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Study 112 - The Birds - Part 1 (Patreon)

Published:
2024-11-14 15:40:11
Imported:
2024-11
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We've finally gone to The Birds by Daphne du Maurier, and we LOVE IT!

Special thanks to reader Marty Jopson!

Next up: OH GOD MORE BIRDS!!!

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Comments

Robert Curtin

I eagerly await the release of Chad's Colossus-esque adapdation of this story! In all seriousness, my understanding of bird vocabulary is that most sounds are used for mating or threat warning, and if they're not doing either of those, it makes sense that they stay deathly quiet. But it's just creepier that way, so I'm sure that's the real reason.

Morbid Smile Art

Love that you’re covering this story! Daphne du Maurier really has a way of getting under your skin with her details.

Clint Page

When I'm not studying strange stories, I'm studying strange microorganisms. And as a credentialed biologist, I'd like to use this forum to suggest that we start referring to birds as "skynosaurs" (in this case "sky" rhymes with "fly"). Except for flightless birds, which are just straight-up dinosaurs. People are never going to understand the risk these beasts pose if we keep keep using a nice cuddly term like "bird". I propose that the only true birds are the adorable ones, like penguins.

Karl Haikara

After years of being signed up my name finally got mentioned made my day! Great episode, the story is quite interesting I enjoy media about nature striking back at humanity this is a great example.

Ben Gilbert

This only shares the concept of birds attacking people with the film. The plot of the film more closely resembles the 1936 novel The Birds by Frank Baker about a man and his widowed mother and another girl who arrives and sparks the mother's jealousy. There are similar situations like a woman being attacked by birds in a phone booth. Baker is best known for his novel Miss Hargreaves.

Ethan Cordray

Maybe this is obvious, since the story itself draws the parallel, but I have to imagine that The Birds is inspired by the British experience with the Blitz in World War 2. A threat from the air, so vast and diffuse that there's nothing a single human being can do against it besides try to take shelter. But I suppose a major difference is that the mass bird attack is an uncanny element, where the weirdness of the threat is juxtaposed against the casual everyday demeanor of the newscasters, the police, and the family's neighbors. At least in the Blitz, people had a sense that the national authorities were taking things seriously, and that everyone was pulling together to weather the crisis. But the bird attack instead seems to leave Nat and his family feeling totally isolated, with no community or official support.

ESTY

Where I am (Vancouver) there are such regular crow dive-bombings that there’s an app that maps where aggressive crows are nesting. Geese are also weIl known for their short tempers. It’s not uncommon to hear bickering birds squabbling here, but the just the other day I happened to look over when seagulls and crows were raising a ruckus and I saw a bald eagle murder a seagull in mid-air! Dead gull, with wings spread dragged through the wind in the eagle’s talons. It was so metal 🤘

Derek Scott

After one installment I’m hooked! I do tend to like the “creeping dread” style of narrative. When done correctly, it’s the most engrossing tactic in literature. And I know it’s coming and it still gets me!

Daniel Weber

Many years ago I worked for an airline at a tiny airport in Oregon. One summer evening we heard a commotion in front of the terminal. The airport crash rescue guys were racing the engine on their firetruck and occasionally blaring the siren. The parking enforcement guards were walking around inexplicably firing off starter pistols. I asked what was going on and they said the airport administration had ordered them to scare the birds out of the trees in front of the terminal because they were pooping everywhere. Later the fire department must have turned their hoses on the trees because we found broken branches and dead birds inside the perimeter fence the next day. The birds stayed out of the trees by the terminal for a couple days before returning. I can only assume they are still plotting their revenge.

Jim Cannon

I never realized Daphne DuMaurier wrote a zombie apocalypse story

KateSherrod

I haven't had a bird in the house but back when I lived in a converted carriage house, I had bats several times. I always knew the poor things were more scared than I was (though not more than my silly little Maltese/schnauzer mix) especially since every light was inevitably on -- but there is still no adrenaline rush like that of having a tiny flying animal freaking out around the ceiling fan. I was terrified the poor things would get caught in the blades and get hurt! Fortunately, they responded well to a "reverse moth" gambit. If you have a moth - or most other insects - in your room, turn out the lights in that room and turn them on in the next and guide the critter outside. With a bat, I found, keep the lights on indoors and open the door so it will fly out into the welcoming darkness. And hope not too many moths fly in... oh no!

It's a Ghost.

I loved this story too! It felt so visceral, and although sometimes I have a hard time imagining the setting of a story, that definitely wasn't the case with this story. I felt like I could totally feel everything and see everything in my mind. This is easily one of my favorite stories you've ever covered on the show.

Tippi Polo

This movie inspired my mother to name me Tippi. I don't think she fully understood that she kind of launched my love of weird fiction 😂 As a Floridian I am no stranger to bird attacks. If you think gulls and sparrows are scary, you should check out footage of pelican attacks on other birds and small animals. That is real nightmare fuel 🫣

Steve

I think du Maurier was misinterpreting birds flocking round and following tractors because the turn over bugs and other bird food, seagulls in particular.

Steve

The bird population of the UK has halved in the last 50 years so we're probably a bit safer now. That said, our most populous local bird, the rose-ringed parakeet has increased by over 2000% in the last ten years. In another 50 years, it'll just be all parakeets.

