Do you have the crazy?
A horror film told in three parts, from three perspectives, in which a mysterious transmission that turns people into killers invades every cell phone, radio, and television.
Genre(s): Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Runtime: 103 minutes
Rating: 6.2/10 (6,778 votes)
Release Date: 22 January 2007
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: POP Films
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and brief nudity.
Director(s): David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
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Producer(s):
David C. Ballard - executive producer
Pete Ballard - executive producer: post production
Linda Burns - consulting producer
Hilton Garrett - executive producer
Jacob Gentry - producer
Alexander Motlagh - producer
Morris Ruskin - executive producer
Writer(s):
David Bruckner - (screenplay) &
Jacob Gentry - (screenplay) &
Dan Bush - (screenplay)
Cast:
Anessa Ramsey - Mya Denton
Sahr Ngaujah - Rod (as Sahr)
AJ Bowen - Lewis Denton
Matthew Stanton - Jerry (as Matt Stanton)
Suehyla El-Attar - Janice
Justin Welborn - Ben Capstone
Cheri Christian - Anna
Scott Poythress - Clark
Christopher Thomas - Ken
Lindsey Garrett - Laura
Music: Ben Lovett
David C. Ballard - executive producer
Pete Ballard - executive producer: post production
Linda Burns - consulting producer
Hilton Garrett - executive producer
Jacob Gentry - producer
Alexander Motlagh - producer
Morris Ruskin - executive producer
Writer(s):
David Bruckner - (screenplay) &
Jacob Gentry - (screenplay) &
Dan Bush - (screenplay)
Cast:
Anessa Ramsey - Mya Denton
Sahr Ngaujah - Rod (as Sahr)
AJ Bowen - Lewis Denton
Matthew Stanton - Jerry (as Matt Stanton)
Suehyla El-Attar - Janice
Justin Welborn - Ben Capstone
Cheri Christian - Anna
Scott Poythress - Clark
Christopher Thomas - Ken
Lindsey Garrett - Laura
Music: Ben Lovett
Posted on: February 13, 2008
September 1st, 2008
A good deal of modern horror films just haven't been my cup of tea. Thegenre of torture horror has come to the forefront, which to me isborderline smut. But I digress, this film is what all of those moviesaren't. This one has the full package brains, balls, and even a bit ofheart to it. The characters in the story are portrayed well, and theacting is good for an indie film. This film does implement the trend ofbreaking it into 3 parts or "transmissions" as they are called here.For a lot of films this is unnecessary, and when the film first began Ithought such was the case. Then when the big tonal shift occurs intransmission 2 you realize why this is done. I was surprised how wellit all came together at the end. To say the least I really wassurprised by this film, it does justice to the horror genre. I don'tsay this often but I would LOVE a sequel to this, it seems like thereare so many more stories that could come from this.
September 14th, 2008
"The Signal" is one of the most pleasant surprises I've encountered ina long while and I sincerely hope it'll find its way towards theDVD-players of many avid fans of horror/Sci-Fi cinema and grow out tobecome a modest cult classic. The film, co-written and directed by noless than three people, successfully combines the atmosphere ofparanoia and mass hysteria that often featured in old genre classics(like "The Crazies" and "Day of the Triffids") with the hypotheticaldangers of nowadays media and technology (like TV-sets and mobilephones). Even more ingenious is the set-up of the script, which isdivided into three separate chapters – or transmissions – that eachfeature their own unique tone and narrative perspectives. All threechapters share the same characters and story lines, but the ambianceswifts from dramatic onto blackly comical and eventually grim &apocalyptic. The wholesome of the story revolves on an unexplainedsignal that gets broadcast through communication devices and turnpeople into insane, emotionless and unstoppable killing machines. Thetown of the action is aptly named Terminus and, amidst all the agonyand confusion, a young guy named Ben is trying to safe his lover Mayafrom the destructive signal and even more so from her aggressivehusband. The first "transmission" revolves on Maya and how she escapesher mad-raving husband and her mayhem-infested apartment building. Thisepisode is sober and full of suspense that actually works! The secondtransmission is by far the most superior because it plays like anabsurd black comedy piece with some really awesome gore/splattermoments. Maya's jealous husband Lewis invades a house because he thinkshis wife is hiding there, but instead he's stuck up with adisorientated woman and her nervous landlord. They're all threepartially infected by the signal already and grow gradually moreberserk. Transmission two – entitled "The Jealousy Monster" – istremendously entertaining despite the disturbing themes. The absolutehighlight, of this episode as well as of the entire film, is thearrival of a guest who isn't even aware of the lethal virus existence.He's a pervert rambling on about sexual fantasies and he doesn't evennotice the house is piled with dead bodies. The final transmission –"Escape from Terminus" – is more serious again (with the exception of atalking-head situation) and has Ben desperately trying to reunite withMaya. This episode is the weakest of all, but that's alsounderstandable since the different story lines needed sudden closure.The final act is a bit incoherent and the climax sequence set in thetrain station makes very little sense, but by that time you've grown tocare for Maya and Ben and you even hope for an happy ending even if itfeels forced. "The Signal" boosts some really terrific actingperformances (most notably from Scott Poythress, Cheri Christian, AJBowen and Chad McKnight) and the trio of directors maintain afast-pacing throughout. This isn't the goriest film you'll ever see,but it contains several nasty bits of violence and a whole lot of bloodspurting around the walls. You might have to disregard the continuityfactor, as some corpses who had their heads smashed to pulpy piecesresurrect with their faces intact again. Recommended!
