The Bay
When a Chesapeake Bay festival becomes the epicenter of a parasitic epidemic, fragmented recordings expose both the horror in the water and the authorities determined to bury it.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gruesome
- atmospheric
- claustrophobic
- late night horror
- found footage marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an atmospheric and gruesome eco-horror that uses familiar found-footage techniques effectively, though some viewed it as more faux documentary than conventional horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The hidden film combines local news, personal recordings, official material, and other captured footage to reconstruct the Claridge epidemic.
The sickness originates in the Chesapeake Bay water system, while the crisis is tied to environmental toxicity and public failure.
Government authorities confiscate media and personal recordings in an effort to conceal the outbreak.
Cameras and everyday recording devices document sickness, panic, and deaths across the town.
Films like The Bay, and why
[REC]
shared found-footage presentation, outbreak panic, and escalating contamination horror
The Crazies
shared documentary-style horror, institutional cover-up, and biological threat
Slither
shared ecological horror, small-community isolation, and parasitic transformation
The Last Broadcast
shared faux-documentary form, environmental catastrophe, and grounded social panic
Movie Details
- Director
- Barry Levinson
- Release Date
- 2012-09-13
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (915)
Cast
- Kristen Connolly
- Will Rogers
- Michael Beasley
- Christopher Denham
- Kenny Alfonso
- Kether Donohue
- Anthony Reynolds
- Frank Deal
- Kimberly Campbell
- Lamya Jezek
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Bay about?
- When a Chesapeake Bay festival becomes the epicenter of a parasitic epidemic, fragmented recordings expose both the horror in the water and the authorities determined to bury it.
- What is The Bay like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Bay as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Bay violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Bay as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Bay?
- Critics broadly found the film an atmospheric and gruesome eco-horror that uses familiar found-footage techniques effectively, though some viewed it as more faux documentary than conventional horror.
- Which films are like The Bay?
- Films with a similar feel include [REC], The Crazies, Slither, and The Last Broadcast.
- How long is The Bay?
- The Bay runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Bay?
- In United States, The Bay streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
