The Collingswood Story
First screenlife horror film, set in a video chat.
The Collingswood Story, released in 2002, is an American supernatural horror film that unfolds entirely through a computer screen. Written and directed by Michael Costanza, it stars Stephanie Dees, Johnny Burton, Grant Edmonds, and Diane Behrens. The story centers on a college couple trying to keep their long-distance relationship alive through video chats, but their lives are thrown into chaos after an accidental meeting with an online psychic leads to terrifying supernatural events. The film is recognized as the first screenlife movie because of its pioneering use of the video chat format.
**Plot** Rebecca Miles moves to Collingswood, New Jersey, to attend Rutgers University and rents a room in an old house. For her twenty-first birthday, her boyfriend Johnny gives her a webcam so they can stay in touch. Johnny, while chatting with his friend Billy via webcam, is introduced to Vera Madeline, an online psychic who Billy claims contacted his dead father. Rebecca is doubtful and volunteers to try a session first. During the video call, Vera sits in a dark room with two candelabras behind her and wears sunglasses. Rebecca gives a fake name, but Vera immediately uses her real one. Rebecca is intrigued but assumes Vera has some kind of caller ID.
When Johnny has his own session, Vera asks who referred him. He mentions Rebecca. Vera then says Collingswood is known among psychics because of grim historical events: a supernatural entity tied to a psychic's past, not a secret society. Vera urges Johnny to have Rebecca contact her again, claiming Rebecca is a "sensitive" and that she has important information.
Johnny investigates and learns that Rebecca’s house was the site of a murder–suicide four years earlier: a judge drowned his children in a bathtub, then killed his wife and himself. Crime scene photos online show a wooden shaker toy. Worried, Johnny knows Rebecca is alone over Halloween weekend while the homeowners are away. Rebecca starts searching for evidence of the supernatural events, driving around town but failing to find the original home.
On Halloween, Rebecca video-calls Vera again.
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Michael Costanza
- Starring
- Stephanie Dees / Johnny Burton / Diane Behrens / Grant Edmonds
- Producer
- Beverly Burton
- Music
- John DeBorde
- Studio
- Cinerebel Films
- Distributor
- Cinerebel Media LLC
- Runtime
- 82 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Collingswood Story began production in the year 2000, when video chatting was in its infancy and far from mainstream. Writer-director Michael Costanza developed the idea based on an old news article about a mass murder that occurred in a New Jersey home in the 19th century. Filming took place primarily in Los Angeles, California, though some exteriors were filmed by Costanza in Collingswood, New Jersey. Stephanie Dees, who portrays Rebecca, had previously appeared in a minor part in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) as a child. The film was first released on DVD in 2005 by Anchor Bay Entertainment (US).
Reader's Guide
The Collingswood Story is recognized as the first screenlife film, pioneering the use of a computer screen format to tell a horror story. In an August 2022 editorial 'The Evolution of Found Footage: A History of Screenlife Horror,' it is referred to as 'the first true Screenlife horror flick.' The film has been cited as a precursor to later horror films presented in the computer screen format, such as Host and Unfriended. It screened at festivals including Frightfest in London and received the Best Cast and Best Indie Film Award. The film was later pitched as a remake to various studios including the producers of Paranormal Activity. Its distribution included a 2006 DVD by Anchor Bay UK, a 2021 Blu-ray via Cauldron Films, and a 2022 streaming release on AMC's Shudder.
More in Found footage horror films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced