Mockingbird (2014) User Reviews

A hugely disappointing found-footage horror movie from the director of "The Strangers"

[prskalica · 3/10 · 11 October 2014]

It's funny. I've been on IMDb since 2003 and I haven't written a single review until this one. To be honest with you, I wish I had chosen a better movie to review. Oh, well...

Mockingbird is the spiritual sequel to the director's own hit, The Strangers. The plot is quite simple: Four people are given a video-camera and a simple set of instructions, which, of course, turns into a night of terror for everybody involved.

The thing with the found-footage movies is that there needs to be a strong reason for all the characters to record everything. REC, Noroi The Curse and Okaruto, the found-footage movies I'd highly recommend to everyone over this one, are a good example of movies that are convincing to the viewers. In Mockingbird, the director Bryan Bertino tries to alleviate this issue by making the cameras impossible to turn off, and also by having them equipped with the receivers which enable the antagonists to see what the main characters are doing. Even with all that, one still cannot shake off the feeling that the characters in this movie would have been better off running the hell out of the house instead of filming everything. The other trouble with the technology in this movie is the following: Bertino set his own movie in 1995, which was a baffling decision since this doesn't have any impact on the plot aside from introducing a huge plot hole - the movie takes course over several hours and the batteries somehow don't run out? And if the movie is set in 1995 and is found-footage, why not film it VHS-style? A huge opportunity missed there.

The entire movie is implausible, mostly because the plot depends on the main characters doing stupid things. There is one especially contrived situation involving the clown taking photos of certain two characters which made it really hard to suspend my disbelief. Sadly, it's not the only such scene in the movie.

I won't spoil the finale for those who decide to watch the movie, but I'll be shocked if anyone is satisfied with it. It's not only ridiculous, it's downright insulting (for multiple reasons), and therefore doesn't have the impact of the similarly themed The Strangers.

Btw, don't believe the highly positive review on Bloody-Disgusting, folks, it's obviously heavily biased. This one is a stinker and I'm not surprised it was shelved for two years before getting a VOD release.

The reason why I haven't given the lowest score to this movie is that despite everything, Bertino managed to create a few solid, suspenseful scenes. He clearly has talent for directing and I hope he gets to direct more movies. If only he had written a better script...

Very Disappointing And Boring

[HorrorOverEverything · 3/10 · 11 October 2014]

Man was I excited to see this film. Found Footage isn't exactly my cup of tea but this sounded pretty original and I had heard some good things about it. Boy was I mislead, this was a huge disappointment and left me pretty bummed that I had sat through it all.

So it starts out pretty interesting. We are introduced to a couple, a woman, and a guy who lives with his mother. They are all given camera's that they are convinced that they won in contests however quickly find out something more sinister is going on. Sounds fun right? Wrong, the problem is that the movie hardly goes anywhere. I could easily sit here and tell you every single thing that happens in the movie in less that 3 minutes, obviously I won't to retain from spoiling but you get my point.

The movie was just so dull. The Woman's story basically just consists of her sitting in here house while she receives creepy voice mails. The couple's story play out the same way. The Mommas boy's story is by far the most interesting even though it really isn't all that great, but at least he leaves his house and is required to do some tasks. The ending was incredibly predictable and could be seen coming a mile away. On a positive though the acting was pretty solid throughout.

Overall this was just hardly worth my time. It keeps you watching to see the finale, but what it leads up to really is not very good at all. There was a tiny bit of suspense but it is stomped out by the time the credits roll. Very disappointing movie and not really worth it.

3/10

Found footage horror falls short of the mark.

[victoryismineblast · 4/10 · 17 October 2014]

4/10. Three set of people: a woman, a couple, and a man who lives with his mother are mysteriously given large bulky VHS cameras (it takes place in 1995) on their doorsteps and told to "keep filming." In addition the man is told has been entered in a contest where he can win 10 thousand dollars.

This starts out as an interesting premise but doesn't really go anywhere. The woman and the couple stay in their homes as they begin to be terrorized by bangings at the door and sinister telephone calls but are given very little to do.

The man is given orders to leave his home and perform a variety of tasks in full clown suit and makeup and this is a little more interesting, but it doesn't really carry the movie.

Eventually it all culminates in a twist that I didn't see coming, but thought was full of plot holes and didn't make much sense.

