As you may or may not know, I'm not a huge fan of many found footage movies. If I'm watching them in the theater, I usually become sick because of all the shaky camera work. At home, they're just way too pristine too really indulge me. They're not Dario Argento! Anyway, there are a few I like such as Quarantine and The Blair Witch Project. I can also add this movie directed by Barry Levinson to the small list.
It's July 4th, 2009. A coastal Maryland town is settling in for some Independence Day fun and frolic. However, a pair of researchers throw a monkey wrench into the fireworks and hot dogs when they discover a huge level of toxicity in the water. In fine 70s berserk nature horror style, the mayor tells them to take a hike. Don't want to panic the citizens, now. You can guess what happens next. One by one, the citizens become ill due to a plague which causes them to become host to a mutant parasite. All this is told through the prism of a former news reporter who is able to cull footage from the police, a young couple, a girl using Face Time, the local hospital, the CDC, and Homeland Security(don't ask me how she manages this). The town is shut down and no one can escape.
What sets this movie apart from others is the suspense which builds and builds. There is a despair in this film that tugs at your emotions because you know help will not becoming the citizens' way. For a low-budget movie, the effort is there from acting to makeup to monster. Of course, since it is a low-budget movie, there's no huge climax, just a voice over explanation which made me feel a little cheated. Other than this, The Bay is an above-average entry into the found footage subgenre.
1 comment:
I enjoyed this flick myself!
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