The Lowdown: Gruesome and terrifying, The Bay is one of the best found-footage films I’ve come across because for once, it is about something other than paranormal crap or undead crap. Surprisingly, the subject of The Bayis eco-horror. Weird concept, right? While it uses some found-footage clichés, the tension, the pacing, the presentation, and the truly-horrifying revelation of the terror make The Bay a worthy faux-documentary.
1. The Plot: On July 4th, 2009 in the bayside town of Claridge, Maryland, a sudden, deadly outbreak of something strikes. The town is quickly infested and overwhelmed by this mysterious, fast-spreading plague, but it is unknown as to what it was and how it came to be. The incident is quickly swept under the rug by the government; witnesses are silenced and footage is confiscated.
It started like any other day...
Three years later, a news reporter speaks out about the disaster at Claridge, having been there on the day of the tragedy. Her words and the lost footage are compiled into a tell-all documentary, revealing the horrifying truth of what happened to the public.2. The Characters:Performances in The Bay are decent and pretty much up to the standard “acting like you’re not acting” as is typical of found-footage films. Since there are so many characters though, there isn’t a singular main character. Even the news reporter who is narrating can’t really be constituted as a main character since she is basically just there to tie all the various footage together. As is also typical of found-footage films, some characters do things that are just so typical of horror movie characters. Things that make the viewer go “Oh man, you are so stupid. Why would you even go further when it’s so obvious that something is wrong?” Other than those few instances, the acting is solid.
3. Eco-Horror: Nature: It’s freakin’ scary. That’s part of it. Nature is indeed unpredictable and scary, especially when it comes to the gruesome truth behind everything that occurs in The Bay. Basically, the events that occur in the film are part of something that could have been easily avoided; sheer negligence and ignorance caused the tragedy. It’s a fairly effective, if general, environmental message that the filmmakers are trying to send (don’t pollute, dispose of waste properly, etc.).Scientifically, The Bay is less sound, since the timetable of the events that occur is grossly exaggerated; no way could all of this happen so fast. Perhaps it’s useless to argue the validity of science in a movie, but the whole point of The Bayis to scare viewers using something that feels more real and preys on the greatest fears of many. I won’t spoil what the awful, disgusting truth of The Bay is, but let me just say that it is visceral and frightening. Assuming that something like it could occur in real life, the chaos it would cause would be devastating.
The Bottom Line: The Bay is tense and gruesome, and one of the best found-footage films I’ve come across in terms of pacing, storytelling, and craftsmanship. The film utilizes found-footage clichés and horror clichés, but they are effective. That said, The Bay is one of the rare films that actually got under my skin. The events in the film are exaggerated for dramatic effect, of course, but The Bay preys on something that is arguably universally creepy. If there is one horror film that will really make one’s skin crawl, it would be The Bay.
The Bay is property of Automatik Entertainment and Hydraulx. This review was written by me.
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