5 reasons why watching Barry Levinson’s ‘The Bay’ should be your new summer tradition

By Natalie Pohorski

Here’s why I watch it every year, and why you should too. 

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1. It’s an eco-apocalyptic-mockumentary horror movie about a mysterious outbreak that wreaks havoc on a small seaside town during the Fourth of July festival. I mean, say less.

2. What better way to escape the heat than to cozy up in a cool, dark basement and watch a horror movie? (And aren’t you sick of watching Jaws? You’re right, me neither.)

3. It’s directed by Barry freaking Levinson, the genius behind at least half of my favorite movies. He came to direct this low-budget horror movie because he was producing a documentary about the issues in the Chesapeake Bay, and when the doc got scrapped he decided to use his research to make The Bay.

4. The found-footage format is so effective, perhaps because of its documentary roots. You discover what happened to the town of Claridge via a blend of news footage, security cameras, home videos, FaceTime, and webcams. Apparently about a third of the movie was shot on different devices by the actors themselves.

5. It will definitely make you feel itchy and paranoid and consider avoiding eating and drinking for the foreseeable future. But your relatives at that family BBQ will likely have a similar effect on you after a couple of Miller High Lifes and an unmarked casserole, so what do you have to lose?