10 Horror Movie Scenes That Genuinely Terrified Actors

In 1961, Tippi Hedren was a struggling actress, starring in commercials just to make ends meet. The following year, Hedren hit the big time after being cast in the lead for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Because Hitchcock was the world's biggest director and hot off the heels of Psycho, Hedren felt like she was living the dream.

But when production began, she realised she was in a nightmare. In one scene, Hedren's character is attacked by crows, ravens, and gulls while inside a phone booth. Although Hedren was told the birds would be mechanical, the prop team hurled real birds at her. Even though their beaks were sealed with elastic bands, the feathery critters pecked her cheek and almost gouged out her eye. After filming this sequence for five days, Hedren was injured, exhausted, and rattled.

But the horror was far from over. For the climax, the crew attached birds to Hedren's dress with nylon threads to ensure they couldn't fly away from her. She was so shattered from filming the bedroom attack scene, she was hospitalised for a week.

Although there were many people who suffered sleepless nights after watching The Birds, no one on Earth found the film more terrifying than its lead star.