The Signal

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

This bizarre little horror film that appears to have come out of nowhere seems, judging by it's style and appearance, to be a homage to the grainy 1970s horror flicks from the likes of Dario Argento or other such luminaries. Playing out in various acts (i.e. Act I: Transmission and such...) maybe the feeling isn't so much homage as one of trying to be clever and post ironic, but either way the film has the feeling of a particular type of grainy horror flick.

The driving force seems to be AJ Bowen's possessive husband, tracking his unfaithful spouse (Anessa Ramsey) after being driven mad by a twisted transmission in the tellys, leading to a whole succession of mad plot twists, until saviour (hopefully) arrives in the form of Justin Welborn's more rational bit on the side. There's plenty of blood splattered violence on display, some of it seriously pushing the boundaries, but all done with a noticeable and decent tongue in the cheek that balances it all out. The plot alone is complicated and, yes clever enough that at least two viewings would be a good idea. While this doesn't manage to be a classic of any kind, it more than makes for a rewarding enough horror flick. ***

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.

This movie could have been amazing. The premise was one that hasn't been done to death, the first section was exciting and full of tension... and then it becomes a mess.

This film is split into 3 for some unknown reason and unfortunately this not only breaks the tension and flow, it also changes the tone entirely. Had the film continued in the vein of the first segment, it would have been brilliant, but by the halfway point I was wishing for it to end.

The cast are good, the idea is great...unfortunately the execution tailed off into a disappointing mess that I no longer cared about and wanted to end. There is something incredibly sad about so much promise coming to nothing.

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.