The Bay
User Score
6.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 5 out of 23

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  1. Doxide
    Dec 19, 2012
    3
    This movie, like most found footage films these days, has its highs and its lows. Mostly lows. It documents a parasitic outbreak in a small town. The course of the outbreak is captured and the movie tracks several characters throughout the day. And that's it. Although the parasites are suitably disgusting and some of the scenes are quite tense, it's just not enough to carry a movie. There are no "wow" moments to really speak of. No real sense of creativity. And there is absolutely no payoff. The movie just sort of ends without any kind of resolution or finality. And to top it off, the one thing that I absolutely hated was the narrator. The girl who is supposed to guide the viewers through this traumatic event is about as lifeless as tree bark. Her monotone voice drones on and on and what's worse, she completely spoils any surprise. You see characters on screen then you hear her say "oh by the way, this person died later". Wow, way to build suspense. I say skip this one unless you're really bored and have an hour and a half to kill.… Expand
  2. Mr_Muumi
    Mar 13, 2013
    3
    The Bay carries on from where Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity left. Unfortunately it doesn't add anything new to the "lost footage"- horror genre that is already beaten to death. Characters lack depth, acting is mediocre at best, the story is inconsistent and offers nothing further to keep it interesting.
  3. Jazzychef
    Feb 15, 2013
    1
    this film gives you no characters to invest in, leaving you no reason to care about the infection or the town and its inhabitants. this is recycled material, produced poorly. shame, was looking forward to it
  4. man
    Feb 27, 2013
    0
    The trailer made this look somewhat interesting, but sadly this film was just flat out terrible! Everything about it was just so bad! The acting was awful and the writing and script was very poor, as the film jumped around all over the place to different people, making the film seem very unorganized and "cut and paste" style. You don't really give a s**t about anyone in this movie. No one is developed or invested in at all. Also, this movie was obviously supposed to be scary, but it failed miserably in frightening me at all. Sure I may hae cringed at some of the stuff in this movie, but that doesn't mean that I enjoyed it at all. I'd also like to point out that some people actually enjoyed this movie! Now I'm all for opinions and am usually pretty respectful to other people's opinions no matter how outrageous or ridiculous I find them, but what really gets me is the fact that Entertainment Weekly, a highly professional film and media entertainment magazine gave this movie an A-!!! What the f**k!?!?!? Either for some insane reason they found this movie at least remotely scary, or they're just trying to fool people into thinking that this is a quality-made found-footage horror film. DO NOT listen to them!!! Not only is this movie not scary, but it's surprisingly boring for that matter! All-in-all, this is just a bad movie plain and simple! If you don't take my word for it, just PLEASE ignore Entertainment Weekly!!! Trust me, you'll be thanking me when you do!… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Matt Glasby
    Feb 16, 2013
    60
    All prologue and no pay-off, but compelling all the same, this curio plays out like Diary Of The Dead with more diaries and fewer dead.
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  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Nov 7, 2012
    63
    Although there are some scary moments here, and a lot of gruesome ones, this isn't a horror film so much as a faux eco-documentary.
    Read full review
  3. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Nov 6, 2012
    70
    It's a small movie but an effective one, using found footage as a means to an end and not as an end in itself. More like it would be a welcome trend.
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