The Collingswood Story is an interesting zero budget feature. Film making on a huge budget is often not successful. Film making on a scant budget even harder, and "no budget" features probably the hardest of all. So, sometimes embracing you limitations can mask them, and a simple gimmick can go a long way. As much as I hate comparisons, The Collingswood Story has a lot in common with The Blair Witch Project. Both are no budget films from largely unknown directors that took a gimmick and successfully ran with it.

In Collingswoods case, the film is told through webcam images, primarily the chatting between John and Rebecca, the psychic, and a little with John's best friend. Often in the background we see the cam window displayed over the persons desktop. The cameras are mainly static, though Rebecca does mount her cam onto her laptop so she can carry it around, and she films some exterior shots of Collingswood which she sends to John. There are also a few "spooky montages" here and there to keep the mood going.

On the surface these limitations sound quite tedious, but is a testament to the film making that over the course of 80 mins or so, the static process doesn't become all that boring. The actors should be commended because they don't get any of the cinematic spice to enhance their performance, no well lit close ups, no dramatic music swells. Especially impressive is Staphanie Dees as Rebecca. She comes off very natural, at ease, and fares well under such a raw staging. Also, Diane Behrens as Vera Madeline, was quite good, not overplaying what could have been another hammy psychic role. The guy playing John was also capable; his best friend was your typical "beer drinking buddy". I have seen a lot of these low key, low finance productions, and often you get a unconvincing dinner theater reject cast (IcanstilltellyourwifeBill.com), but in Collingswoods case the acting was quite good.

Altough I have to have a little sugar coating due to the limitations they faced and what they accomplished, I also have to mention the faults. Unfortunately, the meat of the film, the story itself, falls into the pit of standard horror cliché. First of all, the story is set during Halloween. We get your typical creepy new house and "don't go into the basement" business , although this time it is "don't go into the attic". Low pitch mumbling. Distorted noise soundtrack. Grainy footage of old photographs. The old dark cult hiding in the small town, something that was played out in the 70's (gotta' love the melting goat-Borgnine in Devils Rain). It also is victim of one of the most tired horror clichés, sputtering out on an unsatisfying big twisteroo finale. Seeing as how the feature is so do-it-yourself, that would leave the door open for more originality, imagination, maybe even some innovation, instead of the same old horror plotting.

The DVD:Cinerebel Films

Picture: Well, one must bear in mind it was done on such a shoestring budget. Maybe not even a shoestring, but those little plastic tips on the end of a shoestring. The movie was made with one HI-8 camera, so there is the expected amount of grain, softness, and murkiness. The actual cam footage never pixelates like it would on most computers, it is always smooth. Actually, for authenticity's sake, it might have been neat to see a pixel or two.

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0. Once again, same as above. Done without the benefit of high quality sound, so it is akin to listening to your families Christmas home videos. It is rough, but I didn't have any difficulty making out what anyone was saying. The low quality of the audio is keeping true to the films milieu, and it wouldn't be as convincing if everything was crystal clear and pumping at you with a Dolby Digital 6.1 Surround soundtrack.

Extras: Chapter Selections--- Production Notes--- Director and Cast Bios--- Trailer (:48)

Conclusion: Hmmmnnn, this is one of those times I reach a wall. Normally, I would suggest it as a rental. The replay factor is low, it's a weak story (but, to be fair, with decent acting), and the quirkiness of the film may not warrant a blind purchase. But, the film can only be bought through its official website, so I don't guess you'll be finding it on your local video store shelves. Therefore, I'll hesitantly recommend it for those adventurous indie horror fans curious about what you can do with a next to nothing budget and a little sweat and a webcam.