The Collingswood Story

"The Collingswood Story," told entirely through webcam footage, follows a young woman, Rebecca, who has relocated to Collingswood, New Jersey to attend Rutgers University. To stay in touch with her boyfriend Johnny, the two communicate via video chat. One night, he plays a prank by setting her up to chat with a bizarre online psychic. The psychic not only seems to know personal details about the couple, but also the dark history of the house that Rebecca has moved into—a history that includes ritual murder and strange goings-on in the attic.

Released in 2002, this film has often been compared to "The Blair Witch Project," though there is a notable difference in presentation here, as "Collingswood" is framed through online video chat. Years later, the film is something of a time capsule of an era in which wi-fi and smartphones did not exist, and webcams were a new technology. In that sense, the film feels dated, but also strangely current given that video chat has become a cultural mainstay.

The narrative arc here is quite simple, taking place over a period of a few days before Halloween, in which the two characters come to the conclusion that there is something very odd about the house Rebecca has rented a room in. There are a few amateurish flashy scare effects here and there, and the editing is at at times rather choppy, but the bulk of the film consists of one-on-one video conversations that are weirdly absorbing. The two leads manage to make the conversations surprisingly believable, and the film is very atmospheric; which is odd given that we rarely get any glimpses of the world outside of their respective bedrooms. In spite of that, there is a distinctive, chilly autumnal atmosphere that creeps into the film—the characters only seem to video chat in the evenings, and watching the conversations gives the audience the voyeuristic sense that we're looking in on their private lives and personal spaces.

Ancillary to the central plot is Billy, one of Johnny's friends who appears (also via webcam correspondence), while the enigmatic Vera Madeline is the bizarre online psychic. Her scenes are among the most unnerving, drenched in darkness and lit only by a row of candles behind her; her hair is slicked back, and she inexplicably dons sunglasses. It's just generally weird, and aesthetically unnerving. The conclusion to the film is a bit ambiguous, and though the last ten minutes are notably suspenseful, I felt a bit disappointed when the credits rolled. The end scene is very much frightening, but didn't pack enough torque to truly satisfy in my opinion.

All in all though, "The Collingswood Story" is nonetheless an absorbing indie horror movie. It's dated in some regards and wears its amateurish qualities on its sleeve, but there is something surprisingly engrossing about it in its simplicity. Through the format, the viewer is allowed access into the interior worlds of the characters, where something very unusual begins to take hold, and there is something inexplicably frightening about that. Films like "Paranormal Activity" would come to recreate a similar formula in flashier ways. 7/10.

Watched so many B rated movies and for its time (2002) I could see why this could be good. If you watch this now, you can feel that it might be dated and that you have seen this already. It was still fun seeing characters use the old internet stuff.

What a surprise this little gem is! This horror film is gripping as is unfolds and parses out the town's secret piece by piece. The setting is a old house in a small suburban town of Camden, NJ, (which is in the shadow of Philadelphia, Pa). Living in a Rutgers-Camden off campus housing apartment in Collingswood, NJ, Rebecca keeps in touch with her out of state boyfriend using her computer laptop and a internet web phone. Kudos to the kids for being so tech savvy. Online they stumble across a horrific secret about the town. Things go downhill from there. I know this town, and while the story is a fiction, the town does have history. Even though the town borough incorporated in 1888 at the breakup of Newton Township, the area was first settled by Europeans in the 1680s. Crows Park is actually Knights Park, and Haddon Avenue and Lees Lane do exist! The movie is unrated, but I would consider it PG. There are pretty intense scary scenes. Not suitable for children under 13. Great Halloween movie in the dorms.

I watched this out of pure curiosity. And I have to confess; I thought it would suck! But it's actually really good!

First off, it's very original. It's told through webcamconversations between four persons (but mainly just two of them). The whole thing is made that way, and I think it worked really good. A creative take on the "found footage" genre, absolutely. You really feel that you're watching something special right from the beginning. Sadly, I think many viewers may just turn it off because of the "cheap and low" production. Hell, I almost did it myself. This one is even more "low budget" than what we usually put that stamp on. But after 15 minutes, that doesn't matter anymore. A higher budget wouldn't even make it better, because I really feel that this is the way it should be. It makes it more realistic, like real web-conversations. There are no special effects in a real life.

A problem I have with some "found footage" movies, is the cast. If they do a bad job acting, I won't "believe" that what I'm seeing is true. And if the footage isn't believable at all, then the whole movie is wasted. However, this ain't one of those. I really liked the performances by the actors.

I'm giving it a 8 out of 10, and that it deserves. If you're into this kind of movies, and got an open mind, you should absolutely watch it. A creative peace of work.

The proof that you REALLY don't need all those millions to make good entertainment. This low budget gem has it all. A clever script, believable characters, a very good background story and it is fast paced enough for no one to lose interest in it along the way.

If you liked Blair Witch (and you will be comparing this one with it more than once) you will love The Collingswood Story.

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