The Birds (PG-13, 1963)

common sense media says

Classic Hitchcock horror film still gives the chills.


parents & educators say
  • 29% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film isn't dirty, gory, or any of the other things parents fear from brutal modern horror flicks, however some of the scenes, particularly the one where off-screen birds attack and wound screaming children on a playground, are downright disturbing. Most of the fear is derived from suspense.

Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence: No gore and violence takes place off-screen, but some of the scenes, particularly the one where off-screen birds attack
and wound screaming children on a playground, are downright disturbing. Some deaths.
Sex: Innuendos are couched so delicately they'll sail right over the heads of anyone under high-school age.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters are shown drinking alcohol; one character is presented as an amusing drunk.

More on The Birds

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about respecting animals and their habitats. Why do the birds attack humans?
  • Hitchcock is considered the master of suspense, never showing violence, but always implying it. Do you find movies scarier with or without onscreen gore?

What's the story?

What's the story?
In an age when special effects just aren't so special, the matte paintings and animation that create the attack scenes in THE BIRDS are admittedly both tame and lame. Yet this classic shocker is still unnerving, laced with shots that haunt you after you've switched off the TV. Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren, a textbook example of Hitch's cool blondes) impulsively follows a bachelor Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) up to his hometown, Bodega Bay, for a weekend jaunt. But things go quickly awry as thousands of crows, gulls, sparrows, and other birds flock over Bodega Bay and relentlessly attack, and even kill, its residents.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
THE BIRDS is quite talky and slow; the film runs for a good 45 minutes or so before anything the slightest bit odd happens. But once the birds get going this is a real nail-biter. The birds attack at first with no warning, felling kids at an outdoor birthday party. Before long, they have trapped Melanie and Mitch's little sister and mother (Veronica Cartwright and Jessica Tandy, respectively) in the Brenner home, and it seems nothing can stop them from drilling and pecking their way in by the thousands. Although it sounds silly, in this movie, it's not.

Parents should know that this film is an excellent choice for families who love horror films. This might seem a bit tame for kids weaned on slasher flicks, but once they get they get into it, you might find them screaming for their teddy bears.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Jessica Tandy, Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren
Genre: Horror
Run time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release: March 28, 1963
DVD release: March 28, 2000
MPAA Rating: PG-13

This review was written by Joyce Slaton
 
 

Review It

 

Review The Birds





Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

What parents & educators say

12
Based on 14 parent & educator reviews:
  • 29% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

Spud
adult
 
Pretty good, except for some very dated themes
This movie is just scary enough to be entertaining, but it shouldn't cause any nightmares. You might not expect a movie this old to have any language in it, but it does. Nothing stronger then PG language, but you'll hear a few "D" words. There are a few violent scenes. One body is found with bad wounds in each eye-socket, one man is seen with some blood on his face, and an explosion is seen from a distance. But I should also point out that no main characters die in this movie. Most horror movies have main characters dropping like flies, but this is one of the few that keeps the main cast in one piece. One problem I had was the dated social behavior. The male lead is arrogant and smug, and the female lead starts out the movie by stalking him to his vacation house. All of this is portrayed as cute flirtation, but there's nothing funny about a stalker.

Spalko
teen, 14 years old
 
Had me captured!
Perhaps the scariest movie I've ever seen (Though I haven't seen too many scary movies;)) It is a masterpiece and a classic. One particular violent scene with a man with scars and blood over him and you briefly see that his eyes are gouged out. And other violent scenes are kids and adults being pecked by them (not a lot of blood shown). Their is not a lot of language and just a few slight innuendoes. Great movie!

swimkid111199
kid, 12 years old
 
Good movie-- Little gore, no sex, and nothing very iffy!
I saw this movie, and didn't expect it to be too scary. The only part that freaked me out was when the woman found her father dead in his home, and the birds had pecked his eyes out. It's ok for kids 13+ and if your child is a movie buff (like me) they could probably take it at 10-11+

theclayton
kid, 10 years old
 
ok i will give you a Brief explanation about the BIRDS if you are a parent you should know this this show has violence and disturbing content that some viewers may not like it also has a few bad language parts. theres only 1 or 2 gory parts the baddest one is when the lady walks in and sees the guy with his eyes plucked out and blood all over his eye sockets he also has cuts and scars this movie may be old u may think its old wont be that bad well i got 2 words for you THINK AGAIN.

