The Collingswood Story (2002) User Reviews

Atmospheric Horror Film... But the Ending Ruins Everything

[cinemaphile66 · 6/10 · 27 March 2008]

Spoilers lie ahead. Proceed at your own risk...

This independent, very low budget film looks hopeful but does not deliver the goods. I simply don't understand how people can praise this flick to the skies. Did they watch the ending? It makes no sense at all. The movie is slow and deliberate in the building of mood, atmosphere, and suspense. In fact it's almost a bit too slow. The last scene is highly unexpected (nobody would guess what happens because it comes out of nowhere), but it makes the entire ninety minutes you've been watching make absolutely no sense. I hate stuff like that. It's a slap in the face to the audience. When I rented Haute Tension, which seemed like a really cool and gory throwback to 1970's horror, I was furious at the ridiculous "twist" that was thrown in during the the third act. What a cheap and stupid thing to do. What an insult to the audience. I feel the same way about The Collingswood Story. Another dumb twist that makes the entire plot lose sense of any kind. The girl Rebecca is in danger from this secret, evil cult; but in the end it is not she who is the victim. So, if her former boyfriend is the actual victim, what does that say about the whole plot? So she was in the cult all along and they were all planning this extravagant ruse to kill him? There are more plot holes here than in the Star Wars movies!

Also, this film is not shy about copying technique used in The Blair Witch Project. It's a shameless copycat, especially in the attic sequence. And the whole webcam device makes the film feel weighted down, like we're tethered to the main characters. I don't mind claustrophobic films like The Shining, but this felt like I was trapped in a computer monitor for an hour and a half. I know that this gimmick made the film extremely inexpensive to shoot (hardly any location shots or intricate cinematography). But a little goes a long way.

The film tries very hard to be atmospheric and suspenseful. After watching it alone in the dark I wasn't bothered in the slightest; it just wasn't scary... but I realize that sometimes that is subjective and personal. I like horror that builds momentum slowly, like Alien, The Others, The Changeling, The Haunting, and The Shining. These are films that take their sweet time, and slowly and delicately wrap their icy fingers around your neck. But The Collingswood Story just fails.

I must admit that I liked the fact that there was no blatant gore (sometimes I just want a scare and not a bloodbath) during the majority of this movie. And there were no cheap "jump" scares that are so prevalent in horror films today. But I just cannot endorse or recommend this movie because the ending sabotages everything. It almost seems like they had everything written (or even shot) up to the end scene, and then someone thought of John being the prey instead of Rebecca. Why??? It's one of the dumbest endings I've seen. But I have a feeling the filmmakers thought it was really a really awesome twist, even though it cancels the entire plot.

Good story, but not entirely without problems

[rlaine · 6/10 · 7 February 2011]

I caught this from Showtime after seeing the "raving" reviews here on IMDb. 6,5 average score for a low budget horror movie on a channel which shows a lot of crap got me really interested.

First hour into the movie is really good and gripping, I can't remember being this hooked on a movie for quite some time. There are basically only two characters who talk to each other with a video phone. There is no action and just a few outdoor scenes. Most of the time you're looking at what the characters are seeing, which is the desktop of their computer with the video phone screen.

It's a good old scary story delivered by a good script (for the most part) and surprisingly good acting, considering the low budget and I'm guessing amateur cast.

Even tho the story is good, there are problems. For starters, the movie looks cheap. Really cheap and lacks style, beginning from the opening titles, which looks almost as if someone made them as a joke. This doesn't matter too much tho, and it maybe even works for the benefit of the movie. The movie is dated 2002 but the computer interfaces look as if they came from early 90's or even 80's. And those screens are what you will be looking at for most of the time.

The real problem comes with the ending though. I watched it at least five times but I still don't get it. There is some nice editing and a twist, but you can't really figure out what actually happens, at least I didn't. It really is a pity, because otherwise the movie nails it.

Hats off for good effort. Catch it if you can, I recommend to those who are into stories rather than a lot of action. There may be some clues earlier to the movie which unlock the ending, but I couldn't find them. I'm giving a six and being quite generous by doing so. This would've been 8 out of 10 if the ending had made any sense.

Oh yeah, I also couldn't figure out how the video phone actually worked? It's a detail, but it bugged the geek out of me.

