Birdemic : Shock and Terror, the new feature from writer/producer/director James Nguyen, is described by Nguyen as “a romantic thriller.” The film is a horror/action/special-effects-driven love story about a young couple trapped in a small Northern California town under siege by homicidal birds. BIRDEMIC also tackles topical issues of global warming, avian flu, world peace, organic living, sexual promiscuity and lavatory access. Here’s the synopsis:

A platoon of eagles & vultures attack the residents of a small town.
Many people died. It’s not known what caused the flying menace to attack.
Two people managed to fight back, but will they survive BIRDEMIC?

Nguyen, a 42-year-old Vietnamese refugee, wrote, cast and shot the film over the course of four years using salary from his day job as a mid-level software salesman in Silicon Valley. The film pays homage to Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS via location shooting in Mission Bay, California, as well as an appearance by star of THE BIRDS Tippi Hedren. When rejected for an official screening slot at Sundance, Nguyen spent eight days driving up and down the festival’s nearby streets in a van covered with fake birds, frozen blood and BIRDEMIC posters, while loudspeakers blared the sounds of eagle attacks and human screams. (He was driven to promote his film.) The tactic caught the attention of festival organizers, filmgoers and local police, as well as executives from Severin Films.

The film is quickly becoming a cult classic. Although the film was rejected by film festivals, it’s finding its own way through self distribution. The film has already sold out in several cities. Take a look at some of the clips and you’ll quickly understand that Birdemic : Shock and Terror is in a breed of its own. It’s so bad, it’s good.

Thanks to S. Kong for the tip.

Birdemic Press

Birdemic Trailer