Steelclaw1313
teen, 13 years old
 
Great Movie
Very good movie. Some disturbing images, like when the birds attack the school children. One of the girls is seriously injured. Some scenes have lots of blood and some have like a drip of blood. Some kissing not that it matters much, but barely any except for 1 or 2 scenes.

Painter567
teen, 15 years old
 
I saw this movie afraid that it would be scary, but really, its an old movie and nothing really scary images are shown, but some are disturbing and not for young kids. I could take this movie, and I'm a huge wimp when it comes to scary movies.

Gaga4GaGa
kid, 13 years old
 
Awesome horror flick;still pretty scary for tweens.
Whoo! This movie was scary. There's one gory part in which a man's eyeballs are pecked out. I think this movie is a little bit easier to handle than most horror movies, because it doesn't look real at all. However, the theme might frighten younger kis, and it's still a little disturbing for teens. A great "first" horror movie.

lilyrocks123
kid, 11 years old
 
Don't Bother
this movie was really bad. It had an awful ending and it wasn't suspenseful or scary at all. I was 10 when I saw this movie and I was laughing the whole time. Don't bother to watch.

Jaysnake
teen, 16 years old
 
Great movie. But not too scary.
The birds is a very good movie. It has lots of violence but the movie has a great, well thought out story to it instead of just mindless violence like some movies. There is a tiny bit of mature but its very brief and well hidden. It is pretty violent and bloody but nothing over the top. It's kinda cheesy so it isn't terrifying. Overall parents and mature kids can enjoy this movie.

E-Man
kid, 11 years old
 
goodbirdsmovie
good movie lot of drinking and smoking one person's car and around him catches on fire because of smoking and a gasoline spill. dissapointingly, a main charecter goes crazy and one gets killed by the birds. no happy, joyful endings like you folks were expecting.

sgt nutcake
kid, 13 years old
 
I suppose it was scary when it was made but has lost the ability to scar

db1250
teen, 15 years old
 
this movie may not be scary now though it was back then.

mongofa
teen, 17 years old
 
Awesome but creepy
This movie has great special effects for its time. It still gives me the creeps. Not for young kids.

Punkchic
teen, 15 years old
 
Not so scary to me...
Well I saw this movie with my mom and dad on TCM. This movie was really not that scary to me. But my mom said when it first came out it kinda creeped her out. I guess it depends on the person who is seeing it. The birds attack people many times, a woman goes in shock because a bird attacked her, etc. It might freak the little ones a bit.

Horror and ...
teen, 14 years old
 
Best for Tweens.
Amazing movie, personally my fav by Hitchcock. A little too much scenes with a drunk man and a man with his eyeballs pecked by birds.

Thekidreviewer
kid, 11 years old
 
bad
Realy Bad

MovieFan777
teen, 16 years old
 
The Birds Is Classic Cinema!
The Birds is a superb horror film that will frighten you, and leave you wondering about what our foul friends really think of us. But The Birds is also pretty scary and frighting at some parts. Not a film for kids.

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
Not quite the best Hitchcock, but it's pretty high up there!
My rating: PG-13 for some violence including a disturbing bloody image, and for smoking throughout.

lucas201
teen, 15 years old
 
it was ok
It didnt even scare me,i could easily tell that they were fake birds by just looking at them but i thought it was good.

cheese-process
teen, 15 years old
 
Great horror movie considering it was from 1963!
Great classic film! The effects were fantastic considering it was made in 1963! The first 45 minutes was way too long and boring, though. But the rest of it was much bloodier than I expected--lots of disturbing images. However the ending was very unusual, and it was originally supposed to end differently. (and that would have been better)

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
 

vote now

Will you see The Birds?


Already seen it? What do you think?

 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors


About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age