Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson, known for films such as Rain Man and Diner, has curiously opted to try his hand at the found-footage horror genre, and his efforts can be seen onscreen this weekend in The Bay, which tells the story of an ecological disaster in a fictional Chesapeake Bay town.
Most of the story is told by a young reporter (Kether Donahue) who has managed to compile footage from her days as a broadcast intern, showcasing the events in horrific detail. Citizens find themselves infested with “isopods,” mutated aquatic parasites that devour their victims from the inside, and despite the quickly escalating death toll, the CDC and FEMA seem to be far more concerned with covering up their mistakes than providing assistance.
The Bay desperately wants to impart some sort of message about caring for the environment, and Levinson seems much more concerned with beating his audience over the head with this idea than delivering the sort of thrills and suspense that typically accompany the genre. There’s plenty of gore, and from a technical standpoint the film is well-executed, but it just isn’t very scary… or very good.