20 Things You Somehow Missed In Alfred Hitchcock Movies

21. Honourable Mention: Tippi Hedren Really Was Attacked – The Birds

The Birds remains one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most haunting pictures, as it leaves so many questions unanswered. Just why did the birds start attacking people, and did they ever stop? Not to mention its harrowing climax, where Melanie Daniels is brutally attacked by them.

Unfortunately, the attacking became all too real for actress Tippi Hedren, who had real life ravens and pigeons thrown at her amidst the movie's final climax. It was an arduous stunt which caused Tippi to have a mental breakdown and be hospitalised for a week.

It's a truly appalling part of what went on behind the scenes, but the poor treatment of Hedren is very common knowledge by now. However, it deserves a mention for the disturbing fact that when we watch The Birds, we are literally watching a woman being pecked alive.