User reviews

'Broadcast Signal Intrusion' is a strange movie. It's based around a character who is obsessed with a conspiracy he has stumbled upon, however we don't really understand his motives or obsession, and so it can be quite hard to stay invested in it with him. Where it all ends up actually turns out to be reasonably interesting, but we don't know that's going to be the case, and so the journey can be an arduous one.

The movie does a good job of feeling like it is set in the 90s. It doesn't just feel like a movie set then, it feels like one that was made then. It also does a good job of utilising its clearly minimal budget.

The film's biggest problem is that it is lacking a hook. It isn't particularly scary, and it isn't always captivating in its narrative, so the audience may find itself drifting along purposeless at times. It's not a terrible film, but is reasonably forgettable. 6/10.

Had high hopes for this mystery-horror. The real life BSI phenomenon has always intrigued me. The movie draws inspiration from the (still unsolved) real life 1987 Max Headroom US signal hijackings, and the 2004 'I Feel Fantastic' internet videos, featuring Tara the android. The performances of Harry Shum Jr as lead character James, and Kelley Mack as his mysterious helper, Alice, are very good. The rest of the cast are pretty solid. Jacob Gentry's direction and Scott Thiele's cinematography create a strong sense of unease. The idea of James coming to terms with a recent loss whilst at the same time tracking the source of a series of mysterious broadcasts he stumbles across whilst cataloguing archive VHS recordings is one that pulls you in. The meetings with mysterious figures offering tantalising crumbs of information along the way wouldn't be out of place in The X-Files, whilst the sense of disassociation and other-worldliness put me in mind of The Last Broadcast (1998), Banshee Chapter (2013), and Censor (2021).

But despite looking great and having an interesting hook I found it a letdown. I like slow-burn thrillers/horrors - but they need a payoff. This... kinda did, but what exactly happens and the real answer to the mystery are never explained. Some movies lead you to a place where you have to work it out. This doesn't do that; it leaves you guessing - which isn't the same thing. There are a ton of fan-theories online about what it all means, what's/who's real, what/who isn't; but they're just that - fan-theories. There's nothing that fits perfectly. And despite some strong imagery that stays with you, I was left feeling I'd wasted my time. I'm sure the director can justify every choice he made, but for me he missed the mark. Good acting, premise, and atmosphere get it a 5/10.

Don't worry about spoilers. I'm not entirely sure I know what happened.

I love obscure, ambiguous endings open to broad interpretation...up to a point. The ending here was a bit too "not sure how to wrap this one up, so...here you go." Roll credits. Or maybe it was the result of slash and burn editing. I don't know.

The lead (James) was believable and intense, and the mystery, atmosphere, and creepy imagery definitely held my attention. The music was...ugh. Distracting and, well...intrusive at times. Almost like the composer was scoring a completely different film.

I have my own theory about the ending, but this one requires a re-watch. Few horror movies warrant revisiting, but even with its flaws, this isn't one I'll forget 20min after the end credits. I'm not lazy about probing alternate interpretations, but I need something a bit more solid to work with. That being said, I will watch this one again and scour for clues. I rarely write reviews, but this one was effective as an "experience," if not as a full-fledged narrative.

If you're OK with the slow burn and can tolerate a "WTF" ending, give this one a shot. I can overlook some of the technical drawbacks if a movie is unique, memorable, and brave enough to abandon the horror formula. The cliches are here, too, of course, but this movie is miles above 90% of current horror fare.

Not enough meat on the bone for this script, seemed like a decent setup but it never really got out of the first act and failed to establish any kind of "stakes" to help ramp up the tension. Overall production values were decent and the acting fine for the most part. I suggest giving this one a miss however as even the "creepy pasta" subject-matter is unfulfilling.

Not sure what to say, it felt like I've wasted time on a incomplete mess of a movie that tackles conspiracy theories the same way a creepypasta parodies the dangers of the dark web. I'm pretty sure that this film was inspired by the ''I feel fantastic'' robot woman video that surfaced on youtube many years ago, on paper that sounds like a great idea but in reality what we have here is a movie that has nothing to be thrilled about.

I know I'm sounding harsh and someone out there probably enjoyed this and the people behind it had great ideas, but at the end of the day, I was bored, couldn't get invested in the actors and a plot that had potential but kept stumbling, slowing the movie to a snails phase.

Whew... I just this minute finished watching this. This is one of those odd films that takes many twists and turns, but doesn't clearly explain everything. First and foremost, this is a Mystery. Period. If you like a movie that really, REALLY draws you in and truly keeps you wondering what the HELL is going to happen next, this is for you.

This is one of those films where although in its execution it does come across as a fairly 'normal' movie, but as it gradually takes you down the rabbit hole, along with the main protagonist, you really begin to wonder what is behind all of this. And remember, this is all started by just a chance circumstance where this fellow whose job it is to transfer video cassettes randomly happens across this odd pirate signal in one of the many mundane broadcasts that he is copying from many years previously.

