 | ON: Content is age-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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Birds
- Review Date: November 28, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Horror
- 1963
Common Sense Media says
Classic Hitchcock horror film still gives the chills.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
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.
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?
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.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
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?
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- Teens & kids
Kid, 9 years old
February 16, 2011
AGE
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.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 7, 2010
AGE
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.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 15 years old
July 26, 2011
AGE
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.
What other families should know:
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Kid, 9 years old
August 1, 2010
AGE
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.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 13 years old
June 19, 2010
AGE
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!
What other families should know:
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
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.
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Kid, 10 years old
October 14, 2011
AGE
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.
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Kid, 11 years old
June 18, 2011
AGE
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+
What other families should know:
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Kid, 12 years old
March 15, 2011
AGE
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.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 13 years old
November 22, 2009
AGE
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.
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Cast: | Jessica Tandy, Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 119 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 28, 1963 |
| DVD release date: | March 28, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
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