1963. Directed by ALFRED HITCHCOCK, story by DAPHNE Du MAURIER. TAGLINES: "Suspense and shock beyond anything you have seen or imagined!" "It could be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made!" "Nothing You Have Ever Witnessed Before Has Prepared You for Such Sheer Stabbing Shock!" - A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people. Melanie Daniels is the modern rich socialite, part of the jet-set who always gets what she wants. When lawyer Mitch Brenner sees her in a pet shop, he plays something of a practical joke on her, and she decides to return the favor. She drives about an hour north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother Lydia and younger sister Cathy. Soon after her arrival, however, the birds in the area begin to act strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie as she is crossing the bay in a small boat, and then, Lydia finds her neighbor dead, obviously the victim of a bird attack. Soon, birds in the hundreds and thousands are attacking anyone they find out of doors. There is no explanation as to why this might be happening, and as the birds continue their vicious attacks, survival becomes the priority. Nominated for Academy Award OSCAR for Best Special f/X. Cast includes : Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Veronica Cartwright, Suzanne Pleshette, Richard Deacon, Charles McGraw, Doodles Weaver, Elizabeth Wilson, Doreen Lang, John McGovern, Karl Swenson, Joe Mantell, Lonny Chapman, Ruth McDevitt, Ethel Griffies. BEHIND THE SCENES TRIVIA : In Northern Monterey Bay in Northern California in 1961, the region found itself inundated with crazed birds. They flew into buildings, seemed disoriented, and the ground was littered with their carcasses. Alfred Hitchcock heard of this "attack" when he was developing this movie, and incorporated much of this incident in his film. The same region experienced the same problem in 1991. Turns out that single celled algae will occasionally become toxic. It works its way up the food chain to the fish that the sea birds eat. None of the other animals are bothered by this toxin, but it has a devastating effect on birds. It causes disorientation, seizures and even death. The dead birds in 1961 weren't tested, but a lab had a sample of a small organism that fed on algae from 1961, so that specimen was tested. It was rife with the toxin.