I wouldn't necessarily say avoid this one but don't look for anything groundbreaking or very cohesive and entertaining.

Only the Classical Music Score Saves in This Annoying Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 2/10 · 1 November 2015]

The middle class Emmy (Audrey Marie Anderson) receives a video camera at home and her husband Tom (Todd Stashwick) starts filming. They believe they won a prize from the mall. The college student Beth (Alexandra Lydon) is alone and bored in the empty campus and also receives a camera. Out of the blue, they are instructed to film and not call the police; otherwise they will die. Meanwhile the unemployed Leonard (Barak Hardley) that lives with his mother receives a clown outfit and make-up and instructions to receive ten thousand dollars. After moments of tension, their lives are tragically entwined. Who is the stranger behind the prank?

"Mockingbird" is among the most annoying and stupid movies with shaky camera. The story is not scary but irritating; the plot is not believable; and the conclusion is silly and unrealistic. Only the classical music score saves in this awful movie. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "Perseguidos Pela Morte" ("Chased by Death")

If not for the plot, this might've been a good movie

[tktansey · 2/10 · 10 October 2015]

The most frustrating thing about "Mockingbird" is how good the first twenty minutes are.

Three video cameras, all in identical bright red boxes with big white bows, are delivered to three different homes. The people who get them, a young woman starting college, a married couple, and a twenty-something loser with a can-do attitude, all assume they've won a contest. There's really no evidence to support this, but honestly, who wouldn't find a way to rationalize keeping an expensive gift left on their doorstep? Each camera also comes with a set of cryptic cards that instruct the recipients to "Keep Filming".

So far, so good. Writer/Director Bryan Bertino does an excellent job of showing us, in a very short time, who these people are and how they live. The dialog is natural and believable and the acting is first rate. We get to know these four people and begin to care what happens to them. Up to this point, it looks like Bertino has found an inventive way to put a fresh spin on the tired found-footage horror movie genre.

Then the plot kicks in and everything goes to hell. Warning: spoilers ahead.

It turns out the cameras can't be turned off. Phone calls start and additional presents arrive. More cryptic cards show up. Phone lines are cut, lights go out, threats are made and pets are killed. And along the way, the characters we've come to like become incredibly stupid.

Of course, you have to expect people in suspense movies to do dumb things. After all, if they didn't there would be no suspense. But the folks in "Mockingbird" don't just do dumb things, they become completely incompetent. For example, the husband character has a gun. As the terrorizing starts, he gets it out of a lock box and loads it. Good man; now he's armed. A moment later, someone begins pounding on his front door. Does he shoot blindly through the door, hoping to kill or wound whoever's on the other side? That would be rash, but not totally uncalled for. Does he shout, "Hey, I've got a gun, back the hell off!"? That would make sense. But no. Apparently forgetting he's got a gun in his hand, the husband stares horrified at the door for a second or two before turning and running away.

And so goes the next forty minutes. In fact, things get so ridiculous so fast that you stop paying attention to what's happening and start wondering about incidental details. Exactly how many people are involved in all this? Where did they get all their props? And who got stuck with the job of inflating all those balloons.

Speaking of balloons, there is one character who stays interesting from beginning to end. It's the loser with the can-do attitude. He has a very funny running monologue that almost (almost…) saves the movie. What he does and what happens to him would have made a great story in itself.

Especially since, by the end of "Mockingbird", you couldn't care less about anyone else.

Films School 101

[Stoshie · 2/10 · 19 September 2018]

Bryan Bertino needs to put his ego aside and go back to film school to learn how to make a watchable movie. Since this comes across as a movie a novice film school student might make, here are some hints for him:

* The shaky camera technique used throughout the movie becomes annoying after a point. It worked for "Blair Witch Project", but has never worked since. It doesn't make any movie more suspenseful or scary, unless used sparingly. Using it this much shows a lack of creativity on the part of the writer/director. It's also obvious that not all the shots are done with the cameras the characters are given. It is a very sloppy use of the "found footage" technique, which has already gotten old, and should be abandoned by any capable writer or director.

* The lighting flashing from dark to bright used throughout the movie becomes annoying after a point. It doesn't make any movie more suspenseful or scary, unless used sparingly. Using it this much shows a lack of creativity on the part of the writer/director. That's especially true since there is no realistic reason for the relatively constant rapid changes from darkness to light in large parts of the film.