So, for such an odd, completely random event to draw him and us the audience into this mysterious labyrinth trying to find out what is going on, is in and of itself a bit of a mind-blower. Let me tell you, what happens next and the events that follow will challenge your mind's elasticity. Heh... I know I'm kind of building this up somewhat, because just the overall impact of it is so strange and unsettling. But, the actual progression of events take place, at least at first, just like a 'normal' mystery... That is, until you get to the end, but of course we are not going to talk about that 😊

The acting is okay, it gets the job done and is sufficient. Without giving anything away, I will say that I felt the fellow connected to the storage unit was absolutely THE best actor here by far. It was a small scene, but he frigg'n NAILED it! The technical merits are fine and everything as far as the actual filmmaking is done competently. It's just the frigg'n STORY that ultimately grabs you by the nether regions and smacks you around until you wonder what the HELL just happened!

I personally really liked the ultimate abstract nature of the story, even though it leaves you hanging 7 different way from Sunday (is that even an expression...?) and leaves many, MANY loose ends. BUT... for many people, I can see where like some of the other reviewers have stated in their titles here, it may just seem like 'nothing is happening' or that things don't seem to make sense. And, I can see where many probably will not care for that. But, I would say that, again, first and foremost, if you like a really intriguing mystery, and you don't mind a bit of a trip through the Looking Glass that ultimately and quite literally leaves you out on an unknown road somewhere, you might actually find this movie as unsettling and intriguing as I did.

I've just sat through 100 minutes to be given no explanation for the film's bizarre and confusing events, or indeed any sort of payoff at all.

BSI has hints of good things -a dark atmosphere and an interesting premise. But characters are introduced then disappear, and the story plods along without developing very much. We never actually get to find out the truth of why the things happened, or who was responsible.

As for the ending... well, without giving spoilers I will just say that it seems the writer ran out of ideas about to wrap things up, so they just didn't bother.

I have to admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of Signal - a movie that made quite the waves many years ago. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like it, I was just not as fond of it as many others were back then. Having said that, I imagine fans of that movie will like this too.

One thing you have to keep in mind here: the movie gives you more questions than answers. Also it provides ... well some answers in pieces - you have to put them together. So the main character is doing this - that should mean that this happened in between, right? And what about that character? Saying certain things, but is he telling the truth? Also what are those noises from upstairs? Again - this warrants multiple viewings and even then I doubt you'll be able or fully satisfied.

These broadcast signal intrusions are really real. Go look it up on google. The one I know about is the Max Headroom pirate video back in the 80's CREEPY --and that's what this movie feeds on. Following a man as he searches for 3 of these specific intrusion to see if it leads to a pattern that has mystified police in the past. Creepy fun but didn't get the ending. 6.3 out of 10.

This movie is kind of nowhere and it goes nowhere. The one thing done well in this flick is the videos that start to unhinge our hero. The videos are creepy and unsettling and intriguing. It's too bad the rest of the movie tanks. A widower who is now very alone finds reason to think there is a conspiracy, or at least linked up crimes are hinted at in a series of signal hijackings.

Becomes a nerdiest nerd of nerds, a slowdriven mysterythriller made in a forgotten genre, that only a few, especially swedish filmakers have been good at over the past deceniums since its golden age back in the 60's and 1970's. A man that goes wholeheartedly into shadowland clandestine stuff, with the risk of loosing his own life.

Its a plot that demands the viewer to be imaginative and some kinda superstitious and sub-urban in its mindset, you as the spy are given clues, but is it just bait?? The makers of this movie has done the task of stashing loads of old electronic and mechanical devices very well, giving a real feel on the timestamp. Story goes very deep into the matter, so it doesnt matter if you dont understand everything, because it is there forever and free to watch over and over again, as long as a copy excists.

The use of light and shadow and a good hand on the focus puller combined with a nervewrecking kind of brass blowers independent blow at the horn, along with pretty intense and meticoulus acting by the small cast make this low budgie pay you back in threefolds if you like the genre.

So the grumpy old man who grew up with such mysteries found a lot of excitement here, a 7 stars outta 10, a recommend.

Shum Jr is decent in the lead, but he's wrestling with a sloppy script and zero character development. The supporting cast is poor, all hammy hams. Every line is exposition - which I think is meant to be in the style of a 'hard-boiled detective thriller', but comes off as hokey.

It's meant to be set in the late 90s, but the soundtrack seems to think this is a noir movie, full of saxophones and quirky embellishments. But there isn't a single visual noir element, so it never works. Then we'll get some 70s-style psychadelic music for no reason. What a mess. The cinematography flits between hand-held and locked at random, so there is no flow. It all boils down to poor direction.

