Lost Signal (2007)

User Rating:

3.2/10   

Director:

Brian McNamara

Writers:

Robert Egan (writer)
Graham Silver (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A new age Shining. After leaving a New Years Eve party Kevin(Santos) and Tiffany(McCoy) find themselves battling the elements as well as inner demons as they try to make their way out of the deep forest. Based on true events.

Cast

Al Santos	...	Kevin Healy
Sandra McCoy	...	Tiffany Matthews
Brian McNamara	...	Carl Nasland
Ella Joyce	...	Nancy Caulderbank
Ashley Gardner	...	Martha Harris
Anne Marie Howard	...	Sylvia Mathews
Dihlon McManne	...	Richard Mathews
Helene McCardle	...	Sandra Healy
Don Fischer	...	Mike Healy
Alex Boyd	...	Randy Martin
Kenneth Swartz	...	Ryan Addison
John K. Wilson	...	Craig McGann
John Ryan	...	Man in Store
Melissa Bylsma	...	Cashier
Billy Hayes	...	Volunteer #1

Also Known As:

Dead of Winter (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/terror, drug content and language.

Runtime:

USA:104 min | USA:96 min | Argentina:104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Pathway Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kevin goes crazy and Tiffany is on the floor, just before she hits him and starts running, we can clearly see the blade on the floor, but in the final scene, Tiffany's mother dropped the blade while picking Tiffany's clothes.

A modern day, cheaper, less entertaining version of "The Shining"

Lost Signal is a movie that has too much stupidity for it's own good and in some parts, feels like a cheap rip-off of a far superior film "The Shining". It has a fairly interesting premise, and it actually does start off rather well for a low-budget film...but this is the sort of movie you shouldn't see in a rush. Don't be surprised if you turn the TV channel early in the AM and find this on TV. It's basically an ultra-cheap TV remake of The Shining, with younger actors who are given stupid characters to play and less entertainment.

Kevin and Tiffany (Al Santos, Sandra McCoy) have just done some drugs at a friends party, and are heading home when Kevin claims to see someone in the back seat and they end up crashing their car. As they flee from the vehicle into the snowy woods and get lost, they find they might not be alone and with the help of one of their phones, they manage to call the 911 operator Nancy (Ella Joyce) several times throughout the film...but keep losing their signal - while being chased by the unknown. Hence, Lost Signal.

I was impressed with most of the acting in the movie, if not all of it. It could have been a lot worse from some of the minor characters. Sandra McCoy is great and has a likable character to work with, even if her character is a little annoying and whiny. Al Santos does a good job as the male lead, but his performance could have been better in the last part of the film. His wannabe Jack Nicholson impersonations weren't going down well and came on a little too sudden and rushed. Ella Joyce was really good as the nice 911 operator too. However, the characters were an entirely different story because, at times, the two leads are incredibly stupid. For instance, you supposedly are being chased by a killer and decide to sit in front of a snowblower to get "warmed up"...of course it's going to turn on and the killer is going to be in the vehicle! Top this stupidity off by having the male lead telling his girlfriend to run off to the trees in the middle of nowhere as he decides to let the vehicle chase him when he could easily have run away with his girlfriend. STUPID. You later find out more about this scene at the end, but it's still a stupid scene to add in.

For a low budget film, the movie does look really low budget as if someone was filming it with a regular camera. There weren't many thrills and scares, tension, suspense or anything like that. In fact, the movie felt pretty slow at times as the two characters just walk around moaning arguing with each other. The twist ending was actually quite predictable as well really, because some things don't add up in the movie and it's not a twist where the viewer should be shocked as it is predictable. Well, there's actually two twists...and I'll admit I didn't see the last one coming. I really didn't like part of the ending also, because part of the ending consists of a three minute music video with sad music and all the characters being emotional. It didn't fit! This is a horror movie, not some dramatic music video!

The movie is entertaining though, and will keep you watching. This is the sort of movie that you will see on TV in the early AM, and despite it not being a great - or even good film - it will keep you watching! Yes, it may be a bit of a modern-day rip-off of The Shining which looks really low budget and such...but it's actually a decent flick worth watching. I would say this is a movie you should definitely wait to watch on TV, or at least a rental. Purchase at your risk though!

5/10