for Emma who is British, sometimes.
Ugh!
I’ve noticed in other episodes it just seems to fade away. She must not be faking it because no one else has one so why would they make her have one? But I cant explain why that happens with her. Anyways…
I don’t know
So it says that it is the Austen characters, but only seems to have Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Knightley, and Colonel Brandon. Yes there is no one from Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, or Persuasion.
Forget you!
I mean really? I wish someone would do “all” the characters and actually have “all” the characters.
So the story takes place in modern times. We start of with Elinor Dashwood (Kristen Marie Jensen) who is an IRS and is complaining to her friends Lizzie Bennet (Elise Groves), real estate agent, and Emma Woodhouse (Shona Kay), divorce attorney. Oops, and friend Grant Knightley (supposed to be GEORGE why change to Grant? I mean George is a common name), played by Brad Johnson, and works with Emma? I’m not quite clear.
HOld on…okay Elinor as a tax accountant, okay I can buy that as she is well organized and great with finances.
Lizzie as a real estate agent, I have a hard time seeing. I could see her more as a writer or Park Ranger or manager at something.
Meh.
BUT Emma as a divorce attorney?
That’s just crazy. First of all she hates reading-no way. Second, I don not believe someone who tries to match people up all the time could spend days working with separating couples. That makes no sense to me.
Did you even READ the book!!??
So Elinor is bummed her sister will be moving in as she is flighty, boy-crazy, and has no clue what she is doing. As soon as she moves in she starts shaking things up by redecorating and changing things. Elinor gets angry and flips out on her messing up her apartment.
Now I get that Elinor doesn’t want her sister to take over her space, but seriously? You know she isn’t staying for a few nights, but planning to LIVE with you. Unless you specifically drew up a roommate agreement or told her she only gets her room and a shelf in the fridge you are seriously overreacting.
They try to make it seem like Marianne is just doing what she wants-but Elinor is seriously being a control freak.
Calm down. They eventually patch things up and compromise.
Now the clothes that Marianne wears are really weird. 2015 was only four years ago, Iremember what was popular and people where wearing and it was not that. Who picked your wardrobe? It is more 2005 than 2015.
Lizzie Bennet has the client William Darcy (Gavin Bentley) who is such a major jerk I am actually hoping they do not end up together.
Yes, a retelling made me actually wish that.
I think the world is going to explode or I’m going to die…too late
Good-bye, cruel world.
Too late
Sorry, this post will not be brought to you by the undead.
So Darcy in this is a total pain-complete and utter jerk. I really don’t see how they will redeem him.
Jerk
Also Lizzie’s parents are planing on divorcing and she doesn’t want them to as she doesn’t want her mother to try to live with her.
Woooooooow, real daughter of the year that one.
Both of her parents are going to Emma, who Lizzie gets to join her in her plan to reunite her parents. Emma plans a dinner date and before you can say The Parent Trap all is solved and they remember their love for each other.
This was weird to me. Why have that be the center of your episode? And just throwing this out there, maybe they would be better off not together. They fight nonstop (as Lizzie says) which isn’t healthy and a bad example to their children. I’m not for divorce, but if you read the book, they got married for the wrong reasons and were very unhappy with each other. And if they fight constantly, it might be better to at least try counseling or a separation.
Just throwing that out there, but none of my business.
Later Darcy storms in and yells and is a jerk to Emma as he works with her. Ugh, can we cut him out.
Yes, a retelling made me say that. As I said I think the world is going to end.
So yeah, I do not have high hopes for this show, but I’ll keep on watching. The things I do for Jane.
Ouch!
Sometimes when I read/watch a really bad retelling, I’m kind of glad that Jane Austen isn’t alive to see it. I think she’d be mortified at some things we come up with.
You know, I was having a hard time thinking of what movie to open with. What ’60s movie do I like?
Hmm…
Then I stupidly remembered The Birds. Of course!
It’s perfect!
This movie is one of the best Alfred Hitchcock movies ever. I simply adore this film so much. It has everything that makes up a good film. And I can just watch it over and over again.
So I don’t remember what exactly got me into Alfred Hitchcock, but I became obsessed with his films. I do know how I was introduced to The Birds. It was through Ann M. Martin, author of The Baby-Sitters Club.