* Having all the characters react in unrealistic ways does not become more believable by covering them up with shaky camera movements and flashing lights.

* Long, drawn out shots that add nothing to the plot drag a movie down. Using them this much shows a lack of creativity on the part of the writer/director. But I guess he had to turn what could have been a possibly decent short film into an hour and 22 minutes feature somehow.

* A movie needs to have some context, some cohesiveness that draws the viewer in. That is completely lacking here, all the way through. I don't look for realism or a complete lack of plot holes (and there are plenty here) in a B horror movie, but I would like some logic in its progression. There is none here.

The above makes any experienced viewer lose interest before the 1-hour mark. I only stuck it out because the movie is thankfully short.

Then there is the final scene, which is drawn out painfully long (again, probably to pad the movie), and ends with a ridiculous payoff. The inexplicable makeup and utter lack of believability that the characters that pulled off this "prank" could have done so further ruins what is already a very bad movie. I even "get" the ending, which I guess was supposed to surprise me. But no. It only added to how badly written and executed the film was.

How Bertino managed to get a major studio to back this mess with somewhat good production values and a large crew is a mystery. The fact that it went directly to disk (ones that are being sold dirt cheap) is not a mystery. It is disappointing, though, that a film like this gets to disk while so many older and recent much better movies never do.

I am amazed at the few positive reviews I see here for this mess. Since the one guy misspells "style" in his title, it makes me think that only young viewers that haven't seen very many horror movies, or movies in general, could enjoy this.

Dire

[djcalzar · 1/10 · 2 February 2015]

What on earth was the writer thinking? This film really sucks, a minuscule plot. the only saving grace was the acting and also the soundtrack with credit going to the actor who played the clown. This film Should get a Golden Turkey if they still exist. I had heard good things about this and watched the trailer on you tube but boy was I disappointed. I just didn't get it at all and I was left after 80 minutes going WTF have I just wasted my time on. I really wanted to enjoy this but unfortunately it just left me with a very sour taste in my mouth. Avoid at all costs and I hope to god that there isn't a part two of this EVER.

Fails to deliver its premise with enough thrills or scares // instagram: moviesmaniax

[moviesmaniax · 4/10 · 13 October 2014]

What a mess from the director of The Strangers. Keep filming or someone will die, the film actually has an interesting plot and concept but sadly turns into a mess with its ridiculous ending and an insult to the audience The SCARE here is similar to The Strangers and some of the scenes are quite effective and intense in delivering that but don't go in expecting any GORES here. The film starts out pretty interesting and engaging but gets more tiring as it goes and ends with a hugely unsatisfied and stupid twist. Overall, this is one of those found footage films that fails to deliver its premise and enough thrills or scares and is ultimately just a waste of time. >>C-<<

I thought it was a good movie

[alwaysintrovert · 7/10 · 11 October 2015]

I don't understand why everyone is hating on this movie. I thought it was genuinely, a good watch for horror fans. It had really good jump scares (especially if you have headphones on), a good plot line, if you stay through the whole thing, and a crazy twist ending that will make you think. And, the fact that everyone hated it, probably made it better. Maybe, i watched it with low expectations, but either way, I enjoyed it. If you're looking for a movie to watch with your friends on a rainy day, or Halloween night, or if you want to watch this alone, under the covers, watch it, please!!!!! I beg you!!!! And, believe me, if you hate clowns, this one will scare you!

Not worth the time

[amz-29301 · 1/10 · 13 September 2015]

This movie was one of the worst I have ever seen. The story did not make any real sense and was not believable. It wasn't scary in the slightest and bordered on plain irritating. I'm not a huge fan of found footage type films and this movie is the reason why! I suppose in my mind I wouldn't be concerned about carrying around a huge camera in that type of situation, but clearly that's the first thing you do! I suppose if you are extremely gullible then you could fall for the nonsense this film portrays but in real life I highly doubt you would randomly stumble across more than one person who would fall for it therefor making it not very believable. It was definitely not worth the watch and I would not recommend this movie to anyone.

Surprise!