Not that bad

[SpicyRamenDude · 6/10 · 3 December 2021]

Watched so many B rated movies and for its time (2002) I could see why this could be good. If you watch this now, you can feel that it might be dated and that you have seen this already. It was still fun seeing characters use the old internet stuff.

Multiple viewings are a must! So much more than meets the eye!

[Shroudx · 13 January 2006]

This is my first time writing on the IMDb and I can't think of a better film to rave about. I don't intend to give the synopsis, because it's been done well enough already. I would just rather explain why I have such a high opinion of it. Something about this story intrigued me so I took a chance and ordered the DVD two years ago. It was one of the wiser things I have done. On the surface, this movie is a rather subdued (until the last 10 minutes) back and forth dialog. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a lot of talk as long as it's worth listening to, and maybe at first it may seem as if some of this talk is not. However, Mike Costanza really knows how to pull the strings. Below the surface there is a real tight woven story here and it delivers. This is creepiness on a small scale and I really wish I could find more movies like it. This gem has terrific acting and some real eerie subliminal type images, ala The "Excorcist". One part where a face appears on a wall as the scene fades out, left me wondering if I had imagined it, because I missed it the first time. The sets are true to life and you feel as if you are being invited into the whole thing as a third party. John and Rebecca are likable and after a few viewings you feel a part of their story. It's not easy to catch everything that Mike Costanza is trying to throw at you in one viewing, at least it was not for me. But after seeing it again I had a much greater appreciation for his style and effort. The ending is very satisfying but leaves you wanting more, which really is a compliment. If the word is true, that Anchor Bay intends to release this, than be watchful and grab it. For you who have yet to see it, pay very close attention when the chance arises. Watch and listen as well as you can, because there is a whole heck of a lot of story going on underneath. This really is the type of movie best viewed at night in a very quiet setting. I would love to have my friend show this at his show The Monster Mania Con. The con is only down the road from Collingswood, NJ. Good luck in finding it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sub-par effort falls short of the mark

[victoryismineblast · 4/10 · 21 January 2014]

John's 21 year old girlfriend Rebecca has moved 8 hours away to rent a room in a home in Collingswood, NJ to go to school. They keep in touch via webcam. For her birthday, john hooks her up with an online psychic, who eventually reveals that a cult used to operate in her area, and might still be in existence.

What follows are a series of web calls back and forth between the 2 where virtually nothing happens, and no suspense is built, as should be the case in this sort of movie. Rebecca uncovers some secrets about the house she is living in and the movie abruptly ends, with a mildly scary reveal.

The poster art for this movie is peppered with 4 star reviews and awards. One reviewer even says it is "The best low budget horror movie since The Blair Witch Project." I heartily disagree. As a huge found footage enthusiast I found it sub-par and lacking in any real suspense or horror.

outdated, clichéd, and ridiculously boring

[dutchchocolatecake · 3/10 · 12 April 2016]

I am normally more generous with found footage and indie movies, but this one is pretty bad. I want you to think back to all the old junior high horror paperbacks, eighties horror movies, and urban legends you've heard about. Take a bit from each one, put them together and you've got this movie - it's nothing but standard fare haunted house storytelling with the narcissistic element of being the star of your own webcam show.

It's really too bad, since some real effort was put toward making this movie. I could tell that the actors and director were personally invested in this movie. This movie is not 100% bad, but the slow moving plot and pointless personal drama make it nearly unbearable to watch. The webcam idea is great for found footage, but the fake computer screen was a terrible idea. None of the characters were well written or likable in this movie. The dialogue was written very poorly.

If I could say anything positive about this, it would be that there is no shaky camera footage to make me sick. The last ten minutes or so was suspenseful and genuinely scary. There were good sound effects and ambiance sequences were kept at a minimum.

Other than that, I really didn't enjoy it at all. I'm a fan of low budget and found footage movies, and I saw this because of all the high ratings. I thought I'd found a gem of a movie to pass on. Sadly, that's just not the case.

Save your time

[tmdarby · 2/10 · 16 December 2015]

I am a fan of B rate horror movies, but this one was a waste of an hour and a half. I don't understand where all the great ratings for this are coming from to be honest. Maybe they saw a different movie than I did.

The story was okay, and the acting was decent. However this movie could have easily been accomplished in about 10 minutes of screen time. This movie is definitely an exercise of stretching out a story as far a s possible to make it a feature length film. To say I was bored through most of it is an understatement. This movie should have been conceived as a creepy pasta 10 min movie on youtube, then maybe it would have worked.

