Based loosely on Daphne du Maurier's spooky story of the same name, The Birds is Hitchcock's iconic follow-up to Psycho (1960). Tippi Hedren stars as Melanie, an impulsive, wealthy young woman who seems to throw nature out of balance when she attempts to covertly deliver a pair of lovebirds to Mitch (Rod Taylor) who lives in a Californian bayside town. As she becomes embroiled with the other women in his life, birds begin to act strangely, amassing quietly on rooftops and in one classically eerie scene, on playground equipment. When the birds begin to attack viciously and without reason, the humans are left to fight for their lives.

Much to Hedren's surprise, real birds were used for the climactic attack scenes in the film and the whole experience left her shattered. But more to the point, caustic '90s dream girl Darlene dressed up as Marlene in a Halloween episode of Roseanne and if that doesn't give it the official cool stamp of approval, nothing does.