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Mark Borchardt

Mark Borchardt

Actor · Born August 20, 1966 (60) · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Mark Borchardt is an American independent filmmaker, actor, and writer best known as the cult DIY filmmaker featured in the acclaimed documentary American Movie, which chronicled the making of his horror short Coven. A longtime icon of Midwest indie cinema, he most recently served as the narrator for the indie film Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 20, 1966 (60)
From
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 32% in 30 days

What are Mark Borchardt's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Morality
25%
Self
22%
Survival
14%
Society
10%
Power
4%
Deception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Dread
3
Absurd
5
Warm
3
Contemplative
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Mark Borchardt's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mark Borchardt's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

36 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Bitcon(2022)

    as Damon

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Faith Based(2020)

    as Mark

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Small Town Wisconsin(2020)

    as Store Clerk

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • At the Park by the Creek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Radio Show Host

  • Snapshot(2019)

    as Martin Milo

  • The Field(2019)

    as Cashier

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Through the Eye Root (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Mouth / Bugleman

  • Lycanimator(2018)

    as Spencer Del Graves

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Silently Steal Away (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Narrator

  • California Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Mark

  • The Dundee Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Writer · as Himself

  • Here Comes Rusty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Oren

  • Hamlet A.D.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Gravedigger

  • The Jeffrey Dahmer Files(2012)

    as Man with glasses

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Hagstone Demon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Douglas Elmore

  • The Amateur Monster Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Mr. Englan

  • Modus Operandi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Dallas Deacon

  • Dozers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Gawker

  • Living Arrangements (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Paul

  • Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever(2009)

    as Herman

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Tapioca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Harve

  • Mutilated Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Actor

  • The Devil's Muse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Floyd

  • Zombie Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Al, the drunk at the bar

  • The Godfather of Green Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Skeeter

  • Abby Singer(2003)

    as Mark Borchardt

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Britney, Baby, One More Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Dude Schmitz

  • The Tunnel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Lincoln

  • The One(2001)

    as Cesar

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • American Movie(1999)

    as Filmmaker

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Family Guy(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Mark Borchardt

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Coven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Mike

  • Toga Party Massacre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Cinematographer

  • I Blow Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Writer · as Dave

  • Legal ThreaT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Reese Kelly

  • Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Narrator

Career shape

Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 35 titles, 33 of them dated from 1982 to 2022; peak year 1998.

Biggest box office

American Movie (1999)

$1.2M worldwide

Highest rated

American Movie (1999)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Field (2019)

Film career

19822022

Peak 1998 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1997Screen debut· Coven
  • 1997First top-billed film· Coven

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting33 of 35: 30 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thDirecting4 of 35: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting3 of 35: 0 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing1 of 35: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography1 of 35: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleEditing1 of 35: 0 only editing, 1 with another role

35 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew1990s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew2000s11 · 11 acting · 1 crew2010s14 · 13 acting · 1 crew2020s3 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Mark Borchardt's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 35th percentile, the median of the 10 of 11 with a score; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 10th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 11 titles are Divisive.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive3
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Abby Singer (2003)

97th percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

American Movie (1999)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Mark Borchardt work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mark Borchardt's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Andrew Swant shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers

Mixed roles