Huh?
I loved the BSC books as a kid and read them all even belonging in the reading club that sent you two books a month and a little newsletter. I don’t remember if the newsletter or a book mentioned it, but I remember reading a note by Ann M. Martin about how she loved the film The Birds and because no one she knew had a VCR they could only watch it when it was on TV. Whenever it aired they would plan a sleepover and watch it with friends.
I can’t stop watching!
I became consumed with the idea of watching it, did and loved it. It was the first Alfred Hitchcock film I ever owned, me ordering it and planning on purchasing one every year on my birthday or Christmas and having the whole collection when I was an adult (did not happen sadly).
Later, a friend of mine. knowing how much I loved it, took me to Bodega Bay so I could see it in person and all the sites used in the film. It was so cool seeing everything and I later took many more trips out there. Here I am with the house that is used as a schoolhouse in the film. I blurred myself out as there are a lot of weirdos on the internet, no offense dear readers.
They also used to have a museum full of things from the movie and marketing/promotional materials, but it always had weird hours, then they closed it, then they had an awesome shop which doubled as a mini museum-but then the person died who owned it and the collection moved. Here I am with an item when they still had it.
Back in 2011, Tippi Hedren actually came out to do a promotional thing at Bodega Bay. I lived near there when I was going to school, but unfortunately I could not go and meet her as I had scheduled a trip home to be with family. However I had truly amazing and awesome friends who went out and stood in line and got her autograph my DVD. I tried to pay them back, but they would not let me know the price if it or let me do so.
I’m lucky
So while it was an amazing film done by an amazing director there is a sad twinge to the story as well. Alfred Hitchcock was obsessed with Tippi Hedren and controlled her, he wouldn’t let anyone talk to her-unless they were filming, and just was plan awful to her, abusing her really. She tried to talk to the studio heads but he was such a money maker they refused to do anything. And when she refused him, he blackballed her. Too bad she wasn’t able to have justice. If you would like to know more I really recommend reading Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies by Donald Spoto
So that’s enough background, let’s move on to the review!
The film is based on a book by Daphne Du Maurier, this being the third of her works being published into a film-following Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. However, this story and her story have nothing in common besides birds attacking. And before we discuss the film, let’s watch the trailer.
So the film starts off in San Francisco where we have Melanie Daniels, Tippi Hedren, going into a bird shop to pick up her myna bird.
***little side note Alfred Hitchcock strolls on by***
****Second side note, by the way there is no music track-just bird noises****
*****And can I just say she is wearing a stunning green suit. I love it and wish I owned one just like it, although I have nowhere to wear it to.*****
Melanie notices a lot of birds in the air, thinking it odd, but moving along.
Huh?
Unfortunately her bird has not arrived yet. The shopkeeper goes to call and she waits along at the desk. In walks the gorgeous Rod Taylor, and Melanie decides the same thing. Pretending to be the shopkeeper so that she can talk to him and put the moves on him.
He wants lovebirds for his sister’s birthday. He can tell she is not a shopkeeper but is trying to embarrass her, asking her questions she has no clue to the answers. When he asks to see a love bird it escapes around the shop causing havoc. And the real shopkeeper comes out to try and catch it. He reveals to Melanie that he knows who she is and has been playing her the whole time. It turns out that she went to court over a broken glass window and he was there too. He’s a lawyer and believed she should have served time for what she did, not gone off scot-free because she is a wealthy woman with a famous father.
She’s offended, but not so that she takes down this handsome man’s license, has a friend of her father run the plate, buys him lovebirds,and tracks down the address of a Mr. Mitch Brenner.
She’s got it bad, and is slightly creepy-but I kind of understand as Rod Taylor is a dreamboat. Who wouldn’t want to run into him again.
She brings the birds to his house and plans to leave them outside with a cheeky note, but his neighbor informs him that Mitch is gone for the weekend to visit his family in Bodega Bay.
A little funny that neighbor knows so much, but hey this is the ’60s. People actually knew their neighbors.
So Melanie drives the curvy winding coast road to Bodega Bay, which I have done plenty of times, and I always thought it was weird that the birds never flap around but just move with the vehicle. They don’t act like normal birds. It has always been my theory that they are the demon seed that start the revolution against people. They are just too quiet and creepy.
