In this masterful horror film, socialite Melanie Daniels (Hedren) travels to Bodega Bay, California, to visit handsome Mitch Brenner (Taylor), a recent male acquaintance. Tension quickly mounts between Mitch's former flame (Pleshette), his possessive widowed mother (Tandy), and Melanie. This brewing fight gets quickly sidelined when inexplicably, thousands of birds begin to attack the town.

Undoubtedly one of Hitchcock's scariest films, the special effects are surprisingly effective for the time; you may never look at our winged friends quite the same again. Rod Taylor is solid in a role Cary Grant might have done ten years prior, and Tippi Hedren is suitably intriguing as the icy blonde who's a magnet for men — and birds. The scene where Melanie sees the birds gradually build up on the playground jungle gym remains one of Hitch's most inspired and creepy set-pieces.