Alfred Hitchcock is the king of creepy, the original master of horror films. He wasn't about the blood, ghosts, or creepy Frankenstein-like monsters, per se. He was more about getting his audience to feel a very real psychological terror that stuck with them long after they viewed his films.
The tricks and methods he used to achieve this were nothing short of genius and revolutionary. Sometimes, though, the terror you see in the actors' eyes wasn't acting at all. Sometimes the terror you see on screen was an actual scary situation that Hitchcock tossed his actors into.
Anything for the perfect shot, right?
Do you remember the first time you saw The Birds, and what you were thinking for the weeks afterwards? I know that I couldn't look at a fireplace in the same way for a very long time.
These 10 surprising facts will give you a whole new perspective on this psychological thriller.
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[H/T: IMDB]
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1. The Climactic Attack On Melanie Took A Week To Shoot
The seven days it took to film this scene took such a toll on Tippi Hedren that she had to spend another week in the hospital due to exhaustion. The raw emotion displayed in the film had a massive affect on her.
2. The Birds Were Attached By Nylon Strings
During the week-long shoot, the trained birds were actually attached to Hedren's coat with nylon thread so they couldn't get away. Birds were also hurled at her by prop men, and one eventually gouged her cheek.
3. The Schoolhouse Was Said To Actually Be Haunted
Hedren has said that the schoolhouse in Bodega Bay, CA, felt as if it was "immensely populated" even when it was empty, and the whole cast was pretty spooked when filming there. When Hitchcock heard that it was supposedly haunted, though, he was even more gung-ho on filming there.
4. The Bird In The Promos Wasn't In The Movie
For all of the promo shoots, Hitchcock had a feathered co-star. This wasn't one of the trained birds from the film, but one spotted on the shoulder of a young boy after the filming had wrapped. A studio staff member bought it for $10 from the 12-year-old boy.
5. Cary Grant Almost Played Mitch Brenner
Hitchcock had considered Grant for the role, but ultimately he decided that the novelty of the birds and his own name as director would be enough to draw a huge crowd.
6. There Is No Musical Score
There is no official music score, so to speak, but rather a lot of sound. Bernard Herrmann, who'd collaborated with Hitchcock before, was brought on as sound consultant to amp up all of that eerie suspense.
7. Hitchcock Purposely Left Out "The End"
Unusual for movies from this time, audiences definitely noticed that "The End" was missing from the final moment, giving the story a feeling of unending terror. This is exactly what Hitchcock wanted.
8. Meat Was Attached To The Cameras
For some scenes, meat was fastened right next to the camera lenses so that the seagulls would come toward that camera in full-on attack mode. This was just another one of Hitchcock's ways of instilling very real terror in his audience.
9. The ASPCA Was There The Whole Time
The safety of the birds was a concern, so on top of the ASPCA being present for the shoot, an aviary was put up for the birds to be cared for in the event that one was harmed during filming.
10. Hitchcock Discovered Hedren On A TV Commercial
Hedren was a model with no acting experience when she made this film with the iconic director. He had seen her in a TV spot and knew that she was great for the role that he'd originally wished could have been filled by Grace Kelly. Kelly, however, had recently retired after becoming the Princess of Monaco.
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