If you want to see DeadBirds don't read

I think as soon as they entered the cornfield, they became possessed by whatever was there. There are several scenes while in the house when different characters' reflections can be seen in the windows and you can see that they already look like the demons.

It is a great movie though.

Just watched the movie. Pretty damn good. I'm actually surprised this didn't get a major release. The effects were really well done and the plot... while not THAT great isn't too bad (sure... it's been done before a few thousand times....).

As for the ending.... I'm not really sure... Let me ramble for a bit as I think about it... (sorry if this is a incoherent mess... I'm thinking as I write).

The cornfield has something to do with it. Both the beginning and ending hairless dog-demon are the same and they are in the same position, but there are things different as well (like the gold at the end) that lead me to believe nothing is actually repeating... but something is making it repeat with new players. On that note, when you first see the "scarecrow" he has his hands in the same rags as the hood. The flashback with the original scarecrow didn't have hand-hoodies. And the outlaw that gets put up there (clyde is the name?) doesn't have them as well.... so it looks like we have numerous scarecrows (or else the first time we see the scarecrow has hand-hoodies on because the director doesn't want us to know it's human... but the characters in the movie know it right away... so.. hmm...)

The real dog tried to kill the main character at the end in the cornfield. Obvious the dog didn't know who it was.

The previous poster was correct. You see that the reflections of them are demons in windows.... and the demon-dog running with the main character at the end isn't on frame with the character. It's one or the other. But what about the black dude that finds the slave lady in the basement? Was that a vision or was that actually happening. The girl seemed aware of the real person while seeing something that he could not. Or was she just seeing him.... as the demon they all turned into...

Oh, and each time they kill the demon dog, it never quite makes it out of the dead cornfield. It's always sitting right at the edge.... or into it a little ways.

Oh another incoherent thought... the footprints the black guy finds that lead to the basement slowly turn from a man to a dog-like imprint.... so I guess the movie does kinda state the turning to a dog-demon is possible......

I liked this one, it has some lovecraftian flava. kind of drags through the middle though. if not for that I'd call it great

Yeah, the one part I don't get is where Isiah Washington sort of turns to mist. I think I would've preferred the ending that was scripted, whereby Isiah Washington shoots himself because he can't take it anymore.

It was a good little film though, nothing Earth-shattering but it was solid.

I think what made this flick a nice little gem of a find on DVD was the atmosphere. Too few "horror" movies these days are capable of delivering a real sense of dread the film can build on to scare the shit out of you. Just look at the difference between the first Ring (the Gore version) and the Ring 2.

Dead Birds had me. Also, the acting was great, which doubles the injustice done to it by not giving it a wider release. Sure beat the hell out of Amityville.

I just watched Dead Birds last night. Agreed, Leo, the atmosphere in this flick is great, and for a budget of about 2 million bucks, they did a damn fine job.
The only part I didn't like was when Washington's character does the Nightcrawler "Bampf." Maybe I'd need to watch it again (and I will), or maybe I need to watch the whole thing with commentary. But I'm pretty sure the original ending with Todd shooting himself would have been better. Or maybe Todd IS Nightcrawler...!
Overall though, it was a solid horror movie, and it's too bad that most people will have seen The Grudge instead of this one. But I guess when you can't explain everything that happened in a quick minute or so, the audience might not be so accepting. And it's nice to see Henry Thomas shoot a few people every now and then...you don't get to see that a whole lot.

It has a very Scarecrows-esque feel to it, and the plotlines are terribly similar.