Dead Birds


A band of outlaws takes refuge on an abandoned plantation during the American Civil War and ultimately must decide if their fate inside its walls is worse than the one that awaits them outside...

Led by William (Henry Thomas), the outlaws plan to rob a bank that is temporarily storing a cache of Confederate gold. The rest of the group includes Sam (Patrick Fugit), Todd (Isaiah Washington), Annabelle (Nicki Aycox), Clyde (Michael Shannon) and Joseph (Mark Boone Junior). But when the robbery results in a bloodbath, the six flee the town, aiming for Mexico.

Thwarted by an impending thunderstorm, the outlaws seek shelter at a nearby plantation house – isolated and presumed deserted. As the night wears on and the thunderstorm grows outside, each member of the group begins to have visions of the atrocities that occurred within the house. As the fear in the group begins to grow and the supernatural forces in the house start to manifest themselves, the six turn on each other and exact the wrath of the souls trapped alongside them.

LATEST NEWS

1/04/05
I've added the above poster art. You can expect this film to hit DVD in March.

8/25/04
You can check the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival between September 9th to the 18th.

7/21/04
The new photos are in! You can view them to your right. I've also got a very lengthy and descriptive synopsis for the film, check it:

The Civil War is in its third year by 1863. In Alabama, a group of criminals led by William (Henry Thomas), a Union Army deserter; plan to rob a bank that will be temporarily storing a cache of Confederate gold. The rest of the group includes Sam (Patrick Fugit), William’s younger brother, Todd (Isaiah Washington), a runaway slave, Annabelle (Nicki Aycox), a nurse William met in a Union hospital and became involved with, and Clyde (Michael Shannon) and Joseph (Mark Boone Junior), two Confederate army deserters who regard the others with suspicion.

After the bank robbery results in an accidental bloodbath, the six flee the town, aiming for Mexico. They are unharmed except for Sam, who has been shot in the shoulder. William knows of a nearby house owned by the family of a soldier he befriended in the hospital; the house is isolated and presumed to be deserted. They head for the house, intending to spend the night there and move on at dawn.

Upon reaching the house, they find it surrounded by large, overgrown cornfields that have taken to decay. William is about to enter the field when a deformed creature, like a misshapen dog, which he shoots and kills, startles him. The six are unable to identify this animal and make their way through the field with some trepidation.

When they enter the house, footprints are discovered in the dust inside. Thinking other deserters may already inhabit the house; William, Todd, Clyde and Joseph search the house while Annabelle tends to Sam’s wound. They discover evidence that a family resided there recently, but no signs of what may have happened to them.

As the night wears on and a thunderstorm grows outside, each member of the group begins to have visions of the atrocities that occurred within the house. Joseph hears voices in the well, Annabelle sees a small boy in the bedroom with a distorted face, and Todd hears a clawing sound in the basement. Sam’s wound begins to fester, leaving him weak and feverish. Tense, the members of group begin to turn on each other as William desperately tries to maintain solidarity. But as the supernatural forces in the house start to manifest themselves and the history of the house becomes clear, they discover that they have far more to fear than each other.

7/20/04
I had to take down the photos I posted a few days ago since they weren't official and one of them was very spoiling to the film. Hopefully I'll have some "official" high-quality ones coming my way in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

7/16/04
I've got some set pics up, which can be viewed on your right. The last one is a bit spoiling, so you might wanna steer clear from that one. There are a couple pics of the house and a couple more of the cast. Also Strange occurances supposedly happened while the cast and crew were filming, such as batteries in radios draining rapidly and on several occasions cameras wouldn't work untill they were taken outside the house. Thanks to "Jim".

7/13/04
IMDB has a small on-set photo for the film. It's nothing special, but it's proof that the project is still goin' strong. Thanks to "Nocto".

11/17/03
The movie filmed next to the film Bayou in Alabama. It has now currently completed principle photography and has entered its post-production phase.

DETAILS

- Filmed partly in Montgomery but mostly in Mobile County in Alabama, including locations in and around Citronelle and the Chunchula community.
- Expcted to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next fall.
- Though Silver Nitrate usually releases films direct-to-video, they plan to shop this film around for a theatrical release upon its completion.
- Simon Barreett wrote the script.
- This is Alex Turner's movie directorial debut. He's a veteran of music videos and commercials.
- Production has already begun on location in Alabama.
- The company Silver Nitrate is putting this film out.