The Signal

This movie was definitely an amazing find. I received tickets online to go to a showing at the local Magnolia theater, which only shows Indie films. It was definitely worth driving through an hour and a half of traffic to see this film. The movie turns to three different directions but keeps the plot on track most of the time. It's by three different directors who all have their own styles that work for this film. The first segment, the director does a great job introducing us to the characters and setting up the universe for us. the second director has a hilarious sense of humor that definitely show us the "Crazy" in these crazy people, and almost makes us sympathize with these killers. And the third director brings us back to the action, and takes the audience down a winding and twisting crooked road that doesn't stop until the credits start. I was so glad to hear that this was getting a national release and I hope that people will go see this and experience a truly terrifying, but surprisingly humorous, scary movie.

Kego

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.

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.

It's terrible to see a movie with a first act this good because I'm absolutely certain that if David Bruckner had been given his Georgian turn as writer-director of an entire feature you'd see a critical and commercial success in The Signal. As it is what we have is a brilliant third followed by a haphazard tailspin into mediocrity where the other filmmakers treat the source material like the film they ape at the beginning, a bad Horror movie. In Bruckner's hands this material becomes the best remake of The Crazies you'll ever see, not a zombie movie, and he does it from an objective standpoint. The other two try to probe, over explain, and choose antagonists for the audience to be afraid of when the real danger is absolutely every human being in Terminus; maybe the world. We almost had a Salo of the zombie subgenre (cruel social commentary that never backs down) but like all modern Horror it retreats back to it's comfort zone of nonsensical cliché. Too bad, this almost made Horror relevant again... Almost.

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. ***