[jadakey · 10/10 · 9 December 2015]

I don't understand the bad reviews of this movie. It wasn't predictable. The music was great and perfectly timed. The acting was great. Especially Leonard (the clown) who was such a comedic relief and so likable. The ending scene was done so well, I was stunned and had to rewind it so my husband could watch the last 5 minutes with me. Of all the horror movies I've watched (and I almost exclusively watch horror films), this one actually scared me even with the comedic breaks. I think anyone that gives this less than a rating it deserves is either not a horror fan or doesn't appreciate a stunning piece of art like this is. Definitely a 10 and though I don't buy movies often, I'll have to purchase this one!

Not as bad as people say!

[UniqueParticle · 6/10 · 17 October 2019]

My favorite thing about this is the clown; I'm barely a fan of found-footage films. I originally saw this years ago when it came out in 2014 on a streaming service and even then I didn't mind it, it's definitely disturbing! Bryan Bertino has much better films like The Strangers and The Monster - both are spectacular in my opinion. Also found-footage types are really hard to enjoy in most cases but I recommend this, if not anything in the VHS series is great.

Please do not watch this film

[eleanor-thornalley · 1/10 · 2 August 2015]

I watched this the other day with two friends and it is honestly the worst horror film I have ever seen. It barely deserves to be placed in the 'horror' category as the only part that was remotely creepy was the guy dressed as a clown, even my friend who is terrified of most films only flinched about once through the entire thing.

When we watched the trailer the film looked gripping and relatively original. However, we were highly disappointed. The plot is dull and the ending predictable. My friend actually fell asleep about half way through. I'm writing this review so you do not waste your time and money on this film. Watch something else.

Somebody, please, kill this Mockingbird!

[Coventry · 2/10 · 16 January 2018]

It's a bit sad, almost pathetic even, how this film desperately tries to attract wider audiences by referring to "The Strangers" all the time. "The Strangers" unexpectedly became one of the commercially successful horror hits of 2008. Okay, writer/director Bryan Bertino previously made "The Strangers". So what? It wasn't exactly a masterpiece of horror cinema, now was it? "The Strangers" was entertaining at best and, moreover, Bertino shamelessly recycles the very few good aspects of his previous film here. Once again, he ventures into the domain of home invaders, invisible but omnipresent assailants and shock-endings that honestly aren't that shocking. The only aspect that is added in "Mockingbird" is the dreadful found-footage filming style. Found-footage, really? I thought that annoying horror trend had died by 2014 already? The plot - or a lack thereof - mixes the lives of several people who supposedly won a video camera in a supermarket contest and receive instructions to keep filming whatever they do. There's a couple with young children, a single woman and a loser in his late twenties who still lives with his mother. The couple and the single woman soon notice they are unable to turn off their cameras and find themselves harassed by sinister figures moving around their houses. The slacker - Leonard - receives instructions to dress up like a clown and complete increasingly humiliating assignments, and he does them, too! You quickly see where all this is going: these poor suckers are driven to madness before being brought together in a place where things will end dramatically for them, as they always do for innocent people. Only at the end it's revealed who's responsible for sending the cameras etc. and why, but it's the same old, dire and irritating revelation as always. The climax is thus very short, predictable and dull, but everything leading up to the climax is even worse! "Mockingbird" is an indescribably boring film, full of uninteresting footage and anecdotes of uninteresting people. Bryan Bertino fails miserably at generating any suspense or atmosphere whatsoever, the shaky camera handling still makes me nauseous and the nice classical music deserves to be used in a more qualitative film. This is honestly one of the worst excuses for a horror film that I've seen in years, avoid at all costs!

99 red balloons......

[FlashCallahan · 3/10 · 10 June 2015]

Upon finding a video camera on his doorstep, Tom begins filming his family, thinking that the camera is part of a competition that his wife signed up for.

A college girl, has also found a camera, giving her something to do other than having late night conversations with her mother. A third camera finds a home in the hands of a social outcast who lives with his mother, and is convinced he'll win $10,000 from the competition.

The three 'winners' are all given the same instructions......don't stop filming. Soon enough they start receiving more clues, while one is given a clown outfit and informed to carry out certain tasks.

The game begins to take a turn for the worse when they receive what appears to be a snuff movie, advising them not to call the police or stop recording.........

