FilmRFound Footage Body Horror Sci-Fi Horror

The Bay2012

Name: The Bay
Genre: Found Footage, Body Horror, Sci-Fi Horror, Survival
Released: 2012-09-13
Rating: 5.9

“Panic feeds on fear.”

Directed by Barry Levinson

5.9

Crypt Score

Blended from 4 sources

IMDb 5.7Rotten Tomatoes 76%Metacritic 65TMDB 5.8

✍ Review

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Year

2012

Runtime

85 min

Box Office

Budget

$2,000,000

Revenue (worldwide)

$1,581,252

Domestic

$30,668

🏆 1 win & 1 nomination total

The premise

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 parasitic outbreak. Told from the perspective of those who were there and saw what happened, The Bay unfolds over 24 hours through people's iPhones, Androids, 911 calls, webcams, and whatever else could be used to document the nightmare in Claridge. What follows is a nerve-shredding tale of a small town plunged into absolute terror.

Horror Vault's take

On a sun-soaked Fourth of July in the small coastal town of Claridge, Maryland, a celebration turns catastrophic when residents begin falling victim to a terrifying and inexplicable outbreak. Assembled from recovered footage — phone cameras, webcams, emergency calls, and news recordings — a journalist pieces together what authorities tried desperately to suppress. What emerges is a visceral, ground-level account of ordinary people confronting something deeply wrong in the water around them. The Bay weaponizes the found-footage format as a cautionary tale dressed up as a chilling documentary exposé.

Content: Body Horror, Graphic Depictions Of Disease And Infestation, Animal Death, Disturbing Imagery Involving Children, Jump Scares