The Birds was different from most of Hitchcock’s work.

For admirers of Hitchcock, The Birds also raises disturbing questions about the director as a person. He was a complex and confusing character in many ways, and perhaps it’s not surprising that someone who built a career out of creating suspense and fear on-screen might also have had some darker sides to his personal life.

Beyond the details of the story and how it came to be filmed, though, one of the most interesting questions about The Birds is why Hitchcock made it in the first place. It took its title from a short story by English author Daphne du Maurier, but beyond the basic idea of people being attacked by birds, it didn’t take much else from it. The storyline was pure Hitchcock. So where did it come from?

It turns out that his inspiration was a strange and alarming incident that happened just a few miles from his home in California.

This book uncovers the truth behind the plot as well as other factoids that fascinate any fan of the film.