It's an interesting premise for sure, but like the directors other movie 'The Strangers', it suffers the same flaw, there is no rationale for the antagonists actions. So we are given three different narratives, and each as predictable as you would think.

We get the obligatory house under siege, with the random background inclusions of shadowy figures being there one moment, and then disappearing the next, while all the while the couple are doing the most stupidest acts, like putting in all the lights and hanging around the windows.

The second narrative is more interesting, but just as predictable, the social misfit is given a clown costume, and made to do more increasingly random acts, but it gives too much of the game away, this and the DVD cover.

And the other narrative features the college girl just blubbering into the camera.

The idea of keep filming, or someone will die, could have worked, but when you realise that the cameras cannot be turned off, that factor becomes irrelevant. So we are left with three groups of people doing increasingly sillier acts, before merging into what appears to be a reenactment of Nena's eighties super hit.

And as the director gives us a stiff shock with the opening scene, he leaves us scratching our heads thinking 'hold on a minute, what was all that about'.

Oh, and it's set in 1995, so mobile phones couldn't be an option.

A rubbish film, with a couple good ideas.....

Overall a waste of time

[eventlaunch · 4/10 · 25 June 2019]

Who pays for movies like this that's what I kept asking myself being bored with this film it literally goes no where boring movie damn shame for Blum house

Forgettable found footage horror movie

[HorrorDisasterGuy-90617 · 3/10 · 5 September 2023]

The idea of a couple of people have to film something over a strange contest is a interesting idea, but the actual story feels similar to the director first movie. The story is kind of like the found footage version of The Strangers with three characters being targeted and harass by an unknown person. Its easily predictable and there's a couple of cheap jump scares throughout the movie. There's also a minor side plot of Leonard doing a bunch of random things by the unknown person, but that isn't that interesting to watch. Also the movie spends a lot of time with the three characters hiding or thinking of a plan.

I have to say that the ending is really stupid and doesn't make any sense. No spoilers, but its really bad compared to The Gallows.

Massive let down!

[sophbower · 2/10 · 2 July 2015]

After seeing the cover and trailer for this film it seemed like a great pick.. How wrong was I! It starts and stops a lot - definitely lacks continuity - and looks as though it was made in 1995 never mind just set then.

The actual film is okay I guess, it all makes you want to keep watching despite the poor storyline to see who is behind these mysterious cameras, gifts and notes being left on people's door steps. The highlight for me really was how excited the guy dressed as a clown got doing his treasure hunt so to speak. The couple and young girl who were being tormented in their homes however - very boring. A few jumpy moments but nothing terribly scary or watch worthy unfortunately. The end was particularly confusing and disappointing for me.. 2 guns yet 4 people get shot dead all at once? And don't even get me started on a group of children being behind the whole thing! Absolutely ridiculous and very unrealistic.. It's an okay watch, but it won't be near the top of my recommendation list I can assure you, and I'm certainly not in a hurry to watch it again.

Pick it up, pick up the box

[LiamBlackburn · 7/10 · 10 October 2014]

Lol. What a horror show. Keep filming or die! Well, that doesn't leave you with a lot of options dies it. I am filming don't you see?!! I'm doing what you want, just leave me alone. Come outside it's your birthday. Pick it up. Pick up the box. Lol. Who even has VHS tapes and cameras in their possession any more. I think that's the real horror to witness here. No wireless internet either. Whatever shall we do! Forget about the believability of it all. We want to see these people get terrorized until they can't take it any more. The clown needs money and he's hot on the trail. He'll do whatever he has to to get out of his mother's basement. So venture outside, but beware. Don't be afraid. Pick up the box...Pick up the box! There's a gift inside for you.

Erm

[groversteve · 1/10 · 19 May 2019]

I hate to sound like comic book guy but worst film ever. I feel sad for the actors who have been tarnished with this film. It's so hard to follow and the ending is just wierd. Who ever agreed to say yeah let's make this happen needs to be removed from a position of responsibility.

