Nothing is sacred to a Hollywood studio executive. No matter how big or iconic a movie is, there’s a plucky suit on the lot eager to have it remade, reimagined or sequel-ized. Part of this is from a lack of creativity. But the bigger reason a beancounter has no sense of decency is the amount of money and career that’s at risk whenever a project gets green lit. It’s easier to find recognition and money by proposing something that everyone in the room knows rather than spend 15 minutes creating a presentation to tell the story of this unknown script. In the early ’80s, someone decided it was time to make a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho with Anthony Perkins back as Norman Bates. They made a few more installments. Naturally when Universal was looking for a title to exploit as part of a deal with Showtime in 1994, there was no problem offering up a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. While they could get back the original birds, the studio tempted back Tippi Hendren although not in her original role. Birds II: Lands End became the pay-tv movie event when Showtime debuted the sequel on March 14, 1994.
When a wildlife officer skims a dead bird out of the water, he doesn’t expect to attract even more birds. They aren’t spectators as they attack him. Before we find out his fate, the Hocken’s arrive on Gull Island. Ted (former Marlboro Man Brad Johnson) and Mary (Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man‘s Chelsea Field) are looking for a new way of life. They want to raise their daughters without being overwhelmed by the grief from the death of their son. They move into a remote cottage on the beach. While Ted is supposed to work on his degree, Mary has a new job. She’s a reporter for the local paper with award winning photojournalist Frank Irvin (James Naughton of The Planet of the Apes the TV series). Trouble begins quick since the boat from the opening scene floats by the Hocken’s house. They’re not sure to suspect foul play or fowl play. The family notices a lot of bird activity. Is there something going on? They go into town and meet Helen (The Birds‘ Tippi Hendren) at the general store. The birds begin to get a bit nastier and Ted wants answers. The local mayor doesn’t care what’s going on with the birds since they make their money off fishing. The only person who seems to thing something is going on is Karl (The Amityville Curse‘s Jan Rubes), the local lighthouse keeper. Will the birds get worse? Of course, they will. It’s a remake of The Birds.
While Birds II, Land’s End was made for TV, it looks doesn’t look that cheap. The film looks great since they smartly hired Bruce Surtees as the director of photography. He’s previously shot Dirty Harry, High Plans Drifter, Lenny, Bad Boys and Risky Business. The director is listed as Alan Smithee which is the name a DGA director has to use if they don’t want their name on a film. Who was Alan? It was Rick Rosenthal, the director of Halloween II and Bad Boys (with Sean Penn). Why did he yank his name off? He didn’t want to be compared to Alfred Hitchcock? It’s not that embarrassing of a film. The bird effects are rather smooth. There’s a great series of explosions at the end. Even more important is the film doesn’t completely explain away why the birds attack. We just have to worry if the family will survive the attacks.
Birds II: Lands End doesn’t come close to the original, but it delivers on the birds losing their cool and attacking people. Even though Tippi Hendren doesn’t play her previous character, it’s not really a letdown since we don’t say, “What are the odds?” It’s nice to see her having to deal with another bird attack. Birds II: Lands End is fun viewing if you want an excuse to not go to the beach for the weekend.
The video is 1.33:1 anamorphic so there are bars on the side. This was aired when Showtime wasn’t in widescreen. The 2K transfer looks sharp. The audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix. You’ll get a bit of stereo when the gulls swoop in to attack. The movie is subtitled.
Commentary Track with film historians Amanda Reyes and Sam Pancake. Amanda is host of a podcast about Made For TV movie. Sam Pancake hosts a podcast about 70s and 80s TV horror movies. They both enjoy the animal attack movies.
Don’t Remake Hitchcock Movies (54:09) gets deep into the film’s production with cast and crew. One of the child actors shows off snapshots taken during the production. Kevin Brennan of creature effects talks about the various ways they made the birds attack whether it be real or mechanical. He worked on Videodrome. Craig Edwards talks about how he came to Wilmington to work in film. Kevin points out while they were starting production, The Crow was wrapping up after Brandon Lee’s death. Jeff Goodwin from makeup had previously worked on Blue Velvet.
The Silence of the Birds (17:02) catches up with composer Ron Ramin. He worked on Fantasy Island and other shows. He was approached by the producers. He was excited by the opportunity since the original Hitchcock film didn’t have a musical score. He didn’t have to compete with previous composer.
The Locations of Birds II (10:45) is a tour given by production assistant Craig Edwards. He takes us to the EUE/ Screen Gems studios in Wilmington. They made an exterior of the house, brought it onto the soundstage and created the interior. He even shows us a location from Mario Brothers. He shows off his original crew t-shirt. We get a trip on the ferry and he has a bird prop from the film. He also takes us to Southport. There’s a tale of an extra getting hit by a camera crane. Craig Edwards is an excellent host.
Still Gallery (2:45) contains press photos, behind the scenes shots and special effects tests.
Vinegar Syndrome presents The Birds II: Land’s End. Directed by Rick Rosenthal. Screenplay by Ken and Jim Wheat & Robert Eisele. Starring Brad Johnson, Chelsea Field, James Naughton, Jan Rubes & Tippi Hendren. Running Time: 86 minutes. Rated: Unrated. Release Date: August 30, 2022.
