Dark Signal

I was looking forward to watching this new horror film set in beautiful Snowdonia, but my anticipation soon turned to amazement as the opening scene came to a conclusion.

It wasn't amazement at the wonder of the acting and production - more amazement about how this got distribution and didn't end up going straight to DVD or whatever happens to low quality films nowadays.

Apart from a couple of exceptions the acting is awful, right from the supporting actors leaving messages on a telephone answering machine through to one of the main female characters played by Joanna Ignaczewska.

Whoever cast her must have forgotten to do a screen test with the script, because she is not suited to this film whatsoever - even though she seems to have quite a long list of film parts behind her.

The only two worthwhile performances are given by James Cosmo and Gareth David-Lloyd. Without either this production would fall further into the abyss of 'films that could have been good'.

There are numerous mistakes and continuity errors in the film for which there is no excuse, and I get the feeling the film was cobbled together to a formula rather than being a developing artistic endeavour.

The film is disjointed and it is hard to get a feeling of substance.

It is set in Snowdoina, with the rest of the characters having no real connection to the location whatsoever. Polish female lead, Scottish farmer role, and an Italian actress, and various others who must have been handily hanging around on casting day.

If you are thinking of paying money to see this either at the cinema, online, or on DVD you would be better off waiting until it ends up in the bargain bin - which it is bound to do sooner than later.

Was drawn into seeing 'Dark Signal', with as said for many films seen an intriguing and reasonably creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

'Dark Signal', simply put, turned out to be a disappointing film and waste of potential with a few fairly small positives and so much done catastrophically wrong. Not one of the worst films ever seen, not even close, but 'Dark Signal' is a classic example of how not to do a premise deserving of a film that does it justice.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and the music fits nicely and has eeriness.

A few decent twists and there is a passion for horror at times though it only comes in spurts when too much of the film is undone by the mediocre at best and often bad execution of everything else.

However, the story does feel over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their irritating and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrate. Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The acting is pretty bad to put it lightly, particularly from agreed Joanna Ignaczewska spending the entire time looking unsure and bored, and the effects are ropy at best.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, not to mention far too exposition-heavy, while the pace is uneven, dragging in a lot of the first half, which goes on forever and fails to get going, and never is it exciting after a truly irrelevant beginning. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness and the lack of tension and suspense. Too many elements are introduced, and then dropped, barely explored or don't go anywhere, sometimes even all three.

A lot of the film completely fails to make sense, both in underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations. There is a lot of choppiness and lack of coherence. The threat is poorly used and poses very little threat. The film completely peters out with an ending that felt like an afterthought.

All in all, very mediocre at best. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This British horror keeps it simple with its gripping paranormal subject in a ghostly but beautiful backdrop of Snowdonia. The remote location of this radio station had me feeling shivers from the start. The performances were all compelling and the witty dialogue between the two DJ's lent nicely to the suspense in the car scene. I did think things moved a little slow there but I was on the edge of my seat regardless. I enjoyed the classic filmmaking style especially in this scene featuring the paranormal which had me jumping out of my seat.

Overall I really enjoyed this independent paranormal horror and with its twists and clever writing, think it stands highly amongst the mainstream of its genre.

The special effects, the acting, the writing and the directing were nothing to write home about. On those levels this was probably on a par with some of the (worst) English lunch-time and early evening soap operas in the eighties. Though this is a lot more frightening and gruesome than they were.

Anyway, there are three leading characters, here; a cynical female DJ at a radio station that's on it's last show before being taken off air; her male colleague who is like a production manager at the station, and then there's a single mum who is desperately struggling to keep her head above water with the bills and rent, etc. On the same night that the radio station is airing its last show the single mum goes on a trip with her boyfriend, who is going to rob a football player's house in the countryside (not far from the radio station) because the player owes him £40,000. Meanwhile, at the radio station, they have a special guest for the last night; a top female psychic who comes in to do an interview, but they end up receiving a message over the airwaves from one of the victims of the Wedlock killer; a serial killer on the loose who's been killing newly wed women and cutting off one of their fingers for a trophy.

There you have the basics. I'm not saying anymore about what happens, but, although it's all done on a very low budget, the makers of this arranged the story and put it together very well. A rare and hard thing to do it seems, these days, in movies. I came away from it thinking that if this was made back in the eighties it may have become a cult classic; just for the sound effects, alone. I'm giving this 5.5/10 because I like how it ended...and it wasn't predictable.

wow hard to fathom how people trash this actress! i found her believable and enchanting! from scene one she conveys her disturbed mental- emotional state. she follows through maintaining a mental disturbance that's subtle and quite genuine! being an actor and director myself i think i know what I'm commenting on. she plays crazed very well and shes beautiful. perhaps the critics here are JEALOUS? The film is shot with great lighting and stark minimalism. I love the isolation! the music is magnetic and it all drew me in to keep watching! ( Netflix is enticing to switch films non stop if boring) so i stuck with this having to see the outcome. its also SEXY dare i say! i dug it!!!