Alfred Hitchcock's Classic The Birds Inspired An Unfortunate '90s Sci-Fi Flop

1993's "Ghost in the Machine" is a movie about a serial killer whose consciousness is uploaded to a computer, allowing him to kill via electronic devices. Evidently, the film's producer saw it as an "electronic age version of 'The Birds.'" Audiences, however, didn't see it at all.

In 1991, Rachel Talalay made her directorial debut with "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare." The sixth film in the legendary horror franchise was a success, making $34.8 million on an $11 million budget, and Talalay was sure something much bigger was in the offing. As she told Entertainment Weekly in 2016, "Coming off the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films, the three directors before me all went on to huge action films." But the same didn't happen for Talalay, who instead went on to direct "Ghost in the Machine." It wasn't exactly the step up she was expecting following her directorial debut.

Talalay, who later directed the anarchic sci-fi movie "Tank Girl," found herself on a project that might have seemed interesting based on its premise, but which ultimately turned out to be a critical and commercial flop that failed to live up to the level of its esteemed inspiration. Aside from trying to update the concept of "The Birds" for the modern age, "Ghost in the Machine" had some interesting and ambitious ideas, including building on the groundbreaking CGI of films such as James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Unfortunately, Talalay's movie actually ended up representing a step backward in that regard — and the CGI was only one small part of the problem.

In retrospect, "Ghost in the Machine" is cheesy '90s horror goodness, but at the time it was just cheesy. The film stars Ted Marcoux as Karl Hochman, a computer technician and serial killer whose soul is transferred into a computer when an electrical storm strikes during his MRI scan. After this, Karl is able to kill via any device connected to the electrical grid or computer networks, which he does using a microwave, a hairdryer, and a dishwasher. Karl's former customer Terry Munroe (Karen Allen) realizes what's happening and enlists the help of hacker Bram Walker (Chris Mulkey) to help her put a stop to Karl's killing spree.

You might be wondering what any of that has to do with "The Birds." Arguably Alfred Hitchcock's best film, the director's 1963 classic sees Bodega Bay, California menaced by unexplained bird attacks. How does that map onto a cheesy CGI-filled '90s sci-fi horror? According to producer Paul Schiff, the devices in this case represent the birds ... I think.

Speaking to Cinefantastique Magazine in 1993, Schiff explained the connection thusly: "All of us one way or another can relate to this idea that objects that we don't even think about, much less worry about ganging up on us, become a new threat in our lives." 

The producer recalled seeing "The Birds" for the first time as a child and being terrified every time he saw a pigeon thereafter. "I literally ran into a building for fear that it was going to swoop down and pull my eyes out," he said. "I think the same principle applies to 'Ghost in the Machine.' After one sees this movie, the toaster and the microwave in particular will take on a new meaning."

Paul Schiff hoped "Ghost in the Machine" would become one of the great sci-fi horror movies, telling Cinefantastique Magazine, "We're hoping that there is a universality about this story that will cast a wider net than a straight-ahead horror picture or thriller." Schiff wasn't just banking on the "Birds" parallels, either. The article also details how an early version of the script was rewritten to "bring the special effects up to date with new technologies created in recent movies such as 'Terminator 2.'" You can watch the trailer and decide for yourself if the filmmakers were successful.

Regardless, the film did not live up to Schiff's expectations. Initially, "Ghost in the Machine" was set to go up against "Jurassic Park" at the box office, which no doubt would have ensured it saw next to no returns. 20th Century Fox shrewdly moved the film, but it didn't help. "Ghost in the Machine" earned $5.1 million on an estimated budget of $12 million. What's more, the critics were, at best, lukewarm on the film.

"Ghost in the Machine" has a 10% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, though that is based on ten reviews, only one of which is from a "top critic." Nevertheless, that one critic wasn't too enthusiastic. Harper Barnes of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch admitted the plot had "some potential" and liked the "intriguing Virtual Reality-type special effects," but ultimately felt that "matters grow even stupider" as the film goes on. Similarly, Variety's Leonard Klady found the film's "social statement" to be "hopelessly muddy" but maintained that its "adroit sense of fun and thrills cannot be discounted." Still, it's hard to imagine Alfred Hitchcock being too pleased about this movie being part of the legacy of "The Birds."