The Bay (2012)
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 70
Fresh: 53 | Rotten: 17
Barry Levinson's eco-horror flick cleverly utilizes familiar found-footage methods in service of a gruesome yet atmospheric chiller.
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 7
Barry Levinson's eco-horror flick cleverly utilizes familiar found-footage methods in service of a gruesome yet atmospheric chiller.
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Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 5,963
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Movie Info
Two million fish washed ashore. One thousand blackbirds dropped from the sky. On July 4, 2009 a deadly menace swept through the quaint seaside town of Claridge, Maryland, but the harrowing story of what happened that Independence Day has never been told - until now. The authorities believed they had buried the truth about the tragedy that claimed over 700 human lives. Now, three years later, a reporter has emerged with footage revealing the cover-up and an unimaginable killer: a mysterious
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Cast
-
Nansi Aluka
Jaquline -
-
Stephen Kunken
Dr. Abram, Dr. Abrams -
Frank Deal
Mayor Stockman -
Kether Donohue
Donna -
Kristen Connolly
Stephanie -
Will Rogers
Alex -
Kimberly Lynn Campbell
Nurse Rebecca -
Beckett Clayton-Luce
Charles -
Dave Hager
Fisher Jerry -
Tara Polhemus
Teenage Girl -
Sean Johnson
Teenage Boy -
Murat "Murf Dawg" Erdan
Mike Radio Host -
Lamya Reynolds
Ms. Rosenblatt -
Lucia Forte
Marla Spadafora -
Stacy Rabon
Middle Age Woman -
Charles Weaver
Water Rescue Worker -
Keyla S. Childs
Ms. Crustacean -
Justin Welborn
Activist -
Rick Benjamin
News Anchor Bernie -
Christi Lowe
News Anchor Marsha -
Jack Landry
Larry -
Holly Allen
Sally -
Robert C. Treveiler
Dr. Williams -
Brandon Hanson
Cameraman Jim -
Michael Beasley
Officer Jimson -
Heidi Lawson
Nurse Jessica -
Kenny Alfonso
Dr. Michaels -
Jody Thompson
Officer Paul -
Andrew Stahl
Sheriff Lee Roberts -
Zoe Clark
Little Girl at Party -
Wyatt Hays
Little Boy at Party -
Brandon O'Dell
Bill -
John David Bland
Man Attacking Dr. Abram... -
James Patrick Freetly
Bob - Fishing -
Alissa Al Harris
Mom at Fair -
Truman Brothers
Tim -
Tim Parati
Fair Man -
Bridget Gethins
Fat Lady -
Sue Plassman
Woman with Boils -
Chris Walters
Harvey Crab Winner -
Nan Stephenson
Harvey's Wife -
Kenya Phifer
Woman Calling 911 -
Tim Ross
Reporter - Brian -
Jonathan "Lund" Maverick
George Khouri -
Jane McNeill
Victim One -
Ken Moran
Chicken Feeder -
Anthony Reynolds
Homeland Security Offic... -
Rasool Jahan
Dr. Nu -
Divakar Shukla
Dr. Sacerdoti -
Zach Hanner
EPA Staffer -
Troy Rudeseal
Man with Belly -
Jennifer Burch
Teen with Infested Arm -
Sarah Jordan Levin
Jennifer's Friend -
Rachel Eddy
Girl Texting -
Jason Sosnoff
Marine Biologist -
Toni Sosnoff
Stephanie's Mother -
Robin Lee Maggy
Old Hag
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The Bay Trailer & Photos
All Critics (70) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (18) | DVD (2)
More coherent and thought-provoking than most 'found-footage' horror movies, this should appeal to genre fans and eco-activists alike.
Top CriticAlthough there are some scary moments here, and a lot of gruesome ones, this isn't a horror film so much as a faux eco-documentary.
[Levinson] demonstrates he can make a shakycam found-footage horror movie every bit as fake-looking, clumsy and unscary as your average college student working on a $200 budget.
A ripped-from-the-headlines psychological chiller that burrows under the skin with its terrifyingly local twist.
Like a "Blair Witch Project" for thinking adults, one that's scary in two distinct ways.
The story becomes more ridiculous as it escalates, the film's over-determined ecological focus undermining any real horror movie tension.
As an exercise in lo-fi shivers it's fitfully compelling, but the plot runs out long before the credits and its characters are ultimately so much scare-bait.
It's a low-budget film, but often has effective death sequences with moderately good special effects. If only we could move away from the shaky-cam storytelling, I would be so much happier.
Levinson should have been far more concerned about his story rather than the method in which he presented it.
Even though multiple-sourced footage remains a potentially interesting way to shoot a movie, using this particular framing device really has become redundant.
The tension is well enough sustained, the horrors build steadily, the eco message is familiar.
Gruesome but oddly riveting.
Seeking to merge the conventions of found-footage horror with targeted social commentary, the film does its job with some skill ...
I am within a catfish's whisker of giving this film five stars; best to stop me before I elevate it to the ranks of Vertigo and Citizen Kane.
It's cleverly put together, the threat nicely revealed via various footage and is never over exaggerated to such an extent that it loses touch with reality.
Effective but hollow, The Bay is a minor work from a director lost at sea.
While effective at making our skin crawl, this eco-themed frightener can't help but feel like an unremarkable footnote in a sub-genre which peaked years ago. Why now Baz?
A largely ineffective and ponderous movie that harnesses many of the worst elements of both the horror genre and the found footage trope.
All prologue and no pay-off, but compelling all the same, this curio plays out like Diary Of The Dead with more diaries and fewer dead.
Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli helps that old dog Barry Levinson learn some new tricks in The Bay.
Levinson's film proves something pretty unequivocally - any conceit, any style, be it found footage or shakycam or haunted house or whatever, can be great in the hands of a good filmmaker.
Barry Levinson makes the point that when a top flight filmmaker takes on a beaten-to-death genre -- found footage horror -- he or she can raise the bar, even if they don't reinvent the wheel.
Faux-doc "TV coverage" device isn't the most convincing.
The film's intimate approach smartly mixes genre conventions with modern technology, and the script is just plausible enough to generate some real suspense.
... effective and entertaining and has such a different voice than most horror movies that it should really surprise audiences.
Audience Reviews for The Bay
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