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Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Play trailer Poster for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish 2025 1h 34m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 9 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A teenage girl and her boyfriend are viciously cyberbullied by an unknown phone number for months. But as the investigation into the harassment unfolds, the authorities uncover a shocking secret that upends everything anyone thought they knew about the case.
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Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Critics Reviews

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Mattie Lucas In Review Online I can’t recall the last time a film felt so repulsive and spiritually evil. Rated: 1.5/4 Sep 6, 2025 Full Review Brooke Obie Black Girl Watching This is a documentary about pedophilia and not even the documentarians seem to realize that. You’ll find a more compelling story about this tragedy in The Cut, which includes much of the missing context from this low-rent documentary. Sep 6, 2025 Full Review Johnny Loftus Decider It’s enjoyable to try and unravel Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, even as its mysterious texter’s harsh tone will start to make you queasy. Sep 5, 2025 Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media The filmmakers should be applauded for placing the perpetrator's weak excuses within the context of the crime. Rated: 3/5 Sep 5, 2025 Full Review Belen Prieto Espinof It's an uncomfortable documentary that forces us to rethink the fragility of our relationships in the digital age. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Sep 4, 2025 Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix This well-edited and fairly balanced true crime documentary has the participation of all the major people who were involved in this felony stalking case, including the person convicted of the crimes. It's a cautionary tale about misplaced trust. Aug 31, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ben F Half the runtime is padded with needlessly drawn out sequences following fruitless leads or putting the incompetence of those involved on full display. After we've had the big bad revealed to us, as the audience, the producers felt it would be fitting to manufacture a narrative to garner sympathy for the perpetrator, for some reason..? The glorification of mental illness is often found online, but rarely in cases greater than this. I have many things to say, and none of them are nice. I cannot stress enough how horrible of a production this is, and watching it will only make you mad. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Juan O Si eres de Latinoamérica como yo, vas a sentir una desconexión total del drama. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Kathryn J I went in cold. Blank slate. It was a twist I never ever saw coming. I think the documentary was well done. It is an astonishing story but a terrible one. I really hope time will heal, but I don’t think you ever get completely over something like this. I’m glad I watched this and I felt really sad afterwards, especially for the all the high schoolers, who are just learning about connections with the opposite sex and their peers. So much damage was inflicted - wherever you look, actually. Very interesting documentary. Wish the police had done a better, quicker job. Glad I saw it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Jess S It's a story that could be told in half an hour but is instead dragged out to an hour and a half. Too many red herrings and non-sequiturs to be truly interesting. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/25 Full Review Charlotte O Absolutely disgusting. cant believe they allowed the mother to pin herself as a victim too, and not take accountability. I don't even care if she suffered abuse, no excuse to tell your own daughter to take her life? Who the f made this docu and allowed the mom to be in it? plus, incredibly dragged out, id just watch a yt video if i were you. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/25 Full Review Austin J. I liked it, terrible mom. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

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Movie Info

Synopsis A teenage girl and her boyfriend are viciously cyberbullied by an unknown phone number for months. But as the investigation into the harassment unfolds, the authorities uncover a shocking secret that upends everything anyone thought they knew about the case.
Director
Skye Borgman
Distributor
Netflix
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 29, 2025
Runtime
1h 34m
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