Interesting concept, though flawed, well worth a watch.

[BloedEnMelk · 7/10 · 22 January 2012]

'The Collingswood Story' has got a lot in common with the Found Footage genre, with one little difference, it's not based on found footage but it's based on webcam and video message conversations. Still, it has that same kind of intimacy and gives it the sense of 'being real', with us, viewers, as the witnesses. It's really a nice concept, and one I had not seen before in the way it was used in 'The Collingswood Story'. It's quite a simple set-up but I liked it all the way.

So what is it about? We have boyfriend and girlfriend John and Rebecca, Rebecca recently moved to Collingswood for college. They are an 8 hours drive apart and have contact through a webcam. It's Rebecca's birthday, and Johnny surprises her with all kinds of amusing webcam nutters. The last one she visits is a psychic. When the psychic tells her that something is just not right, Johnny also contacts the psychic who tells him that Rebecca has to be careful because of the troubled past of Collingswood. Being slightly unsettled, he surfs a bit around on the net to find out that the psychic's story is based on truth, Collingswood had a history of a satanic cult and the house Rebecca lived in was once the scene of some grisly family murders. Though Rebecca is initially freaked-out, she later decides that the psychic is just playing tricks on people. Johnny on the contrary is worrying more and more.

We see the whole story evolve through the webcam contact (Rebecca bought herself a cable allowing her to take her laptop through the whole house), video messages she sends Johnny and the sites Johnny visits online.

The movie is slow paced, but it has more of a story in it than meets the impatient eye. If you for example take the time to read the websites Johnny visits, the story gets more body. So do use that pause-button on your remote control. What I like about that concept is that it gives the movie an even more intimate feeling, as you are researching sort of together with John.

Both actors did a good job, especially considering that they both lack acting experience. I found them totally believable and really natural in their roles. Both are pleasant to look at too. The psychic and John's friend Billy lacked that believability for me, but well, you can't have it all.

The bad is that the story could have been more tensed, and more could have been done with the endings. It left me with a slightly unsatisfied feeling, though I did like the fact that I really didn't see it coming. Still, it could have been done better. At the same time, the movie did hold me at the edge of my seat and I never found it boring.

All in all, TCS definitely has it flaws but at the same time it makes use of an interesting concept, it has more in it for those who pay attention, the acting is good and the end is unexpected. It's nice to see what can be done with a low budget and a creative mind.

It was a movie worth my time.

Cheap, Boring and Completely Trivial.

[damagdgods · 1/10 · 2 October 2011]

During my weekly search for unseen horror films, I happened upon this little "experiment in cinema" and after reading the IMDb reviews by some of it's viewers (almost all of which were favorable toward the picture), I decided to give it a watch.

Well, I am saddened to report that The Collingswood Story may be among the worst films I've ever seen (barring no genre). Everything about this movie was just flat poor... as a matter of fact, I am completely perplexed as to how this film received favorable reviews from anyone with at least one eye! Were the reviewers paid to leave those comments? Are they just overpraising this garbage to build-up the independent director? Did we even watch the same film?!?!?

There are more than ample pickings for things to criticize about the film, but I'll stick to the basic three: Acting, Setting, Plot...

Acting: All around, the cast was pretty stiff and unnatural. Reactions and line regurgitation were almost comical in their amateurish delivery. At no point did I ever believe the actors or buy the situation they were in whatsoever.

Setting: This film has a total of four stagnant fixed-cam sets (with exception to the long and pointless driving scenes)... all of which are as boring and unbelievable as the actors they surround. Basically, you're watching the web-cam broadcasts of four people you care absolutely nothing about and are expected to somehow be carried away in the story, taking no regard for ambient or environmental devices.

Plot: A couple separated by life rekindle their friendship by talking via web-cam that is somehow dialed with a touch-tone phone (however that works). In the process of conversing, an outside friend recommends a dial-up web-cam psychic who the couple may find entertaining and so they individually dial/connect/fax(?) her and each receive an ominous warning of a potentially fatal pairing between them... *yawn*. Yup, it's pretty much that lame throughout the whole of the movie; then to top things off, the pseudo-twist ending makes you wanna chuck your remote through the television.

