A group of soldiers turned bank robbers take refuge in an old house on an abandoned plantation in the Confederate south during the American Civil War. Their plan is to escape to Mexico with their gold, but tensions are high within the group and mistrust is growing.
The outlaws decide to stay the night in the house as it grows dark and a storm approaches. But as the night drags on they begin to have visions of horrible crimes that took place in the abandoned house in past years. Soon it appears that a demonic force has overtaken the property and chances of escape seem increasingly slim.
Director Alex Turner made his full length feature film début with this demonic possession film. The films setting is different, interesting and potentially politically charged, although that aspect is never really delved in to. Instead the plot is focused firmly as a good old haunted house story except the house isn't haunted, it's possessed. Turns out some black magic dabbling went wrong some time back and now all those who enter it will pay the price.
The plot isn't extremely inventive. It's an old tale with a twist, but it does the trick. The characters could have used further development. They are relatively flat, and static. Plus it is difficult to feel terribly sympathetic towards them considering they seem to be a bunch of Union soldiers who have abandoned the war in the interests of their own personal greed. Granted, they do knock off a few Confederates along the way, but at the same time innocents get caught in the cross fire. These aren't exactly a band of heroes.
Either way, they eventually start to drop like flies, and you will find yourself trying to keep track of where each one and who is dead, or might be, because it gets a bit scattered. Finally it winds towards its abrupt and somewhat confusing conclusion and the viewer is left shrugging, but still a bit tempted to check under the bed at night. Dead Birds won't blow your mind, but it does offer up numerous, if predictable, jumps and jolts.
3 creepy kids out of 5
Rated R for strong violence and gore.
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