This is the only video I could find. There was originally no music
She goes to the post office, which you can visit, so that she can find Mitch’s address. The postmaster shows her the way to go. When you go now everything is compeletly different, but you can still look across the water like she did.
The Tides restaurant still exists, although it has been redone as there was a fire. In fact they were allowed to use it for filming only if the main male character was named after the owner of the Tides, Mitch Brenner. So yes, that is how Rod Taylor’s character got his name.
Melanie asks for the name of Mitch’s sister, but the postmaster doesn’t know. He directs her to the school and the schoolteacher, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), to get the actual info. Turns out the name is Cathy.
Annie asks Melanie a few questions about her relationship to Mitch. Hmm, sounds like there is some history there.
Annie Hayworth: Did you drive up from San Francisco by the coast road?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Annie Hayworth: Nice drive.
Melanie Daniels: It’s very beautiful.
Annie Hayworth: Is that where you met Mitch?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Annie Hayworth: I guess that’s where everyone meets Mitch.
Melanie heads out into a rented boat with the birds. She sneaks up to their house in heels, not an easy feat, goes into the house and drops off the birds.
Now Tippi Hedren may be a beautiful woman but I would be extremely creeped out if someone did that to me. I mean she doesn’t even know him but tracked down not only Mitch’s home address, but boyhood address. A bit creepy and stalkerish.
Mitch, however, is besotted.
As Melanie heads back across the bay, Mitch takes his car to meet her.
******Can I stop and go on a slight sidebar here? Feel free to skip over if you wish. I just love Rod Taylor in that white sweater. I don’t know what it is but he is extra dreamy.
Drooling is over back to the movie*******
So Melanie gets dive-bombed by a gull, and pretty badly hurt and bleeding. Head wounds are the worst. Here is were I guess it starts, the first shot in the revolution.
******Side note: The man who asks Mitch what happened, is the real Mitch Brenner.*******
Back to the film. They go into the resturant where Mitch tends to her wounds. She questions him, wile he tries to get to why she came. Melanie tries to play off her stalkerish by saying it was on the way to visit Annie, the schoolteacher, but Mitch knows that its a lie, therefore confirming to us that there is something between Annie and him, or was.
Hmm…
Melanie tries to play it cool, but she can’t hide the fact she had the serious hots for him. Come on Melanie, you tracked him down-don’t try to be haughty.
Mitch’s mom Lydia comes in and is introduced to Melanie. Lydia is the original ice queen and horror future-mother-in-law. Ouch. And Jessica Tandy is a great actress, one line “Oh I see”, packed with serious weight. Let the games begin.
Ouch
Melanie is trying to head home but get tricked into coming to dinner as “she was staying the weekend” and won’t give up her lie. A girl has her pride after all.
She goes to Annie’s and wheedles staying there for the night. She tells Annie that she didn’t plan on staying long, which Annie replies she knows. That’s weighty right there, she knows as she didn’t plan on staying long either.
Melanie goes to dinner and meets cute little Cathy-friendly, cheery, adorable child. They mention that there is something wring with the chickens, They don’t like the feed…maybe because they are craving something else…like human flesh!
When Lydia calls her supplier it turns out her chickens aren’t the only ones on hunger strike. She agrees to see the farmer tomorrow to see if something is wrong with the chickens. And there is!
I love how Alfred Hitchcock plays the foreground and background against each other, both parts having things happen that go with the story, important, tension building, and just plan good.
We also found out that law and order Mitch is a defense attorney for “hoodlums and criminals”, interesting. Definitely a deep character.
Wow, there is more to him than I thought.
Cathy invites Melanie to her birthday party the next day, while in the kitchen Mitch and his mom start talking. They have a slight weird relationship as in someways his mom speaks to him as a child and in others their relationship is more spousal. Not that anything incestuous is going on, but as if that is the role that his mother put him in after his dad died.
We find out that there is a lot of interesting things in Melanie’s life. She jumps into fountains naked, tours Europe, and is always in the papers. A 1960s Sabrina van der Woodsen Debutante thats always doing something.