So there you have it... an honest review by a person who wasn't paid to hype this hunk of trash. I watched it in it's entirety and completely wish I hadn't. If you don't believe the sincerity of this review, go watch it for yourself... but don't say I didn't warn you.

Absorbing no-budget horror

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 25 October 2016]

"The Collingswood Story," told entirely through webcam footage, follows a young woman, Rebecca, who has relocated to Collingswood, New Jersey to attend Rutgers University. To stay in touch with her boyfriend Johnny, the two communicate via video chat. One night, he plays a prank by setting her up to chat with a bizarre online psychic. The psychic not only seems to know personal details about the couple, but also the dark history of the house that Rebecca has moved into—a history that includes ritual murder and strange goings-on in the attic.

Released in 2002, this film has often been compared to "The Blair Witch Project," though there is a notable difference in presentation here, as "Collingswood" is framed through online video chat. Years later, the film is something of a time capsule of an era in which wi-fi and smartphones did not exist, and webcams were a new technology. In that sense, the film feels dated, but also strangely current given that video chat has become a cultural mainstay.

The narrative arc here is quite simple, taking place over a period of a few days before Halloween, in which the two characters come to the conclusion that there is something very odd about the house Rebecca has rented a room in. There are a few amateurish flashy scare effects here and there, and the editing is at at times rather choppy, but the bulk of the film consists of one-on-one video conversations that are weirdly absorbing. The two leads manage to make the conversations surprisingly believable, and the film is very atmospheric; which is odd given that we rarely get any glimpses of the world outside of their respective bedrooms. In spite of that, there is a distinctive, chilly autumnal atmosphere that creeps into the film—the characters only seem to video chat in the evenings, and watching the conversations gives the audience the voyeuristic sense that we're looking in on their private lives and personal spaces.

Ancillary to the central plot is Billy, one of Johnny's friends who appears (also via webcam correspondence), while the enigmatic Vera Madeline is the bizarre online psychic. Her scenes are among the most unnerving, drenched in darkness and lit only by a row of candles behind her; her hair is slicked back, and she inexplicably dons sunglasses. It's just generally weird, and aesthetically unnerving. The conclusion to the film is a bit ambiguous, and though the last ten minutes are notably suspenseful, I felt a bit disappointed when the credits rolled. The end scene is very much frightening, but didn't pack enough torque to truly satisfy in my opinion.

All in all though, "The Collingswood Story" is nonetheless an absorbing indie horror movie. It's dated in some regards and wears its amateurish qualities on its sleeve, but there is something surprisingly engrossing about it in its simplicity. Through the format, the viewer is allowed access into the interior worlds of the characters, where something very unusual begins to take hold, and there is something inexplicably frightening about that. Films like "Paranormal Activity" would come to recreate a similar formula in flashier ways. 7/10.

Boring people to death

[nelsonramatos · 2/10 · 28 November 2018]

One of the most boring movies I ever seen, not scary or thrilling at all, just plain boring and uninteresting. I would rather watch TV shop for 5 hours straight, than this.

If the goal is bore people to death, then they achieved it. If you're having an insomnia this movie will definitely fix it. Bad bad bad

Outstanding and gripping indie horror.

[gloshpit · 8/10 · 27 May 2007]

When I went to see this at the 2005 Frightfest film festival in London, it was noted that it had been compared to The Blair Witch Project. Certainly the low budget feel and final act draw comparisons, but this piece can stand alone on its own merits.

Without exposition it opens the way it means to go on, cutting between webcam participants engaged in day to day conversation. The subjects veer from the personal to the banal, but even when not setting up the scene the stylised fashion of having the actors speak directly to the cameras is a masterstroke that builds up a sense of intimacy and involvement that would never appear if it were regularly filmed. When the situation goes into distinctly darker waters this makes the viewer feel enmeshed in the danger rather than just being a casual observer.

Whilst at first it seems a little fluffy or a little slow, the use of subliminal cuts, distorted footage and strange ambient noises brings up the tension and the webcam view turns from seemingly a gimmick to deliberately restricting what you can and can't see. At the screening at Frightfest, the tension during the final twenty-five minutes or so was palpable and the stunned silence between the credits coming up and the applause was testament to the effectiveness of the film. Despite a virtually non-existent budget and few actors, the film has the power to shock.

