Signal

The Signal is one story, broken into 3 specific acts. Each act is written and directed by a different person, which is neat, but it didn't quite work out. I enjoyed watching it, but I can't recommend it.

The idea is very cool, and the first two acts are solid. The first act feels like a tense horror film, which is what I expected. The second act was very funny and had a totally different tone, which was a cool change.

The third act, however, was a total mess. It honestly felt like the writer had a pretty tenuous grasp on what they wanted the story to be. They couldn't commit to what they wanted the signal to actually do, so some people were effected in a drastically different way than every other character had been previously.

Act 3 started fine, but quickly felt forced, and confusing in a non-mysterious way. Every character becomes an unreliable narrator, and you have no idea what's actually happening. That sounds cool, but it wasn't done well, so the entire ending feels like a chaotic mess. The answers you want aren't provided, and the story you get isn't good.

Additionally, Act 3 jumped the shark when it comes to over the top lighting. Expect every moment for the last 20+ minutes to be 90% bright, blinking lights, full of quick cuts to different bright, blinking lights and loud noises.

It's terrible to see a movie with a first act this good because I'm absolutely certain that if David Bruckner had been given his Georgian turn as writer-director of an entire feature you'd see a critical and commercial success in The Signal. As it is what we have is a brilliant third followed by a haphazard tailspin into mediocrity where the other filmmakers treat the source material like the film they ape at the beginning, a bad Horror movie. In Bruckner's hands this material becomes the best remake of The Crazies you'll ever see, not a zombie movie, and he does it from an objective standpoint. The other two try to probe, over explain, and choose antagonists for the audience to be afraid of when the real danger is absolutely every human being in Terminus; maybe the world. We almost had a Salo of the zombie subgenre (cruel social commentary that never backs down) but like all modern Horror it retreats back to it's comfort zone of nonsensical cliché. Too bad, this almost made Horror relevant again... Almost.

I rented this flick hearing rumors it was good, damn was that an understatement. This movie was mind-blowing. Being an indie filmmaker myself, I was amazed at the simple creativity, style and thought that went into this gem. Being written and directed by three individuals had me a little skeptical, but it definitely worked in their favour.

First off, the begginning of the film got my attention right off the bat, It was quick, stylish and bold. The following first sequence was just as striking. It moved with lightening pace and with intensity. The middle section added some great dead-pan humour, that I found myself laughing out loud at, then literally jumping back into suspense and intensity. The last third of the film, rounded the story out in a realistic and grim style, that also stood out on it's own. I didn't want this movie to end.

The characters were very well developed throughout the story, and added to the humour and chills, slipping seamlessly from humorous situations, to the insane and horrific. The fx were excellent and not over used.

Overall, I'd have to say the story, though conceived before in other ways, worked soo damn well here because of the way it was brought about by the directors. Kudos to the filmmakers for a very sic, groundbreaking and inspiring piece of work.

From time to time, I stumble across movies that I know nothing about, and under normal circumstances probably wouldn't be that inclined to see. Even as an avid horror buff, low budget titles like this tend to slip through the net usually simply due to their lack of big name distribution.

Let's hope that with "The Signal" however, this doesn't happen.

Why? Because this movie is powerful, thoughtful and downright terrifying in its execution.

The movie opens with a young couple, Mya and Ben, in a tryst where it soon becomes apparent that Mya is married but very much not in love with her husband, Lewis.

Suddenly the TV is blasted on, transmitting a noisy psychedelic signal which is echoed throughout every other media form from radio to mobile phones.

Mya leaves Ben to return home to her husband only to find everyone going crazy... possibly even her own husband. Thrown into a violent and chaotic world, the story focuses on the three of them and the truth about their intertwining relationship as the city of Terminus literally goes to hell around them.

The film's three directors each take on board a different aspect of the overlapping narrative, with the running time evenly divided into 3 parts. Transmission 1 examines the initial outbreak and its effects on the main protagonists. Transmission 2 looks at the ensuing madness from the perspective of one of the afflicted (a very creepy concept which is notoriously tough to execute, but is worked to almost perfection here), and laces it with more than just a smattering of very black humour. Transmission 3 ties up the loose ends of the plot and weaves them all together in order that all main characters collide in a chaotic but much needed denouement.

Brutal, dark and completely absorbing, this grainy DV effort is always believable and therein lies its power. In a society where media has taken over every facet of our lives, technology is rife for abuse, and this movie exploits that paranoia to great dividends.

This original chiller is the American equivalent of "28 Days Later" mixed with Romero's "The Crazies" via Stephen King's novel "Cell".

Some visual and plot aspects may have suffered due to budgetary constraints, but therein also lies its charm.

"The Signal" will surprise, thrill and terrify. In short, another example of modern horror at its brutal and most thoughtful best.

I saw this for the first time in 2008 on a dvd which I own. I bought the dvd without watching the trailer or reading any imdb reviews. I found the poster cool n it has a very glowing review by aint it cool news.

When i saw this for the first time, i found it to be surreal n a different take on the "crazies". But aft revisiting it recently, i found it to be a bit lengthy with some irritating flickering lights n non linear approach and a not so cool ambiguous ending.

The film has lots of gore, some scary situations n a hilarious decapitated head talking scene.