Mockingbird (film)
Mockingbird is a 2014 American found footage horror film that was written and directed by Bryan Bertino.[1][2] The film was released to video on demand on October 7, 2014 and was given a DVD and Blu-ray release on October 21 of the same year. It stars Todd Stashwick, Alexandra Lydon, and Barak Hardley as three people that have been given video cameras with the instructions to film their daily activities for a strange contest.[3]
| Mockingbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Bryan Bertino |
| Produced by | Jason Blum Marc Platt Adam Siegel Bryan Bertino Adrienne Biddle |
| Screenplay by | Bryan Bertino |
| Story by | Sam Esmail |
| Starring | Audrey Marie Anderson Natalie Alyn Lind Benjamin Stockham |
| Cinematography | Brandon Cox |
| Edited by | Maria Gonzales |
Production companies | Blumhouse Productions Marc Platt Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film follows three groups of people, all of whom have found a video camera on their doorstep and begin filming under the impression that this is the key to winning money from a mysterious competition. Tom (Todd Stashwick) is an average guy filming the life of his family with his wife Emmy. Beth (Alexandra Lydon) is a bored and isolated college girl who sees the camera as something to fill her free time. Leonard (Barak Hardley) is a mother's boy who believes his clown makeup will steal the scene. Each group has been given a label - "The Family" (Tom & Emmy), "The Woman" (Beth), and "The Clown" (Leonard), but they are largely unaware of what is truly going on and are shocked when they receive instructions telling them to keep filming or die.
Cast
- Audrey Marie Anderson as Emmy
- Natalie Alyn Lind as Jacob's Friend #4
- Benjamin Stockham as Jacob's Friend #2
- Emily Alyn Lind as Abby
- Alyvia Alyn Lind as Megan
- Todd Stashwick as Tom
- Lee Garlington as Mom
- Spencer List as Jacob Henry
- Isabella Murad as Jacob's Friend #3
- Alexandra Lydon as Beth
- Barak Hardley as Leonard
Reception
Bloody Disgusting and Indiewire both gave favorable reviews for Mockingbird,[4] and Bloody Disgusting praised the film for its tone and wrote that while it "lacks some of the studio polish of The Strangers, it actually feels bigger than that film in some regards."[5] HorrorNews.net and We Got This Covered both panned the film,[6] and We Got This Covered commented that "Mockingbird plays like an over-bloated V/H/S anthology segment that wastes a jolting start on generic, recycled "found footage" tropes seen a billion times before."[7]
References
- Gilchrist, Todd. "'The Strangers' Director Bryan Bertino to Answer 'Mockingbird' Call". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- Barone, Matt. "Permanent Midnight: Surprise! The Director of "The Strangers" Finally Has a New Movie Out". Complex. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- "You Must Watch 'Mockingbird' This Halloween! (Exclusive Images)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- Taylor, Drew. "Digging Through the Blumhouse Movie Dump: What You Should Watch and Skip". Indiewire. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- Dickson, Evan. "[Review] 'Mockingbird' is Incredibly Effective and Almost Unbearably Suspenseful". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- Mulvaney, John. "Film Review: Mockingbird (2014)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- Donato, Matt. "Mockingbird Review". WGTC. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
External links
- Mockingbird on IMDb