Well made and well done

[clk264-649-716463 · 7/10 · 3 October 2022]

In the late 90s, whenever "the Blair witch" hit the world, there was thousands of found footage horror films being made left and right. As time progressed, and we started moving towards the digital age where you could video chat with people, horror films went from found footage to "screen life". I've been told that this is the first of its kind, and, I don't see why it wouldn't be.

Long before "Host" and "Unfriended", "The Collingswood Story" existed, and, the former movies ripped the storyline and shooting style directly from this film.

Is it anything that we haven't seen before, or, a masterpiece? Well, considering no one else has ever done this before this film, yes, it is.

Here we have a story of a girl on her 21st birthday and her friend/boyfriend encourages her to see a psychic via an online chat group. After finding out the history of the house that she currently lives in was once used for witchcraft, she decide to do a little bit of investigation. What happens throughout, is genuinely very well done considering there is no budget behind this movie and, quite literally everything is being done using DV and computer cameras.

Given that this film is literally 20 years old, it probably won't scare the average movie goer, but, your hard-core horror fans will definitely find the appreciation and love that it deserves.

I personally loved the cheesy aspect of the psychic, considering I was in my late teens at the time of this movie was made, and, I can tell you that it all looked a lot like that. It didn't take much to sell an image, and, there's a lot of people online doing the same exact thing.

The writing is pretty straightforward and, the actors don't seem like they are aware of their surroundings, which, makes a lot of sense considering the context of the film.

I say check it out, and, worst case scenario, you get to see how Skype was before it was Skype and then later Zoom.

Meh

[killercharm · 5/10 · 19 August 2020]

This is an FF story of a newly minted 21 year-old college student who moves into a cult house when she gets into a better college and therefore moves state alone. Unbeknownst to her the new domicile is not only historic but satanic. Her hometown beau sets her up with face chatting software and voila! Our FF is enabled. For her birthday the beau buys her a session with Vera Madeline, an online psychic who warns them both out of that house to no avail. Collingswood leaves me tepid. I was never really scared much. It was like when you take drugs that aren't really drugs and you have to manufacture the high yourself out of your own head and have to fake bonding and having fun with your pals.

OUTSTANDING!FANTASTIC!More, Mr. Costanza, MORE!

[woods_k · 12 February 2004]

I found out about THE COLLINGSWOOD STORY online, and decided to drop the $20 bones to see what all the fuss was about. And I am thrilled that I did. Sometimes those chances blow up in your face, and sometimes you get lucky, come across a hidden gem. Like this one. I was blown away, I kid you not. Oh yeah, sure, it will inevitably get comparisons made to The Blair Witch Project or The Last Broadcast. And as much as I initially enjoyed Blair Witch, after subsequent viewings of The Collingswood Story, I absentmindedly scratch my head and ask, "Blair WHO??".

The story is told completely through the lenses of webcams. Its very voyeuristic, almost intrusive, the way the story plays out. It gets going early, introducing the viewer to the lead actor and actress (great job of casting, and excellently acted!) who use webcams to communicate with one another while she attends college. After an online consultation with a psycic, strange coincidences unfold between our protaganists, and suddenly the viewer is caught up in a supernatural storyline that, if filmed any other way, would not have been quite as effective.

BRAVO, Mr. Costanza, bravo! The director, Mike Costanza, really shows and proves that a big budget and big name stars is NOT necessary to tell a good story. This micro-budgeted effort is above and beyond anything the major studios have released in the past seven, eight years. It truly defies its low budget origin, thanks to Mr. Costanza's writing, and the abilities of the films stars to convincingly play out their parts. Put this one on late at night, turn off the lights, and prepare to be shocked, surprised, and scared! A solid 9 out of 10.

The Reviews are worst than the crap I just watched.

[robdcrotts · 1/10 · 14 November 2022]

So here you have it, a girl that left town for college, a boy that is annoying as hell that likes this girl, his loser friend, and a psychic. All talking live on computers and programs from the 90s. The only horror here is their taste in music, and loser friends landfill of a room. Annoying boy simp is obsessed with the story of this town and house, and just can't help tell college girl what happened in her house, then right after she lays down to go to sleep, and he's like, "Don't think about, get some sleep"..really moron? Did I mention all annoying boy talks about is this murder crap, then finally the girl is like, ok, let's try and get to the bottom of it, and he says "I think we should just let it go" ..really moron? After watching all these people be annoying and stupid, finally, something happens with like 5 mins left, the end. People are calling this crap great, I'd hate to see your bad, don't waste your time, you've been warned.

