CR: Signal

The effort of three Atlanta-based directors David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, and Dan Bush, The Signal follows a small group of characters struggling to survive the anarchy that follows a bizarre, mind-altering broadcast (called a ‘terminus’) that turns anyone exposed to it into a homicidal maniac.

I’ll admit that I was skeptical about this film at first since it has basically the same plot as Stephen King’s novel Cell in which a ‘pulse’ is sent out across cell phones, wiping the brains of anyone who hears it, turning them into violent zombie-like creatures (called ‘phoners’ – creepy). But I also know it takes a hell of a long time to develop a screenplay, raise money, go through pre-production, film, and edit a film and that Stephen King can write a 1,000 plus page novel in less than a year. Cell was brilliant, King’s best novel in years in my opinion, and I’ve been on my toes around anyone walking around with one of those idiotic-looking blue tooth things in their ears.

The Signal bears little in common with Cell, other than the concept of an electronic transmission turning someone into a homicidal maniac. Cell is limited to phones, The Signal broadcasts over phones, TV, radio, and probably internet. Opening with a brilliant, cheap and gritty looking sequence at a small shack in the woods, where two women try to escape from a lunatic who presumably picked the wrong day to watch too much TV or take advantage of a free nights and weekends phone plan. I got giddy at the title sequence, a grindhouse-like two-tone black and red, and felt a slight let down as the next scene in the film lacked the ‘70s horror film aesthetic of the opening sequence. My giddiness was soon on the rise again, as all hell broke loose in a mixture of gore, suspense, sadistic violence, and black comedy.

The film is divided into three segments called ‘Transmissions,’ each written and directed by one of the film’s three directors, but wisely follows the same group of characters throughout the film instead of delivering three anti-climatic vignettes loosely sewn together. It is also extremely evenly directed for a film made by three different directors. It is obvious all three were focused on making the best film possible, and not aiming to make the best ‘transmission’ possible.

Though it has the imagery of a world gone to hell familiar with the oversaturated zombie-movie genre, The Signal is not a zombie movie (and not just because of the technicality that zombies are supposed to be dead). The transmission does not turn a person totally mindless, but seems more to confuse them and release the underlying rage within their minds. For instance, a jealous and possessive husband with a violent streak is going to turn into an all-out monster when exposed to the transmission, while a more stable, mentally-healthy person is going to become confused and prone to illogical thought-patterns when exposed. People exposed to the transmission can also remain coherent afterwards. The person sitting next to you may have zoned out to an hour’s worth of transmission, appear perfectly normal, and then smash your skull a moment later, which gives the film a nice element of who-to-trust paranoia, though the audience has a good idea of who’s crazy and who’s not. It’s similar to John Carpenter’s The Thing, but instead of wondering who the monster is, you’re wondering when and who the monster is going to strike. More suspense is created by the audience knowing more than the characters.

It will be hard for the film adaptation of Cell (which is set to go into production this year with Hostel’s Eli Roth in the director’s chair) to top The Signal.