Let’s Go “Hitch Hiking!”

Looks like “Tippi has a problem with birds! Her own “Birdemic!”

Since it is “Shocktober 2024”, it’s time to celebrate one of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thrillers – for those who don’t know, my wife Alex came up with the title “Hitch Hiking” – a series of hikes we’ve done together, and classic Hitchcock films that these hikes reminded us of…let’s begin our “hitch hike ” with a trip to Northern California, one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world – and the setting for Hitchcock’s classic shocker…

Welcome To Bodega Bay!

Located 67 miles north of San Francisco, Bodega Bay is a gorgeous, wind-swept beach snuggled along beautiful sand dunes that are kissed by ice cold Pacific Ocean water…

Just south of Bodega Bay is Dillon Beach, miles and miles of sand and sea – with beautiful views in both directions…and we explored it for hours…

You can walk for miles in either direction, and you can also head fairly far out into the water based on whether the tide is out or not – bring a picnic and blanket as well, so you can sit down and watch some very aggressive waves – and windsurfing – because as you will see, there is a LOT of wind – but it’s also a beautiful beach to take a long long hike:

When we arrived, there were dozens of windsurfers battling the high wind and waves – the combination of heavy seas and high winds makes this a real endurance test – take a look!

We ended up “beach hiking” more than five miles that afternoon…in some very aggressive winds – but the beach was filled with families having picnics, swimming, and enjoying this spectacular coastline…

So there’s your hike, and if some of this incredible scenery looks familiar, it could be because one of Hitchcock’s great shockers was filmed here:

“The Birds” – 1963

Yes, Bodega Bay was home to much of the filming of this classic shocker. Everyone remembers the terrifying moment when “the birds” decide to go after people!

Decades before the campy “Birdemic” films, this was one of Hitchcock’s most notable shockers!

The plot was simple: a wealthy San Francisco socialite decides to pursue a potential boyfriend, and follows him to a small Northern California town – Bodega Bay – where the local birds suddenly begin to act very strangely…

This film, coming right after Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, firmly established him as the master of the shocker!

Here is a very long but funny movie trailer, hosted by Hitchcock himself:

Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren starred in the film, which was a huge box office hit…

The schoolhouse, in Bodega, California, has also been known to be haunted, even back during the filming. According to Tippi Hedren, the entire cast was spooked to be there. She also mentioned how she had the feeling, while there, that “the building was immensely populated… but there was nobody there.” 

And that classic building is still there!

Hope you enjoyed this “Hitch Hike” – classic Alfred Hitchcock movies combined with a hike through some of the world’s most beautiful places – like this one:

Yes, my first “Hitch hike” was high above the pacific ocean near Malibu – and led to a great screening of “To Catch A Thief” – see more here:

Since it’s Halloween season, here are some more great scary movies to enjoy:

The sequel is now streaming, but the original is quite an effective shocker to watch with the light down low – see the trailer and a few more Halloween film to enjoy here:

So, there are some of my favorite “go to” scary movies for this Halloween season – and if you want to keep that scary vibe alive all month long, here’s an idea:

Yes, you can own this wild Pennywise “IT” clown door mat!

Click here to see more!

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Categories: Art, Cult Movies, Exploitation films, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Halloween, Horror films, Movies, nature, Pop Culture

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