During the civil war a group of bankrobbers have a bloody shoot-out at a bank and take themselves and their gold to an old abandoned farmhouse to recoup. On the way through the corn field they come across a man, sack over his face, tied up like a scarecrow. They also shoot and kill what looks like a skinned dog when it comes charging at them.That night stranger things begin to happen. One of the men is pulled into a well when he hears the voice of a young child. A few others see demonic-looking children within the house. In the barn he African American member of the group sees a slave woman disembowled before his eyes. Through a memory flashback it's explained that the owner of that farmhouse had performed a black magic ritual and opened a gateway to another world in order to bring back his dead wife and instead his two children were possessed by demons. He was tied up (that scarecrow at the beginning) and left for dead by the townsfolk for murdering those kids.One by one the bank robbers are possessed by the demons until only two survive. There's also an unsettling, surprise ending. Although it has a vague similarity to NIGHT OF THE DEMONS and even EVIL DEAD, DEAD BIRDS is more atmospheric, like the Clint Eastwood movie THE BEGUILED (which also takes place during the Civil War) and I found the creatures far more creepy. Also, having the events take place in the 1860's succeeds in adding to its strangeness.DEAD BIRDS is a surprisingly creepy movie, with a solid cast and unnerving special effects. It's also the best horror movie I've seen so far this year (2005). This is not one to miss.