8. Birds - The Birds (1963)
Ornithophobia is the fear of birds. Ive never understood this one, birds are great, and despite their tendencies to defecate everywhere, theyre often kind of cute. Plus, they're
related to dinosaurs, which is undeniably awesome. Or I'm just weird and they're actually evil hellspawn just waiting for a day to rise up. That's actually about where this fear stems from; the thought of them attacking, as well as their movements and behavior. Realistically though, birds are some of the least dangerous animals on the planet, although you might have to worry about provoking larger birds. Specifically, the Cassowary, which apparently has a
reputation for attacking people. After looking at a picture of one though, it makes me want to change my stance on birds.
Look at it, just staring at you with those dead, little eyes. There's nothing in there but hate. Moving on though, for this phobia we have an easy pick, Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds is obviously going to take this spot. Birds are a smart choice for a horror film antagonist. Theyre just about everywhere and frequently in large numbers, so the thought of them ganging up to attack people is scary, combined with the sense of the unknown. The sudden bird attack spree is bizarre and without explanation, adding to the inherent creepiness of the situation. I imagine people with this phobia would already be avoiding this film, seeing as how it's literally their exact fear coming to life on celluloid.