Dead Birds
USA 2004. Director: Alex Turner
Cast: Henry Thomas, Nicki Lynn Aycox, Isaiah Washington

Ah here we're talking different. Cowboy horror. Or rather a horror movie that takes place during the American Civil War. It kicks off in typical Eastwood western style with a group of outlaws robbing a bank, shooting their way out, then taking refuge in a spooky and deserted house. Well inside the group start to experience weird things and having strange visions of past occurances, maybe they're not alone in this godforsaken house. The setting works well, it is a horror movie after all, not a western movie, and for a lowbudget production it looks surprisingly good. Sure the story drags a bit, there's some hokey digital ghost effects here and there and the acting is maybe a little too low-key as if in a Ang Lee movie. But there's also at least one really, as in really really, scary scene in here, where you're not sure what it is you're seeing, even wondering if you've missed something in the previous scene, then just when the penny's about to drop it all jumps up and kicks you in the face. Well-crafted spookiness and an old-fashioned horror treat well worth seeing. The title refer to some kind of skinned creatures which are thought to be dead birds, but sure aren't.