'V/H/S' meets 'The Game'

[tyler-obrien43 · 8/10 · 10 November 2014]

Though low on gore and shock value, this film actually exceeded my expectations on great scenes that kept the hand-held recorder believable without being blurry or shaky. The character development wasn't the strongest, but the portrayal of the fairly one- dimensional characters was spot on by the actors. The final scene and the way the plot threaded through the three perspectives was for me very successful. Those who enjoy the psycho-thriller genre should enjoy this film! The only really disappointing thing about this film is that there were not enough of the "clues" and contraptions by the people setting the entire game up. I also would have enjoyed some exposition about whether this game had been played previously by the antagonists (no spoilers) or if this was the first iteration of this game. I really enjoyed the "clown, family, girl" motif and if a sequel were to come out where the dynamics of the plot shifted but with the same motif I would surely watch. Overall, a very well done film that met the expectations it set up.

Seriously Chill

[vikjurk · 6/10 · 29 April 2023]

Im not certain what you all expect from a found footage film but you all act like prudes. Ive seen this a few times and everytime i do im not disapointed. If your looking for emmy winning movies stay away from FF.

ANYWAY the movie is scary the feel of it from the start is so eerie. I felt bad for mr lenny for being a pathetic human but with a ma like that what do you expect lol. I felt worse for the college student i feel like she had way more terror thrown her way. Including the ending which i wont spoil.

Give it a try its not bad by any means blair witch had shaky cam this is way better than that filming. If your not a prudy little prick looking for a big time FF film youll enjoy this.

SURPRISE!

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 30 November 2018]

This is another bad hand held camera film. It uses dark scenes with people talking for those who prefer to watch radio. Oh the realism!

The film opens with us watching a child getting shot in the head. It jumps to three people getting a camera delivered to their door: a family (Todd Stashwick/Lee Garlington), a single girl (Audrey Marie Anderson), and Leonard (Barak Hardley). They all enjoy their new prize: a camera that doesn't shut off and seems to have an infinite powered battery. They get subsequent instructions that delve into their personalities and fears. The family fear for their kids, the woman is alone and fears she will not be liked, and Leonard looks for a life outside of his mother and hand.

Leonard gets a clown suit, i.e. the guy on the cover. The idea was interesting enough, even with the fact there was no closure. The problem I had was the poor execution. Everything was done through the jerky dark movements of the camera. The script was for the most part boring, in part due to said cameras. When the screen goes dark, it becomes a film I could make myself and certainly compose better dialogue.

If you love the hand held cameras, and don't care about closure, this is your film. I liked the ending. I didn't like the way it got there.

Parental Guide; F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Don't you dare waste your time !

[cjwvvtcxdv · 1/10 · 4 April 2021]

With no doubt, the worst movie I have ever seen in my life ! A complete waste of time ... The writer should probably find himself another job !

Mockinggoodhorrorfilms

[TuesdayThe17th · 2/10 · 18 August 2020]

As a major found footage fan, this is one of the few ff movies I dislike greatly. This movie has no atmosphere, no terror, and is rather pointless. Not to mention it is incredibly boring through out. Why would Bertino even add this film to his portfolio when he has made the epic "The Strangers"...? This movie falls into the category of terrible fou d footage movies alongside stinkers like "Gags the Clown" which was even worse than this movie and "388 Arletta Ave" which, too, had no atmosphere what so ever. I watched this movie for the second time lastnight since its dvd release, remembering that I didn't like it the first time, but was somehow lulled by some positive reviews to give it another chance. Now, either many reviews for this film are fake, or people are just plain idiotic to think this movie is good. I am a fan of Bertino's other work and am looking forward to his upcoming 2020 horror film, but for some reason this one film of his has fallen by the wayside and holds zero redeeming qualities. The story of this movie is insanely boring and there are no twists or surprises. The climax is predictable within the first few minutes and here is barely any horror to speak of. The opening sequence is literally the bloodiest and "scariest" it gets but sadly it is actually neither of those. Who the heck spills the best scene in the first minute of their movie? Only an amateur. The only thing I found creepy about this movie are the 2 or 3 shots in the first 30 seconds of the film, notably the shot of the dark and quiet street at night. Something about this shot was unique and unsettling. Other than that the whole movie sucks and moves in an uninteresting manner. It all kinda feels like a lifetime found footage movie if there were ever such a thing. The actor that plays the husband/father is annoying, ugly, and just didn't fit the role. Unlike others, i actually thought the acting was very sub par. This was one of Jason Blum's earlier productions so no wonder he got himself involved. He probably wants to "Alan Smithee" himself from this film as I would too....