Dead Birds (2004)

A group of Confederate soldiers hole up in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank and find themselves at the mercy of supernatural forces.

Director:

Alex Turner

Writer:

Simon Barrett

Stars:

Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Nicki Aycox

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Thomas	...	William
Patrick Fugit	...	Sam
Nicki Aycox	...	Annabelle
Michael Shannon	...	Clyde
Muse Watson	...	Father
Mark Boone Junior	...	Joseph
Isaiah Washington	...	Todd
Harris Mann	...	Jeffy Hollister
Melanie Abramoff	...	Girl Ghost
Donna Biscoe	...	Black Woman
Brian Bremer	...	Hysterical Man
Russell Durham Comegys	...	Kormer
David Dwyer	...	MacCready
Michael Faella	...	Johnson
Steve Green	...	Boy Ghost

Storyline

In Civil War-era Alabama, a band of outlaws takes refuge at an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank that held a cache of Confederate gold. Led by William, the group includes Sam, Todd, Annabelle, Clyde and Joseph. They intend to flee to Mexico, but nightfall and a thunderstorm force the robbers to remain in place. As the night wears on, each member of the group begins to have visions of the atrocities that occurred within the house. As supernatural forces begin to manifest themselves, the six turn on one another.

---

Plot Keywords:

demon | 19th century | black magic | bank robbery | horror western | 

---

Taglines:

There are worse things than dying

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller | Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gore

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was shot in 21 days.

---

Goofs

At the end of the film. the two Confederate soldiers find two gold coins by the body of the beast. A soldier picks one of them up, but the other one vanishes between shot without anyone picking it up.

---

Quotes

Clyde: [about William] If he thinks he's sharing our loot with that nigger, he's got another thing coming!

---

Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

User Reviews

Interesting if anything

I just watched the film at the Toronto international film festival (during the midnight madness screening), and I didn't know what to think going into the film.

So the plot goes like this. A bunch of civil war renegade/criminals rob some confederates for gold, and then venture to a hideout place (huge abandoned mansion) that was recommended by someone. But something is wrong with this place... something very wrong.

The movie is similar to the lines of an Evil Dead style horror film. People go into a house, something is wrong with the house. Many conventional elements happen within the film as well, and some interesting ideas come as well. There were some jumps, but unfortunately there could have been more, and it could have been more suspenseful with a bigger payoff.

The problem that I found with the film, was the character development. there was some substance with each character, but they didn't expand on much of it. They didn't expand too much of about the monster / villain the film either. It was kind of a let down. Defiently compared to another low budget horror film, that I just saw at the festival (Creep).

With such a low budget, the special effects were great. The film has a decent look to it and the music was fantastic. Overall, I had a good time, but if it was in a normal theater, it would be a huge let down. 6 out of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Birds

Filming Locations:

Mobile, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Silver Nitrate Pictures, Dead Birds Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1