October 17th, 2008
I was jumping in my seat when I finally got a DVD of "The Signal". Fromwhat I've seen in IMDb, it advertised this under "extreme-gore". Addthat with Wes Craven's "future of horror" rant and the extremelyengaging poster where people gather together armed with garden shears,blades, chainsaws, pipes, baseball bats etc. and you can already tricka guy like me. First and foremost, there is NO Extreme-gore. "beyondthe limits" was a hell lot gorier and bloodier and it doesn't even getmentioned or receive hype. I was expecting gore all the way. The firstviolent scene came. It looked cheap."Hmm…maybe it's gonna comelater.",I said to myself. Then the second one came. It was cut forcinematic effect."Hmm… maybe it's the director's style." Then thethird one came and the fourth one… I realized that "Miami Vice" had amore violent beginning. C'mon! they labeled this under"bloody-violence" too! That's reserved for movies WITH bloody-violencethroughout(like Dead Presidents and Wild Bunch)It's such a a shame forthis could have gone a step further against the incredible beginning of"28 Days Later".That's the first disappointment.
Now let's talk about the story and lets find out if what was was sayingwas true. The plot is scary, I'll admit that. But if you're planning awide scale horror film,make sure that you have a huge budget. We'retreated here with what seems to be footage from the Watts riots. Again,it missed it's chance to beat the extremely frightening scene from "28Weeks Later" (a movie about wide scale horror with a budget) It seemsthat the producers are just looking for a quick buck, advertising widescale horror and NOT showing it.Very frustrating. At least you get avery good /claustrophobic /gory sequence at the middle of the movie.That's the only thing I enjoyed by the way. Dividing the movie underthree directors was NOT a good move.They killed the narrative! Theending doesn't make sense!Do we always have to be this "cinematic"?Can't we leave that for the clockwork oranges and the godfathers? It'sgonna be a cult hit? Why? From what I've seen, it seems that "Alone inthe Dark" is (a little) better than this film.The producers and thefilmmakers have wasted a great opportunity. What could have been agreat horror movie with a good story and graphic violence was turnedinto a low-budget mystery soap opera with violence thats a bit greaterthan an episode of CSI.and for the last time, Graphic violence isn'tbad for a movie. It can actually make the movie a little bitinteresting.Is this still horror to you??? Note: Please don't classifythis movie under movies like "Braindead" and "Beyond Re-Animator"That's like classifying "tootsie" under "toxic avenger".
October 29th, 2008
Whilst this movie has been classified as "Original". For me it wassimply a spin on James Herbert's horror classic The Fog.
****SPOILER ALERT**** The Signal……..like The Fog appears withoutexplanation and induces a form of insanity/change in perception inanyone that comes in contact with it. Again like The Fog, the result ofwhich is murder on a mass scale by regular folks against their fellowman, woman, child, cat budgie etc.
To say that the writers of The Signal have simply put their name toHerbert's work would be totally unfair. They have created a story withtheir own characters and scares.
However for me the bottom line is the same, a group of survivorsfighting their way through the aftermath of The Fog/ The Signal withthe added problem of people appearing normal but who in fact mayactually be infected. That of course is in addition to the obviouscarnage and mayhem on display.
**** Spoiler End**** So was this movie any good……..Absolutely butnowhere near as good a movie as James Herbert's The Fog is a book butdefinitely worth a look.
Additional: The first few moments of this movie had me worried (I wentinto this movie completely blind), as I thought cr@p another C budgethorror flick! Luckily after a few minutes the quality quickly upgradedto good old B standard and it was plain sailing from there.
November 10th, 2008
I finally saw it! I have debated whether I should see this film or notfor a while now. There are so many cheap and empty horror films outthere that it can be hard to tell what to watch. So if you arehesitating about 'The Signal', trust me it's worth your money.
However there are a few things you should know previous to watching it.This is an extremely raw and brutal horror film and contains lots ofcruel violence. A few films I can think of that are comparative withthe violence are: 28 Days Later, Pans Labyrinth and Audition. So, ifyou are pretty sensitive to films of the type, I suggest not watchingthis one. For those of you that aren't so squeamish, let me say, thisis one of those films that the less you know the better. So, I suggestnot reading any spoilers.