The story amounts to nothing - it's a simple procedural tale of a man investigating an unsolved mini-mystery with a bog-standard conclusion. For some reason, the movie is labeled as a 'horror', which is laughable. The VHS-style video 'intrusions' he is investigating are too hilarious to be creepy. And too innocuous. The 'crime' he is investigating for most of the runtime is the interruption of TV broadcasts. Why? Because the script says so, that's why.

It's also too slow to be a thriller. It's like an extended X-Files episode, but not one of the good episodes.

Despite '60's supernatural soap 'Dark Shadows' making an appearance or two, and a villain that looks like 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation's Leatherface, this is a very talky, turgid affair.

The film goes through all the beats of being fascinating - vaguely arthouse direction, intense performances, much grandstanding - but really, it isn't. There's nothing for the viewer to latch on to and becomes frequently incomprehensible. As a result, it seems to go on for far longer than its 102 minutes.

A couple of creepy moments exist in a vacuum but aren't enough to generate much interest. When it ends, you'll wonder why you stuck it out for so long. My score is 4 out of 10.

...and even much slower! Is Broadcast Signal Intrusion a mystery or is it horror Horror? Or perhaps drama? The film tries all of these, but in vain. I am surprised that other viewers of this film gave it higher ratings....

Now this doesn't get many good reviews and it's a bit low budget, but it makes a lot of its limitations and I do love a bit of quirky independent cinema. In fact I'd rather that that some megawatt marvel franchise rubbish any day. Plus this eerie thriller's plot ticks my box. James (Harry Shum Jr.) is a tape archivist, in the 90s... obviously. 1999 to be precise, in Chicago. He's a precise kinda person. Messy but precise, if that makes any sense. Making sense might take a while here. It's purposefully dreamy. James seems haunted by a memory, one caught on some old footage. He's lost someone. Tape archives are eerie places, they look great on camera and old tape equipment looks great too, lots of buttons to push, digital displays, stuff loading in and out. It gives the editor endless opportunities to cut and set the pace, the tone, as James works the night shift, transferring and digitising all manner of unimportant stuff. That was the thing about the death of tape. Everyone was concerned about the loss of the footage as equipment became obsolete. It needed to be saved. The truth is it was always a dodgy medium and lends itself to psychological thrillers like this perfectly. There's no surprise when the tapes James is viewing, start to break down in static and reveal a freaky animatronic face with dead eyes and a glitchy mysterious audio track. Alright it's a bit tropey, but bear with me. All the tape stuff doesn't work without some context. James is pretty much alone in his world, trying to figure things out. Particularly around a sci-fi programme that gets mentioned on one of the newsreels he's watching. From someone who works the day shift who signs post-it notes as 'L', he learns that what he's witnessed is a broadcast intrusion and he, rather inexplicably decides he wants to get to the bottom of it. Searching for a missing tape, through creepy beta-max loving geeks and endless scrolling bulletin boards. It's a bit X-files or maybe Archive 81 is a better reference, although that does get a bit more supernatural. Here though it starts a bit more mundane. It's it just a prank? Subliminal messaging? The public needing to be protected, we're in the era of video nasties after all. These facts are all fine, but it's James' unspoken issues that seem to drag him in further. Well that and his ability to play tapes backward very slowly. Before long James connects his personal loss to the broadcast intrusions and off we go. It looks pretty slick. Grimy with some great locations. There's some good score too, dissident horns and twinkly percussion. The acting is passable, but Shun is good. The story is generally solid, but does get a bit fluffy and televisual in spots. The introduction of Alice (Kelley Mack) switches things up a bit. It takes all the pressure off James, with now having a co-conspirator to add things to his crime investigation wall. It's fun, a bit twisty chase through clues and leads, with lots of retro tech, dust and muted colours. It's not overly original but it deserves better reviews than it's got. That said, it's the chase that's the fun bit. As we're near it's conclusion it does unravel a bit. James' mad obsession influencing the screen perhaps a bit too much and there's far too many threads that don't go anywhere. It feels with a little more work this could've been really great, but it's still enjoyable.

This movie is reminiscent of an internet Augmented (or Alternate) Reality Game. The acting is workable and the atmosphere is creepy, but it leaves far too much to be interpreted by the viewer. I enjoy a film that doesn't feel a need to explain everything, but this one is filled with what seem to be intentional loose and/or dead ends. It seems lazy, not edgy.

There are plenty of well written movies that are poorly executed,I and this is the opposite, it is a poorly written movie that was well executed.

TL;DR: Good atmosphere, good idea, bad writing.

How on earth anyone could rate this movie more than two or three stars is beyond me. Yes, the acting is surprisingly decent. Yes, the idea is clever and interesting. Yes, the cinematography is appropriately moody. But the story MAKES NO SENSE!

I'm a huge fan of slow indy suspense. Give me Berberian Sound Studios, give me Mulholland Drive, give me Swimming Pool, give me Cache, any day and I will pop the corn and have an engaging & enjoyable experience. What I have zero tolerance for is a script which sets up purposefully ambiguous plotlines and follows through with NONE of them. Neither should you.