O Sinal

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.

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.

It took me 5 years to come across this flick. I have seen it and i must say that I liked it. It starts of in pure slasher style and you do not know what is going on. But I thought something was wrong with the DVD. I wont spoil what but after a while you will get it.

Once the flick really starts you will have 3 parts, or transmissions. The first and the last were for me the best part. The second part moves a bit away from the horror and turns into dark comedy. But still it do contains cruelty and gore.

It's that kind of flick you have to watch closely because so much is going on. You will have flash backs towards scene's and seen in from other views of characters. The acting was above average and the way it was directed I liked also. The actors aren't big names but again it's shown here that rather unknowns can deliver a good flick although Justin Welborn (Ben Capstone) isn't uncommon for the horror buffs, you can see him in Dance Of The Dead (2008), The Final Destination (2009), The Crazies (2010). AJ Bowen (Lewis) was seen in the cult hit The House Of The Devil (2009).

It isn't a flick for every horror fan but if you can take weird horrors with some dark comedy and nasty (gory) shots then this is for you. And for the Kleenex boys and girls, Ben Capstone goes full nude but seen on his back and Anessa Ramsey (Mya) comes out of bed with her bra on but without knickers.

Gore 2,5/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 2/5

Although different from anything in the recent past I've seen, the structure does work a little bit against the movie. It does in the sense, that you do get three short movies, instead of one whole. That itself wouldn't be bad, if the short movies would be more coherent with one another. But as it is, the movies have a different feel (by choice), but also different quality (not by choice of the makers and I don't mean the video quality).

The middle part is the "funniest", with the other two being more disturbing. But the "mood" change isn't really fitting into the whole thing. Not to mention, that some jokes are just plain stupid. A shame, because the overall thematic (technological horror with social commentary -> TV) is a good one. But for a first-time movie it's still pretty good/impressive.

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.