OK, now about the film. 'The Signal' has a great cast of memorablecharacters that are as likable, funny and tragic as they areterrifying. In recent memory I can't think of another film thatsucceeds so well at getting me to like just about every character inthe film. This is definitely a horror film but, because of how wellit's directed and acted it seems unfair to categorize it so simply. Thecore of the film is a drama and love story. It's not just anothertechnology paranoia film and it keeps a safe distance from clichés ofthe horror genre.
****Spoilers start here****
The film consists of 3 transmissions (or parts). The first and thirdtransmissions are very raw and intense, while the second is morecomedy. No matter how strange it sounds, I didn't feel like the comedywas out of place and allows the audience to take a break from theintense and somber tone of the rest of the film. It also has somereally great character development and lets the audience in on how 'thesignal' effects the peoples perception. I was glad that the director'sfit everything together so well and I will be looking forward to theirfuture film projects.
The only part of the film that bugged me was the chick walking aroundwith headphones all the time. However, it does contain a certain logicand serves a purpose. In the end it was totally forgiven.
This is one of the most intense, raw, funny and original horror filmsI've seen: 9/10 stars
November 15th, 2008
"The Signal" starts off like a straightforward horror film on the orderof "Night of the Living Dead" or "28 Days Later," but about a third ofthe way through, it turns into a tongue-in-cheek parody of the wholeapocalyptic-thriller genre.
It's New Year's Eve, and a mysterious, hypnotic signal is beingbroadcast on TVs and radios across the planet, resulting in a masspsychosis that turns ordinary, average citizens into cold-bloodedkillers.
This is a fun, good-natured spoof that is as creepy as it is amusing,at least up to a point. That point is passed a few times when the movieturns a little more gruesome and sadistic than it really needs to be.Yet, despite having to work with an extremely low budget, directorsDavid Bruckner, Jacob Gentry and Dan Bush do an effective job creatinga post-apocalyptic atmosphere, while the script, co-written by allthree men, employs a canny combination of flashbacks and fantasysequences as part of the narrative.
A spirited and unnerving parable about urban paranoia, "The Signal"should delight fans of offbeat horror.
December 12th, 2008
This movie starts off quite well, well-made and scary with a lot ofinspiration from 28 DAYS LATER.
Then all of a sudden 30 minutes into the movie it changes it'slead-character to another guy but not only that it also turns into a ahorrible weird mix of gore and horror and comedy.
Then after another 30 minutes a new character get's to be the lead andit becomes a notch better than it's second half but not as good as thefirst.
At the end of the day there's more bad than good to say about thissloppy mess of a movie.
February 22nd, 2009
Maya Denton (Anessa Ramsey) has a love affair with her beloved loverBen (Justin Welborn) that invites her to leave her husband Lewis (AJBowen) and Terminus City, meeting him in the Terminal 13 of the localstation. Maya decides to go back home and finds a wounded man and hisattacker in the parking area nearby Ben's house. When she arrives athome, she sees Lewis discussing with his friends Jerry (Matt Stanton)and Rod (Sahr Nguajah). When Lewis hits Jerry with a baseball bat onthe head, Maya runs to the house of her next door neighbor Janice(Suehyla El-Attar) and realizes that the dwellers of her building havegone paranoid and crazy in an outburst of violence and hallucinationsthrough the transmission and waves of television, cell phones andradios, feeling the need to kill.
"The Signal" is a refreshing horror tale that slightly uses the idea ofmass control through television and cellular of "Videodrome" and"Pulse", leaving a message about the brain damage caused by the subtlemessage of television and excessive use of cellular. The plot isdisclosed in three parts: "Transmission I: Crazy in Love", which isscary and the best one; "Transmission II: The Jealousy Monster" that isa boring dark humor comedy that does not work well in the context; and"Transmission III: Escape from Terminus" that returns to the main themeand has a good conclusion. The acting is great and the depressivecinematography gives a special climate to this good story. My vote isseven.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
March 3rd, 2009
This film has recently surfaced on DVD, and I was fortunate enough toview it twice.
My conclusion"
Acting B+/A- Script A Cinemagraphy B/B+
I saw this film perhaps at a deeper level than some, and perhaps at adifferent angle than the producers.
How often have we seen perceptions go mad? Columbine comes to mind, aman murdering his entire family because he's lost his job, a jealouslover killing his beloved?
News is full of these horror stories everyday. This was a good parodyupon the sad condition of the human mind as we know it.
I give a strong thumbs up for this unusual film.
April 12th, 2009
If you want out and out horror, then it's not for you.
If you want something original and clever, with bizarre scenarios andwitty banter, and a gruesome twist……then here it is! I watched thiswith no preconceptions, and was totally entertained throughout.
It manages to mix Bloodied gruesome horror, dark comedy and savagehumour with absolute finesse, and definitely makes you think what youwould do if you was in the exact same situation.
I will admit that the first two parts of the film were the mostentertaining, but it still didn't end with any disappointment.
Well worth watching!