Dead Birds (2004)

Bank robbers hideout in a haunted plantation mansion. The cast includes: Michael Shannon, Isaiah Washington and Mark Boone Jr.

Rejuvenating a well-worn genre, Dead Birds stirs in Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. It further differentiates itself from other westerns by being set amongst the Spanish moss of Alabama, rather than the desert. A hallmark of great haunted house movies, Dead Birds succeeds in constructing a spooky atmosphere. This is engendered through the scuttling sound design, shadowy candle lighting and slow camera pans. Although there is a gradual buildup to the action, the eerie tension is sufficiently intriguing to keep its audience engaged. As underrated as the film itself, Mark Boone Jr. consistently supplies interesting subtext to his characters.

As Joseph, Boone exhibits dissatisfaction and brooding anger. Although his character’s backstory remains unexplained, Boone’s detailed preparation alludes to Joseph’s timeline before the movie’s start, how his personality developed. This results in Joseph coming across as a believable character, contrasting the supernatural elements. While Dead Birds is fundamentally grindhouse entertainment, there exists a more serious undertone of racism, looking into antebellum-era slavery. This rises to the surface when William (a white character) says to Todd (a black character): “I saved your life more times than I can count.” Todd retorts: “that don’t make it yours.”