The Signal is a bizarre and contrasting horror movie that not only mixes genres but financial budgets, it's strange weirdly compelling and ultimately very different from any other horror movie currently doing the rounds.
As The Signal begins I'm strangely reminded of Quentin Tarentino's Grindhouse movie compendium (Death Proof and Planet Terror) the movie begins with a grainy image filled with watermarks, a typically 70's opening credit sequence with lurid blood red titles. Behind this entire added ambience we see a woman imprisoned in a log cabin, outside her friend and previous fellow colleague in imprisonment tries to check if a dead woman outside is okay; from nowhere a sinister bespectacled figure looms up and ends the life of the concerned woman. Suddenly the screen distorts and a deafening sound rings out, affecting not the characters in the movie but the viewer. What has just taken place has little impact on the movie but is the beginning of the signal, the signal that turns the lives of the characters in the movie from here on in upside down and inside out.
The Signal is a movie split into
three sections, the first section looks at a love story and the arrival of the said signal, both charming and edge of your seat in its suspense portion one looks at an infection sent via a television or mobile phone signal that alters the receiver's view of logical perspective. Next up and a strangely comedic instalment finds a woman and her husband preparing for a New Year's party, the effect of the Signal bringing the characters from story one into this mid section. Then the third portion picks up the love story and the horror of the opening and takes us to a final climax, with an initially disturbing false ending.
What lets The Signal down is the fact that the three pieces of the movie seem to have been assembled by three different budgets; the first section is high budget, the second low budget, while the third uses a medium budget, or this is at least how it looks. The second factor is that with the exception of two of the actors (neither having names that will necessarily inspire you) the remainder of the cast look like cheap extras the sort you might find in many a low budget offering on the Horror channel. Low budget is fine but The Signal is placing itself on a higher plateau its saying I'm every bit as big as Hostel, The Ring, and Silent Hill. With these two points being raised and firmly planted on the table from here on out its all good.
The Signal is somewhat like a zombie movie in the way its disease spreads, the difference being that this time it's mental not anything to do with being dead, the victims of The Signal are one minute fine the next disturbed and maddened by its effects, The Signal giving its recipient often a false sense of perspective, they might look at someone and see somebody very different from who is actually there. For example one of the main characters Lewis (AJ Bowen) looks at Laura (Lindsay Garrett), but does not see Laura he in fact sees his wife Mya (Anessa Ramsey).
The story follows Mya and Ben (Justin Welborn) a couple having an affair who desperately wants to be together, these is where the love story comes from. And the movies main mission other than to tell you about the dangers of all the signals being sent around the world, is effectively this love story as Mya and Ben separated at the start of the movie fight desperately to be reunited as the world around them goes mad and tries to kill each other.
Blood and gore is fairly low level although there is a rather striking decapitation a third of the way through the movie. The horror of The Signal being more suggested than visceral, there is no need for gore when you can mentally disturb your audience, and I personally believe those less familiar with the world of horror movies might just find the Signal itself disturbing enough.
Our two main leads in the form of Welborn (Ben) and Ramsey (Mya) do an okay job, they hold it together fine; granted these are not and are unlikely to be big league players but they look reasonable. Both seem well matched nothing more annoying in a cheaper movie than a couple who obviously don't look like a couple, these do so the casting crew have done a good job. In fact the flaws really that you have for the two are scripted issues, Mya while the world is being slaughtered around her has this habit of walking around with headphones on playing loud music, I mean if over half the people you encounter are going to be vicious killers the last thing you want to be doing is creating a noise block between you and a potential killer. After starting strong, the scrip kind of peters out for Ben, going from being strong to underdog then strong again to a certain level.
Flaws and positive issue balanced I would watch The Signal again; it's the first really unique looking horror movie from US shores I have seen for a good while (I have seen other good US horror's recently but they play with old ideas) The Signal is very different, if you can deal with the old spiralling budget, or at least that's how it appears, you might just enjoy this.
The Signal has recently screened at a couple of UK festivals, the producers are trying to gauge audience reaction to decide how to release the movie UK wide, if a full launch is not achieved the movie gets a DVD release on 13th November.
Spencer Hawken 05/08
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great review! I just didnt really like Hostel so I dont think I'd liek this either.
bonsi6337 17.05.2008 11:55
Another superb review. I would actually sit down and watch this now, whereas before the title would have put me off completely. Di x
jesi 17.05.2008 02:09
l think you are right ~ in a review, l am writing for the non-member 'prospective buyer' consumer ~ whereas, when l comment, l am reacting to the member and member's ideas, adding additional perspective for the non-member who gets this far, but not needing to present any ideas to balance the picture but my own ~~~ the signal is obviously affecting my perception
. . . . ~ ! ♥♥ ! ~ ........................................................... ~ jes ~ ! ♥♥ !
Advantages: Feel-good drama, well-executed idea, the DVD has extras that enhance enjoyment of the film Disadvantages: The audio commentary is not mentioned on the box
EnglishPatient 24.01.2001 (24.01.2001)
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