The Bay

This film made me scared not because it had actual scares, but because it was realistic on so many levels! This could happen! The way it made sense was the most chilling thing about it. I went in expecting it to be another flick about some kind of a virus or a biological weapon, etc. To my surprise, it was way simpler than that and much more terrifying! Very recommended.

.. I just feel if this has been filmed in a traditional way rather than going down the found footage route, it would have been even better, although to be fair, as found footage films go, this is my second favourite, my favourite being the Brit chiller 'The Borderlands'.

There's nothing outlandish in the storyline, all seems quite plausible, and the way it's done all seems believable.

The special effects are rather convincing, and often quite gory.

Acting is first rate, and have to say watching it in 2023, seems to have given the film an added edge. Having been to a beach resort recently and seeing things floating in the water I'd rather I hadn't, it does make you wonder about our oceans.

Definitely worth a watch.

This deserved to be bigger than Paranormal Activity, in my opinion. Way more original, better writing, and an event that's not too wild to the point of being unbelievable.

Not a big fan of found-footage, but this one gets a pass. Watch it if you dare!

I liked it. Most horror movies depend on something supernatural and implausible to get their chills, but this one makes only modest science-fiction leaps from real ecological problems facing Chesapeake Bay to something truly creepy. Sure, its innocents-at-risk central subplot is hokey, but what do you expect from a horror movie? (We all need someone to identify with.) I think its use of the found-footage technique, by which it pretends to be a documentary, increases both its plausibility and its scariness. I can't judge how well or how fairly it publicizes the ecological problems facing Chesapeake Bay, but it makes for a zinger of a horror movie.

At first, when I saw that it was one of those films made with footage from web cams and handhelds, I cursed the found footage genre and was ready to be disappointed. After watching it, I must say I am glad I did and that people responsible for the low IMDb rating didn't really watch the movie.

The truth is that this is not really a found footage film, but a documentary type of horror. The premise is that some government secreted video footage has leaked to someone who montaged them in order to show "what really happened". And what happened is a biological outbreak. The film is trying to be realistic and it manages to do that, while the slow pace that some accused works perfectly for the film's ultimate and terrifying outcome.

Bottom line: I will keep this film in my permanent collection. I don't know what people that rated it 1 smoked, but it was probably infested by parasites :-) It may also have been the setting for me: a slow night with no one around, perfect for watching horror. If you are tired of dumb monster movies and boring killer in the woods crap, this is the film for you.