Year: 2002
Runtime: 82 mins
Language: English
Director: Michael Costanza
Rebecca goes to college; John keeps contact via video chat, but curiosity turns deadly after they contact online psychic Vera Madeline, who unleashes murderous terror. Costanza’s film, the first found‑footage horror shot through webcams, uses each camera as a tool for communication, influencing hits like Host, and ends in a shocking climax.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Collingswood Story (2002), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Rebecca Miles relocates to Collingswood, New Jersey to attend Rutgers University, renting a room in a historic house. On her twenty-first birthday, her boyfriend, Johnny Burton, gifts her a webcam so the two can maintain a long-distance relationship.
Johnny, via webcam, meets Grant Edmonds, the actor who plays Billy, and the online psychic Diane Behrens who goes by Vera Madeline, whom Billy claims contacted his deceased father.
Vera explains that Collingswood is well-known to psychics and mediums because of grim historical events tied to a secret society founded by a French immigrant named Alan Tashi. In the 1800s, Tashi is said to have murdered and mutilated nine girls—cutting out their eyes and slitting their mouths into grotesque smiles—before disposing of their bodies in a well nearby. When the townspeople attempted to seek vengeance, they found his home empty. In the attic, they discovered a wooden shaker toy but no sign of Tashi. Vera urges Johnny to have Rebecca contact her again for another session, suggesting that Rebecca is a sensitive and that she has important information for her.
Upon further investigation, Johnny discovers that the house Rebecca is living in was the site of a murder–suicide four years prior, in which a judge drowned his children in the bathtub before killing his wife and then himself. In crime scene photos published online, Johnny glimpses a wooden shaker toy. Armed with this knowledge, Johnny worries about Rebecca, who has been left alone in the house by the homeowners over the Halloween weekend. Rebecca begins to look for evidence of the supposed secret society in Collingswood. She records footage as she drives around town but is unable to locate the address of the original Tashi home.
On Saturday, which is Halloween, Rebecca again connects with Vera for a video conference. Rebecca inquires about the secret society Vera had told Johnny about; however, Vera denies having any knowledge of the matter and acts as though she has never spoken to Rebecca. Furthermore, she claims her psychic readings are for entertainment purposes only. Rebecca video calls Johnny to tell him about her call with Vera. While perusing the bookshelf in the den of the home, Rebecca finds postcards depicting a wooden shaker toy resembling the one left behind in Alan Tashi’s absence, as shown in the crime scene photos. Rebecca recalls that Vera spoke in French during one of their sessions and she begins to suspect that Vera might be a member of the secret society.
Johnny manages to contact Vera again, who tells him to get Rebecca out of the house and alludes to the fact that the secret society practiced rituals in the attic of the house. Meanwhile, Rebecca goes for a drive to get food. On the way home, she again attempts to locate the Tashi residence and manages to find it. When she returns home, Johnny tells her what Vera told him. A defiant Rebecca decides to explore the attic. Recording her endeavor with the webcam as Johnny watches she finds a secret room, where she locates a number of old photographs and occult paraphernalia. Her webcam stream is interrupted by a video call from Vera, who warns her to leave. Vera removes her sunglasses, revealing one glass eye—she explains that she narrowly escaped the cult, who cut out one of her eyes.
Vera’s call suddenly ends and Rebecca reconnects with Johnny. He watches as she attempts to flee the attic in a panic but is confronted by Alan Tashi. Simultaneously, an unknown figure emerges from the closed door behind Johnny and attacks him. The movie ends with an unknown figure taking the webcam to the wooden shaker toy, a shot of Rebecca smiling in the dark and a dead Johnny with his eyes cut out and a Glasgow smile across his face.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:52
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where everyday technology becomes a conduit for ancient or supernatural evil.If you liked the way The Collingswood Story used webcams to create a sense of intimate terror, explore these movies. This list features similar horror and thriller films where modern technology, from smartphones to social media, becomes a gateway for supernatural threats, creating a uniquely contemporary and unsettling fear.
Narratives in this thread often follow ordinary people whose curiosity or routine use of technology inadvertently opens a door to a malevolent force. The plot hinges on the investigation of a digital mystery that escalates from unease into full-blown, inescapable horror, frequently ending with the characters being consumed by the very system they relied on.
These films are grouped by their shared core concept: using the familiar lens of modern tech to create a new kind of claustrophobic horror. They tap into anxieties about privacy, digital isolation, and the unseen dangers lurking within our networks, resulting in a consistently tense and paranoid viewing experience.
Found footage journeys where the search for truth leads to inescapable, violent doom.Fans of The Collingswood Story's shocking finale and its use of firsthand perspective will find more chilling tales here. This collection features found footage horror movies where an initial inquiry spirals into genuine peril, often centered on paranormal activity or dark secrets, and concludes with a devastating, hopeless ending for the filmmakers.
The narrative pattern involves amateur investigators or documentarians who begin with curiosity but become increasingly trapped by the evil they are filming. The story is presented as recovered footage, with the climax confirming that no one survived the encounter. The journey is one of escalating dread, culminating in a final reel that reveals their gruesome fate.
These movies share a specific combination of format (found footage), narrative drive (an investigation), and emotional outcome (a bleak, fatal conclusion). This creates a cohesive experience defined by its gritty realism, mounting tension, and the grim certainty that the characters' quest for knowledge will be their downfall.
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Track the full timeline of The Collingswood Story with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape The Collingswood Story. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Collingswood Story that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Collingswood Story: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.