Mitch roots out the truth from Melanie about Annie, and starts goading her about her past misadventures, but Melanie isn’t having any of it. Good looks can only carry you so far Mitch.
Mitch Brenner: What about the letter you wrote me, is that a lie, too?
Melanie Daniels: No, I wrote the letter.
Mitch Brenner: Well what did it say?
Melanie Daniels: It said ‘Dear Mister Brenner, I think you need these lovebirds after all. They may help your personality.’
Mitch Brenner: But you tore it up?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Mitch Brenner: Why?
Melanie Daniels: Because it seemed stupid and foolish.
Mitch Brenner: Like jumping into a fountain in Rome?
Melanie Daniels: I told you what happened!
Mitch Brenner: You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?
Melanie Daniels: Oh, I don’t give a d*** what you believe!
Mitch Brenner: I’d still like to see you.
Melanie Daniels: Why?
Mitch Brenner: I think it might be fun.
Melanie Daniels: Well it might have been good enough in Rome, but it’s not good enough now.
Mitch Brenner: It is for me.
Melanie Daniels: Well not for me!
Mitch Brenner: What do you want?
Melanie Daniels: I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!
We see the creepy birds watching from phone lines, congregating at the barn-waiting for the call to strike.
Not gulls but you understand the feeling.
Back at the house Annie and Melanie have brandy and Annie tells her her story and what happened. She met Mitch in college and fell in love, followed him here but Lydia got in the way. She kept them apart. She doesn’t want a daughter-in-law, she just wants her children. Annie didn’t want to lose him and stayed out here.
Then Mitch calls his ex-girlfriend for his new one. Ouch!
Poor girl
Melanie is apologized to and invited to the birthday party agreeing to come.
Both Annie and Melanie are surprised when a bird crashes into their door.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!
At the party Mitch takes Melanie off to the side with alcohol. She wants to head home as she has work. On Mondays and Wednesdays she works at the airport, on Tuesdays she takes classes, on Thursdays she has her club and lunches supporting a child through school, etc. Normal society things. Appears there is more depth to this party girl. Hmm…I wonder if the creators of Gossip Girl have ever watched this.
Hmm…
Mitch makes a joke about a mother’s care ad it turns out she has serious mother issues. Her mother abandoned them at age 11. A theme of mother’s issues is nothing new to Alfred Hitchcock as he himself had a ton and used the theme in many films, the most famous being Psycho.
At the party they are playing a game when the gulls show up and start attacking all the kids. Dive bombing and scratching. They try to help shoo them away and get everyone into the house.
Mitch is worried for Melanie ands invites her to stay the night there to be safe. And seriously, I think it is the love birds. Even with the cloth over them that should put them to bed as it is “night” they still squabble like crazy stopping only, when Cathy remarks on them. And just after, tons of sparrows come down the chimney attacking them. All cower in fear while Mitch tries to fight them off. Melanie moves Lydia and Cathy out of the room, to safety. After the attack and birds are gone they call the police, but there is nothing they can do about it.
The next morning, Lydia takes Cathy to school and then heads out to question the farmer about the chickens being sick. Lydia goes in looking for him and instead sees broken teacups, just like how hers were destroyed by the bird attack. The rooms are quiet and face the same destruction as hers and then she sees it!
Him, the dead birds, his eyes!
So freaky the first time I saw it. Oh, and still remains a scene that terrifies most.
Traumatizing children for all time.
Lydia races home and leans on Mitch, telling him what happened. Mitch heads over to the police that are called when he and Melanie have some very tender intimate moments. Relationships speed up when danger mars your every moment.
Lydia is worried over Cathy, with the large windows at school and the broken ones at the dead body looming in her mind. We see another side of Lydia as well, more vulnerable, worried-maybe Mitch comes home not just to help his mom but because without his aid they would loose the land. Hmm…thats one thing I love about this film, on the surface it is one thing but there are many sides to all these characters.
Lydia asks Melanie to pick up Cathy as she is very worried about her and Melanie heads out right away. Melanie goes to the school, but decides to wait a bit until recess. The kids are singing and she stays outside when we have this amazing scene.
Melanie runs in and warns Annie about the jungle gym. Annie tells them they are conducting a fire drill as not to scare them and directs them to run to different places. Of course the birds attack. Poor kids.
