If you love ultra-low-budget, dare we say schlocky (but in-on-the-joke schlocky, not “we think we’re making a masterpiece” schlocky) horror movies—well, you are well familiar with animal-attack saga Birdemic. The original (2010's Birdemic: Shock and Terror) caused a sensation... and kick-started a cult franchise that’s gaining a new entry this year in Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle.
io9 is thrilled to debut the trailer today ahead of Birdemic 3's world premiere at Fantastic Fest, which unspools next month in Austin, Texas. The fact that the film earned a slot at the prestigious genre festival is definitely notable, but if you watch this trailer you will instantly recognize that any audience who sees this one is going to have a rip-roaring good time. Behold!
The acting? Outrageously uneven! The special effects? Hilariously lo-fi! The environmental message? A trademark of the series and of eco-horror in general, and we love how it’s conveyed here. The 2022 Fantastic Fest program notes give a little background on how this film came into existence (and we agree, the less said about Birdemic 2: The Resurrection, the better): “Severin Films distributed the extraordinary Birdemic: Shock and Terror in 2010 but was not involved in the less-well-received Birdemic 2. There were just too many cooks hovering over that pot. In order to recreate the magic of the first, they yielded 100% creative control and director’s cut to director and screenwriter James Nguyen. Severin wrote the check, and three years later, without ever seeing a draft of the script, Nguyen returned with a bottle filled to the brim with romantic and thrilling lightning.”
Without ever seeing a draft of the script, which means the production company rolled the dice and got gems like “We have to do something about this damn global warming,” and that’s just from what we can see in the trailer. So far there’s no word on Birdemic 3's post-festival distribution plans, but with an outfit like Severin Films behind it, you know your eyeballs will get a chance eventually.
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