Boring with no real plot

[bren-87576 · 1/10 · 23 November 2021]

I don't know why I wasted my time watching 3/4 of this movie. I guess I wanted to give it a chance. It was extremely boring, the actors were terrible, the storyline made no sense.

Found Footage Nonsense

[jfgibson73 · 3/10 · 25 April 2020]

This entire movie is made up of facetime calls, except that it is 2002 and Facetime doesn't exist, so they are video conferencing on their computers, which look like 1992 instead. The girlfriend has moved into a new apartment, and it turns out the house has a history of some evil activities. The twist is that at the end, the boyfriend gets killed in his home while the girlfriend smiles, with the assumption being that she somehow set him up. Except that it doesn't make sense why she would need to pretend she was in danger on the computer chat for him to get attacked. Also, I didn't really care about the characters. Not very compelling or well written.

Interesting but Not Interesting Enough

[mariya_mirabella · 4/10 · 8 October 2022]

I would say its an ok film for those who (like myself) are addicted to the found footage/ Paranormal Activity fare; though I stopped watching at one point as its so badly made. I think the idea was to make it look "vintage", but instead they made it look cheap and badly made even for the period they were aiming for. And I watch a lot of really cheaply made B-movies, so my standards are not sky high.

The story is ok, the actors are not bad, but its definitely not scary or original - nowhere near as good as re-watching Blair Witch Project or even Paranormal Activity for the tenth time. I'm very surprised by all the 10 starts reviews here, seriously? Did we watch the same film?

The story is as old as the hills - a cult, some dead girls, small American town, a clueless couple, a psychic, "don't go there", "oh my God, what's happening!". Very original. The only unusual thing is that the characters use "video phone" rather than web/ phone cams.

Johnny and Rebecca characters are very sketchily drawn and are a bit boring, their relationship is not entirely clear - they appear more like brother and sister rather than a couple. There seem to be no chemistry or physical attraction between them.

There are really good bits in the film - the paid for psychic is great, interesting and convincing, she could totally be real. Also, the bearded guy in underpants - what was that?! It was funny.

I did not hate the film, I think there was definitely a grain of something original there - shame it got lost in the boring delivery. And again - if you want to get scared, watch something else.

Entangling and clever piece of art.

[marcelovieira · 8/10 · 27 March 2003]

The proof that you REALLY don't need all those millions to make good entertainment. This low budget gem has it all. A clever script, believable characters, a very good background story and it is fast paced enough for no one to lose interest in it along the way.

If you liked Blair Witch (and you will be comparing this one with it more than once) you will love The Collingswood Story.

Those big-shot moviemakers in Hollywood have a LOT to learn with Michael Constanza.

Don't miss it!

One of the few found footage films that's actually innovative

[fathersonholygore · 8/10 · 12 July 2013]

I love horror, and I also love found footage. However, I feel the latter is not often used to its potential, and I'm always on the lookout for a film that really uses found footage in an interesting way. Finally, after looking for several years, I was able to watch The Collingswood Story. Right from the beginning, it had a creepy vibe; you get a strange shot to propel you into this vague story.

The story is essentially like any "haunted house" type deal, but it works through things differently. A young girl goes off to college; her and her boyfriend decide to use webcams to communicate, stay in touch, et cetera. Slowly, after meeting an online psychic who does readings via webcam, the couple begin to discover some strange things about the house the girl has moved into. One thing I understand about this film that people tend to not like is that there is a LOT of dialogue going on, and for the better part of the film you don't really get any big scares until getting closer to the end. However, it's the slow reveal that I really enjoyed because I was honestly floored when I got to the end, and the final 20-25 minutes gets terrifying (for me). I really enjoy any good horror story that involves cults, or weird religious sects, those type of things because it's just something innate in me that finds those things quite creepy (if done well). I really think The Collingswood Story (coming from back in 2002, especially) deserves more credit, and I think it's got to be because of distribution that people haven't seen it. I hope more people get a chance to watch it. It's really a well done film on a low budget, and for those who stick with the story, you'll be rewarded by a wild little ending. 8 out of 10, highly recommend it.

