Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Bay Coven’

Written by Scott Edwards

When moving to a new area it is important to know what the history is. If you are moving to a place where crime runs rampant or where people like to eat people, you might want to know about it. The history of small towns is amazing and should be spread around, because most of them are places that big city folks would like to move to. But there could be something in the area’s past, like an axe welding giant, or a coven, that could put a stigma on your potential new home that could help to affect your decision. 
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After getting a promotion at work, Linda Lebon has great news to pass on to her husband, but Jerry is feeling pretty down. Knowing that he is just letting his life pass him by, he does not want to miss anything that his life is supposed to offer. Having dinner with their friends, Jerry and Linda hear about a small island community that might offer exactly what they are looking for. Getting a real-estate agent to look around Devlin’s Island for a property that they can afford, they are given one listing that might seem out of the ordinary, but it is too good to pass up.

Meeting with the current homeowner, the newly widowed Beatrice Gower, Jerry sees all of the potential for the house and even keeping the old woman on the property is not enough to drive him or Linda away. With Beatrice moving to the cabin behind the house, the massive floor plan is ready for the city slickers to make it their own. Exploring the house and finding that everything seems to be perfect, Linda is starting to think that there is something strange about the people living on the island as none of them like her dog. 

Making their way into town with their friends Josh and Debbi, the group stops at a shop and does some sneaking around in the basement only to find an old coven set up. Being told to leave, they are shocked to see Linda’s dog has been hit by a passing car. Knowing that this is no accident, Linda does some more snooping around the neighborhood and when receiving a visit from her old friend Slater, her concerns about the area become real. Not being able to find a grave on the island newer than three hundred years old, Slater makes the promise to check out what has been happening on the island but gets shot off a cliff before he can do any digging. Knowing that something is amiss on the island, Linda wants answers, but has no idea where they will lead her.

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, I miss the eighties, especially the movies. With storytelling needing to be the key focus, these older movies really do put the story front and center for the audience to get into. I loved watching the relationship between Linda and Jerry deteriorate as their time on the island moved on. Not knowing but knowing that there was witchcraft practiced on the island, Linda is able to get all of the answers that she needed from an unexpected place while her husband is willing to shoot it down and embarrass her. With some witches, lightning, strange chanting, a tormented island history and a lack of dead people, it is really just a fun story to get into overall. Not being afraid of witches in the past, I have a new-found respect for them and will need to do a little bit of checking on my family’s past to make sure I will not be recruited. Stay Scared.

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