The Collingswood Story

'The Collingswood Story' has got a lot in common with the Found Footage genre, with one little difference, it's not based on found footage but it's based on webcam and video message conversations. Still, it has that same kind of intimacy and gives it the sense of 'being real', with us, viewers, as the witnesses. It's really a nice concept, and one I had not seen before in the way it was used in 'The Collingswood Story'. It's quite a simple set-up but I liked it all the way.

So what is it about? We have boyfriend and girlfriend John and Rebecca, Rebecca recently moved to Collingswood for college. They are an 8 hours drive apart and have contact through a webcam. It's Rebecca's birthday, and Johnny surprises her with all kinds of amusing webcam nutters. The last one she visits is a psychic. When the psychic tells her that something is just not right, Johnny also contacts the psychic who tells him that Rebecca has to be careful because of the troubled past of Collingswood. Being slightly unsettled, he surfs a bit around on the net to find out that the psychic's story is based on truth, Collingswood had a history of a satanic cult and the house Rebecca lived in was once the scene of some grisly family murders. Though Rebecca is initially freaked-out, she later decides that the psychic is just playing tricks on people. Johnny on the contrary is worrying more and more.

We see the whole story evolve through the webcam contact (Rebecca bought herself a cable allowing her to take her laptop through the whole house), video messages she sends Johnny and the sites Johnny visits online.

The movie is slow paced, but it has more of a story in it than meets the impatient eye. If you for example take the time to read the websites Johnny visits, the story gets more body. So do use that pause-button on your remote control. What I like about that concept is that it gives the movie an even more intimate feeling, as you are researching sort of together with John.

Both actors did a good job, especially considering that they both lack acting experience. I found them totally believable and really natural in their roles. Both are pleasant to look at too. The psychic and John's friend Billy lacked that believability for me, but well, you can't have it all.

The bad is that the story could have been more tensed, and more could have been done with the endings. It left me with a slightly unsatisfied feeling, though I did like the fact that I really didn't see it coming. Still, it could have been done better. At the same time, the movie did hold me at the edge of my seat and I never found it boring.

All in all, TCS definitely has it flaws but at the same time it makes use of an interesting concept, it has more in it for those who pay attention, the acting is good and the end is unexpected. It's nice to see what can be done with a low budget and a creative mind.

It was a movie worth my time.

"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.

This is my first time writing on the IMDb and I can't think of a better film to rave about. I don't intend to give the synopsis, because it's been done well enough already. I would just rather explain why I have such a high opinion of it. Something about this story intrigued me so I took a chance and ordered the DVD two years ago. It was one of the wiser things I have done. On the surface, this movie is a rather subdued (until the last 10 minutes) back and forth dialog. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a lot of talk as long as it's worth listening to, and maybe at first it may seem as if some of this talk is not. However, Mike Costanza really knows how to pull the strings. Below the surface there is a real tight woven story here and it delivers. This is creepiness on a small scale and I really wish I could find more movies like it. This gem has terrific acting and some real eerie subliminal type images, ala The "Excorcist". One part where a face appears on a wall as the scene fades out, left me wondering if I had imagined it, because I missed it the first time. The sets are true to life and you feel as if you are being invited into the whole thing as a third party. John and Rebecca are likable and after a few viewings you feel a part of their story. It's not easy to catch everything that Mike Costanza is trying to throw at you in one viewing, at least it was not for me. But after seeing it again I had a much greater appreciation for his style and effort. The ending is very satisfying but leaves you wanting more, which really is a compliment. If the word is true, that Anchor Bay intends to release this, than be watchful and grab it. For you who have yet to see it, pay very close attention when the chance arises. Watch and listen as well as you can, because there is a whole heck of a lot of story going on underneath. This really is the type of movie best viewed at night in a very quiet setting. I would love to have my friend show this at his show The Monster Mania Con. The con is only down the road from Collingswood, NJ. Good luck in finding it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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.

an online friend of mine recommended this film to me and im eternally grateful, since Blair Witch,Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity hit at the box office this genre seems to be growing and growing but whats odd is that quality found footage horror films like this one just seem to slip under the radar so to speak, it is easily on a par with Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch, in fact i found the way it built the suspense and the subtle clues it left during the films dialogue that points to an unexpected conclusion is very clever indeed, in fact if you watch it twice you truly appreciate it more, The director got great performances out of the 4 main characters and Stephanie Dees is particularly good in her role, I would recommend watching it alone as there is nothing worse than watching it with someone who demands constant blood and gore in their horror or at least 1 death every 10 mins as they will annoy you, but if you appreciate suspense and subtlety in your horror you will really enjoy this one