College Student's Nightmare

[pdkenny-1 · 9/10 · 30 December 2006]

What a surprise this little gem is! This horror film is gripping as is unfolds and parses out the town's secret piece by piece. The setting is a old house in a small suburban town of Camden, NJ, (which is in the shadow of Philadelphia, Pa). Living in a Rutgers-Camden off campus housing apartment in Collingswood, NJ, Rebecca keeps in touch with her out of state boyfriend using her computer laptop and a internet web phone. Kudos to the kids for being so tech savvy. Online they stumble across a horrific secret about the town. Things go downhill from there. I know this town, and while the story is a fiction, the town does have history. Even though the town borough incorporated in 1888 at the breakup of Newton Township, the area was first settled by Europeans in the 1680s. Crows Park is actually Knights Park, and Haddon Avenue and Lees Lane do exist! The movie is unrated, but I would consider it PG. There are pretty intense scary scenes. Not suitable for children under 13. Great Halloween movie in the dorms.

Very impressed

[moonpig82 · 8/10 · 15 February 2011]

I first read about The Collingswood Story when reading a review about another movie I was interested in. The reviewer mentioned this movie so I read up about it and ordered the DVD. I've just finished watching it for the first time and I have goosebumps! This is a great film. First of all if you like movies with high body counts, lots of special effects, lots of gore and a quick pace this movie is NOT for you. I like those kinds of horror movies but I find horror films like this - slow paced, not giving everything away, leaving things to the imagination - far more effective and scary. The way the film is shot through the webcams is a little strange at first but you soon get used to it. The acting is excellent, the characters are likable and even though not much happens during the first hour of the film I never once found it boring. If anything I would have liked more of a build up. The story is interesting and that toy is so creepy (if you've seen it you know what I mean!). The last part of the film while Rebecca is in the attic is very intense and what happens to John made me go cold. The only reasons I haven't given 10 out of 10 is because the sound quality isn't great. I had to have the volume right up at parts so I could hear although this maybe a fault of the DVD. Also even though I like open ended films I did find the ending a little too ambiguous and it would have been nice to have Rebecca's fate and motivations made a bit clearer. But I think a huge well done is in order to everyone involved and if you like films like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity I highly recommend this. It just goes to show if you have talent you don't need a huge budget and big star names, you can make a great film with what you have. Personally I wish more horror movies were like this and not all remakes and full of CGI gore and big breasted bimbos. I will gladly be keeping The Collingswood Story and adding it to my collection.

Low budget, but a great result!

[TheNorwegianGuy · 8/10 · 8 November 2012]

I watched this out of pure curiosity. And I have to confess; I thought it would suck! But it's actually really good!

First off, it's very original. It's told through webcamconversations between four persons (but mainly just two of them). The whole thing is made that way, and I think it worked really good. A creative take on the "found footage" genre, absolutely. You really feel that you're watching something special right from the beginning. Sadly, I think many viewers may just turn it off because of the "cheap and low" production. Hell, I almost did it myself. This one is even more "low budget" than what we usually put that stamp on. But after 15 minutes, that doesn't matter anymore. A higher budget wouldn't even make it better, because I really feel that this is the way it should be. It makes it more realistic, like real web-conversations. There are no special effects in a real life.

A problem I have with some "found footage" movies, is the cast. If they do a bad job acting, I won't "believe" that what I'm seeing is true. And if the footage isn't believable at all, then the whole movie is wasted. However, this ain't one of those. I really liked the performances by the actors.

I'm giving it a 8 out of 10, and that it deserves. If you're into this kind of movies, and got an open mind, you should absolutely watch it. A creative peace of work.

Much better than practically every Hollywood horror

[wandering-mind · 8/10 · 29 November 2010]

an online friend of mine recommended this film to me and im eternally grateful, since Blair Witch,Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity hit at the box office this genre seems to be growing and growing but whats odd is that quality found footage horror films like this one just seem to slip under the radar so to speak, it is easily on a par with Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch, in fact i found the way it built the suspense and the subtle clues it left during the films dialogue that points to an unexpected conclusion is very clever indeed, in fact if you watch it twice you truly appreciate it more, The director got great performances out of the 4 main characters and Stephanie Dees is particularly good in her role, I would recommend watching it alone as there is nothing worse than watching it with someone who demands constant blood and gore in their horror or at least 1 death every 10 mins as they will annoy you, but if you appreciate suspense and subtlety in your horror you will really enjoy this one