Aaron La Vene

Please please please tell me You have seen the movie Birdemic. It is one of the best worst movies I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It’s genuinely hilarious and I would recommend it to anyone

Richard Horsman

Apropos of nothing, I’m reading Lovecraft’s amateur journalism pieces and just had to share this news item: “C. W. Smith, beloved editor of The Tryout, has now fully recovered from the nervous breakdown which has caused his inimitable journal to be missed of late. He attributes his recovery to the policy of keeping in the outdoor air.” Also, a semi-recent anthology that has The Birds in it is Murmurations: An Anthology of Uncanny Stories About Birds. I’ve just started looking at some of the other stories and they’re quite worth it.

Anne Ominous

du Maurier's atmosphere and weirdness are 9/10 but the ending left me feeling like I had just read a titillating chapter in a bird apocalypse novel. Same goes for the Hitchcock flick

Oleh R

Birds are remarkably delicate. Last year when there were some wildfires in Canada, we had some pretty lousy air quality days in Illinois. It was so bad my coworker lost his two parakeets. Even aerosols shouldn’t be used around them. Could have used some Lysol in this story.

Moonflight Dancer

From the Wikipedia article on the Hitchcock film: "Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was positive, calling it 'a horror film that should raise the hackles on the most courageous and put goose-pimples on the toughest hide'." HACKLES?GOOSE-pimples? CROWther? I smell bias.

Joe Hodgson

I’ve never really revisited the birds movie that much. The book is SO MUCH MORE INTENSE. Also a sad side note: The reality of Hitchcock and what he put Tippi Hedren through is all too real horror. (See 2012 movie “the girl”, it’s based on the filming of this movie)

Jim Cannon

But seriously, I had some anxiety about the daughter being at school so long during the emergency too. Obviously the family doesn't have a car, and they're remote enough that it probably wasn't practical for anyone to go to the school to collect her - it would have taken longer and been more dangerous than allowing the bus to bring her home. But man, they are lucky the birds held off as long as they did.

Patrick Ziselberger

Listening to this episode finally led me to understand the 80s hit "I Ran So Far Away" by Flock of Seagulls.

Robby H.

Why don't you see sea gulls over a bay? Because then they would be Bay Gulls!

Andew

The film does have its moments. Visually stunning in some spots and at various times really nailing the quiet ominous dred that can be hard to pull off.

Daisy

Hey Guys! Just wanted to say I really enjoyed this episode. Daphne du Maurier is in my list of top favourite authors and I appreciate the background you provided. I never realised she’s a dame! How rad?! I also wanted to take this opportunity to compliment Chad on his editing and production skills. Your podcast is the only one I listen to that I don’t feel the need to tweak the speed. You guys rock!

David Halstead

the garden tool... got me good with that one.

Mooncubus

I don't know why, but the thought of the man flailing in the dark fighting a bunch of birds instantly reminded me of Chad punching water in his bath tub. Edit: I just continued listening to the episode only to receive wonderful audio of Chad fighting the birds. It's almost like I could sense a skit coming. I love you guys

Gorillustrator

Nat lucky to make it through the door skull-intact before the Gannet could strike. If you’ve seen them diving in to the sea on nature documentaries - they are basically triangular feathered missiles. Hitting the water beak first at about 100kmh.

Eric - Speaker in Digressions

I had a super insightful comment to make that occurred to me while listening and driving, but now that I'm sitting at a desk and able to type it, I can't remember what it was about. I'm such a birdbrain!

Tara Murphy

My mom, who I never thought of as a horror nerd type, would sometimes stay up late watching old horror films with me, like Children of the Damned and films of that era. We watched The Birds late into the night, and mom was so into it. We watched that final scene which is, as I recall, everyone leaving the house, walking quietly and carefully past the birds. Then the local station cuts in with regular programming. My mom was FURIOUS! Neither of us realized that that is how the film ended, and we thought the station just cut it off. I wonder who had to endure the phone message my mom left for them. Anyway, I miss my mom. I wish I had watched more movies with her.

Ken Hardin

I just saw Hitchcock’s The Birds for the first time in a long time, and for the first time on a big screen. I like the movie – not one of his best, but that’s a high bar to clear. It’s definitely more creepy when you know about his fixation with creating his own blonde idolon in Hedren and how much the camera just lingers on her, particularly in the first 15 minutes or so. I’d describe it as “a weird psycho-sexual diary entry, and some birds show up.”

Dan Bollen

Chad's audio play of fighting the birds with a blanket reminded me of the episode where he fights the ocean, although I don't remember the episode that happened in.

Peter Gabancho

OMG I got a shout out. It made my day. I’m sitting here sewing a shirt and across the dining room table my 16 year old son who is doing his homework. I started listening to you guys when he was still in a stroller and I would take him to the park. Nothing to ward off the dread of a sunny Sunday in the park surrounded by children than some cheerful talk of HP Lovecraft. Looking forward to another 14 years with you guys.

Beanz

Relistening to this. A gannet divebombs our protagonist after he picked up his kid, and that was a great bird choice. I just looked gannets up and they're definitely the villain in *any* movie. Like, I've got resting bitch face but this bird has resting serial killer face.