Macabre...ish Horror Review: Dead Birds

Dead Birds, 2004/ 91 min

It is 1863 and a group of Confederate deserters from the American Civil War, which includes William (Henry Thomas), brothers, Joseph (Mark Boone Junior) , Sam (Patrick Fugit) and Clyde (Michael Shannon), with the aid of a slave, Todd (Isaiah Washington) and Army nurse, Annabelle (Nicki Aycox), they rob a bank in Alabama and relieves it of rebel gold. And it’s a helluva gory stick up job.

Looking for a place to shelter for the night, on the way to Mexico, they find a man who hunts deserters with a pile of his catch. A scarecrow that looks a lot like a crucified man, serves as a landmark to the Hollister place, just what they were looking for. An abandoned mansion overlooking a plantation gone to weeds and out of the weeds runs a hairless creature, incorrectly assumed to be a boar.

The abandoned mansion belongs to the family of a dead soldier and the grounds are scattered with bizarre looking, dead hairless creatures. Something is wrong with this place. It once belonged to a gentleman farmer with a wife and two children. When his wife died he turned to black magic to bring her back. He sacrificed everything in this pursuit. A lot of slaves and animals died. The price for this magic turned out to be too high.

But it didn’t work and rendered the house haunted. One room remains locked in the house and the voices of children can be heard. Odd occurrences happen, people disappear and when they’ve had enough and try to leave, it turns out not to be so easily done. They are terrorized by the previous inhabitants including the father (Muse Watson). Made worse when the horses are found ripped to shreds

Good historical horror with recognizable actors! Expect flashbacks, nightmares, visions, ghosts, monsters, jump scares, blood and gore. The physical effects and CG are nicely done. This movie has everything!!