Mockingbird (film)

Mockingbird is a 2014 American found footage horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino, from a story by Bertino and Sam Esmail.^[1][2] The movie 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 features 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
Mockingbird poster
Directed by	Bryan Bertino
Screenplay by	Bryan Bertino
Story by	Bryan Bertino Sam Esmail
Produced by	Jason Blum Marc Platt Adam Siegel Bryan Bertino Adrienne Biddle
Starring	Todd Stashwick Alexandra Lydon Barak Hardley 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	October 7, 2014 (2014-10-07)
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

The movie follows three groups of people, all of whom have found a video camera on their doorstep and begin filming with the impression that this is a chance to win money as part of 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 happening and are shocked when they receive instructions telling them to keep filming or die.

Cast

• Todd Stashwick as Tom
• Audrey Marie Anderson as Emmy
• Barak Hardley as Leonard
• Alexandra Lydon as Beth
• Emily Alyn Lind as Abby
• Alyvia Alyn Lind as Megan
• Lee Garlington as Leonard's mother
• Spencer List as Jacob Henry
• Natalie Alyn Lind as Jacob's Friend #4
• Benjamin Stockham as Jacob's Friend #2
• Isabella Murad as Jacob's Friend #3

Reception

Bloody Disgusting and Indiewire both gave favorable reviews for Mockingbird,^[4] and Bloody Disgusting praised the movie 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 panned the film.^[6]

References

1. Gilchrist, Todd (January 30, 2012). "'The Strangers' Director Bryan Bertino to Answer 'Mockingbird' Call". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
2. Barone, Matt (October 7, 2014). "Permanent Midnight: Surprise! The Director of "The Strangers" Finally Has a New Movie Out". Complex Networks. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
3. Miska, Brad (October 24, 2014). "You Must Watch 'Mockingbird' This Halloween! (Exclusive Images)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
4. Taylor, Drew (November 7, 2014). "Digging Through the Blumhouse Movie Dump: What You Should Watch and Skip". IndieWire. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
5. Dickson, Evan (September 29, 2014). "[Review] 'Mockingbird' is Incredibly Effective and Almost Unbearably Suspenseful". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
6. Mulvaney, John (October 24, 2014). "Film Review: Mockingbird (2014)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved July 10, 2021.

External links

• Mockingbird at IMDb