The Bay

Name: The Bay
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror
Released: November 2, 2012
Duration: 84 min
Rating: 65

2012

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 60 Ratings

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The Bay

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: November 2, 2012 | R

Summary: Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs. (Roadside Attractions)

Director: Barry Levinson

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 84 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Guardian David Cox

Oct 29, 2012

Levinson has always been acutely interested in the minutiae of human behaviour, and it's this concern that makes The Bay the triumph that it is. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Nov 1, 2012

This astonishingly effective environmental nightmare is based on reasoning that, if you've been following the science, seems all too possible. Read full review

Andrew O'Hehir

Nov 4, 2012

Is it, on some level, '70s-style horror schlock dressed up with contemporary gimmicks? Sure, but don't act like that's a bad thing! It's schlock with honor, schlock with a conscience, schlock that speaks to the way we live now. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Nov 6, 2012

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.

Joe Williams

Nov 1, 2012

The Bay is better than a shallow exercise, but crabby horror fans may have preferred that Levinson took a real plunge. Read full review

Karina Longworth

Nov 1, 2012

Despite a handful of legit creepy moments, the film's concern with superficial realism prevents it from really hitting home; its fuzzy, fractured depiction of disaster never comes close to conjuring the "holy shit it could happen here don't touch that doorknob" real-world paranoia of last year's artfully Hollywood-ized disaster film, "Contagion." Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Nov 1, 2012

The Oscar-winning director of "Rain Man" - whose last film, the abysmal documentary "PoliWood" never went much further than the Tribeca Film Festival - demonstrates he can make a shakycam found-footage horror movie every bit as fake-looking, clumsy and unscary as your average college student working on a $200 budget. Read full review

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User Reviews

PvtJackson

Jul 7, 2014

More than just a good eco-horror flick with documental-style direction, The Bay is a fantastic examination of the political intrigue brewing beneath the "community-interest" campaign while constantly leaving us breathless with some visually impressive elements of horror and shocking discoveries.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

calebowensmall

Jan 23, 2016

If you didn't like this movie, your taste is bad. It's a well crafted, scary and disturbing, and Barry Levinson made the film even greater. Blumhouse can't help themselves with these great films

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Panchogul

Nov 17, 2020

La historia es muy buena, la cual se sostiene con imágenes bastante grotescas y convincentes, no es aterradora, pero si un poco incómoda por lo explícita que se torna a veces, se siente lenta pero no aburrida, sin embargo, la chica que narra los hechos es menos carismática que una piedra yLa historia es muy buena, la cual se sostiene con imágenes bastante grotescas y convincentes, no es aterradora, pero si un poco incómoda por lo explícita que se torna a veces, se siente lenta pero no aburrida, sin embargo, la chica que narra los hechos es menos carismática que una piedra y el conjunto completo de la historia carece de un buen y congruente hilo conductor.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

dharma

Jun 7, 2013

Great idea, mediocre execution: a found footage 'monster disaster' flick. But despite some pretty good shocks and a great start, the whole thing feels unorganized and cobbled together, with no payoff whatsoever. It's low budget for sure and it surprisingly came from Levinson, a renownedGreat idea, mediocre execution: a found footage 'monster disaster' flick. But despite some pretty good shocks and a great start, the whole thing feels unorganized and cobbled together, with no payoff whatsoever. It's low budget for sure and it surprisingly came from Levinson, a renowned Oscar caliber director. Could have come from any young upstarts out there.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

suity_sahar

Apr 3, 2013

Decent movie. Not really scary at all actually I had only one moment where I was a bit frightened, but it was not boring either. The movie is played out through hand cameras, surveillance and even cell phone cameras. If you don't mind that, you wont waste your time on this one.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Tss5078

Aug 29, 2013

The Bay is a message hidden within a film, similar to 2008's the Happening, The Bay tells of the consequences of destroying our environment. In this film, dumping into the Chesapeake Bay has caused a harmless fish parasite to evolve into a human killer. What makes this film unique is the wayThe Bay is a message hidden within a film, similar to 2008's the Happening, The Bay tells of the consequences of destroying our environment. In this film, dumping into the Chesapeake Bay has caused a harmless fish parasite to evolve into a human killer. What makes this film unique is the way in which it was shot. The film is shot as a documentary that was posted on a fictional Wikileaks type site, and tells the story of the outbreak in a small Maryland town, on July 4th. The cinematography is made up of everything you'd see at a small town festival, camcorders, cell phone cameras, news footage, police dash-cams, and security cameras. Through a collection of footage from the day, we are told the story of the outbreak by one of the only survivors, who had to let the world know of this tragedy that was covered up by the U.S. government. The different angles and the fact that their really weren't any main characters also make this film unique. The story really isn't much, as it just like a million other horror films. Everything is normal, until people start getting sick, and chaos ensues. It's not the story or even the actors that keep you interested in this film, it's the different pieces put together in documentary form by the narrator, Kether Donohue. Without the narration, it's just a collection of web clips, but there is some interest in finding out what happened to each of the people we see and in seeing them figure out what's going on at the same time that we do. It's not a great story and there aren't any stand out performances, but the film itself is done in such a unique way, that it will be like nothing you've ever seen before. Yes, The Bay is another way of telling us about the dangers of not caring for our environment, in a story that is severely lacking imagination, but it's worth seeing, simply from a stylistic point of view.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Jazzychef

Feb 15, 2013

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

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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