Melanie ends up in the diner calling her newspaper mogul father and telling him the story of what happened, All listening to every word she is telling her father.
We are introduced to Mrs. Bundy (BUNDY AHH) who is an ornithologist and for the birds, Giving us some serious information on the birds.
Traveling Salesman: Gulls are scavengers, anyway. Most birds are. Get yourselves guns and wipe them off the face of the earth!
Mrs. Bundy: That would hardly be possible.
Deke Carter: Why not, Mrs. Bundy?
Mrs. Bundy: Because there are 8,650 species of birds in the world today, Mr. Carter. It is estimated that 5,750,000,000 birds live in the United States alone. The five continents of the world…
Traveling Salesman: Kill ’em all. Get rid of the messy animals.
Mrs. Bundy:…probably contain more than 100,000,000,000 birds!
We get a bit of debate as a Captain interjects that he also hates birds and wishes they were all gone, them having attacked one of his ship captains. Melanie states that the birds are killers after the kids. Everyone keeps talking down to Melanie as she tries to tell them that it wasn’t just a few but a ton and a series of different kinds.
Mitch shows up asking for Kathy, who is at Annies. Just as they argue the birds attack again. Mitch tells Melanie to stay behind as they take out a guy pumping gas causing it to flow over the ground. An unsuspecting smoker sets it off and boom.
This causes a big sign that the other birds can see and they all come in swarming. The pyre’s have been lit.
I’m in shock
All go out of the restaurant (Why? Don’t know) and we have the famous telephone scene.
They actually have a telephone booth and Tippi Hedren mannequin at one of the shops there and you can get a picture with it.
Mitch gets her out and they head back to the restaurant. Hiding with others. Mrs. Bundy, I notice you are quiet. Not talking down at her anymore are you?
One of them is hysterical, blaming Melanie. In a way I believe she is right. Although it isn’t Melanie, but those love birds.
Mitch and Melanie run to the schoolhouse to get Cathy finding Annie’s dead body.
Cathy is safely inside, but utterly traumatized. Mitch carries Annie inside and covers her with his coat. Then the three speed off to the Brenner house.
At the Brenner home, Mitch patches up the openings, prepping the house for an attack. He notices that there appears to be a pattern. They attack, disburse, regroup, attack again. Why?
Hmm…
Melanie tries to contact her father but the lines are cut. The birds isolating them and making it unable for them to reach anyone or get even local radio.
Lydia starts to freak out wanting answers, the tension exploding. All are succumbing to it.
Cathy wants the love birds with her, NOOOO nor those evil things. Even now they are probably plotting.
Now they wait, trapped. Kathy gets so anxious she makes herself sick. Then they wait again. Hearing them, being taunted by them.
I’m crazy
We have the first attack of gulls breaking windows and trying to peck through the door. Mitch being the one to take action and stop them. Then Melanie goes up to the attic.
Poor Melanie. they tend to her, but she is banged up. This scene was horrible to film. Seven days of birds being thrown at her, again and again.
Mitch uses this time of quiet to plan an escape. Melanie needs a hospital, so he and Cathy start getting things ready, not knowing what will face in the outside world or if they will be able to ever come back.
I like how Hitchcock ends the film with us not knowing if they make it out okay. We never know if everything will go back to normal. What or who caused this? I think it makes the film stronger and gives you the opportunity to create your own theory from each of his clues. If they had given us an answer, it probably would have been lame no matter what was chosen, we would have found faults. Sometimes it is better just not knowing.
So there we go, believe my theory or create your own. Either way watch the film.
This film changed how I look at birds. I never liked them before and hated them ever since. I’ll never look at another the same way again. Especially when they get in large groups or swarm overhead.
Not gulls but you understand the feeling.
After I showed this film to some friends who had never seen it, a few days later we were shopping at a store. As we are leaving, my one friend looks behind us at the store and goes ashen. She freaks out and tells us to run. As we are I look back and see a ton lined up on the store watching, then deciding to take off. We all ran as fast as we could to the car struggling in, and speeding home. Nothing happened, but a film like this just sticks to you.
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So this kicks off the beginning of Horrorfest VII. I hope you enjoy it and the spooks. thrills, and chills that are to come.
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