The Signal (2008) 6/10

The Signal is yet another film heavily hyped in horror mags that I knew I just had to check out. Turns out, its uneven and disappointing.

The Signal is about a television broadcast that takes over your mind, turning the viewer into a delusional homicidal maniac. The film was written and directed by three separate people with the intention of making the film into three vignettes, or transmissions as they're called in the film, that are interconnected with each other.

So it sounds like a really cool idea right? Personally I love horror films that comment on our society rather then just simply go with the tried and true zombie kill fest. The unique plot is to be commended for sure. The problem is that because each director has a unique style and emotion that he's trying to convey but each transmission includes the same characters so the overall effect is rather jarring. First we're in an intolerable angsty crapfest that almost killed the whole film for me, then suddenly we're in a dry black comedy/horror and finally we arrive on a tension filled action fest. So the transmissions don't exactly flow well together, especially since the characters personalities change in each transmission. It seems that just as I got used to the current transmission, it changed to the next one. Another beef I have with the film is the fact that each time the transmission changes to the next one, the film stops on a still image with Transmission 2 or 3 written on it, and then the film continues. This stops the film cold and destroys the momentum of the film. That being said the film is at turns weepy, funny, and shocking. The characterization in the first transmission was so bad i almost shut the movie off, but then the second transmission doesn't take itself seriously and just has fun with the subject matter. And then we're back to being serious but more believable in the third transmission.

The bottom line is that The Signal is an uneven film that shows promise but never really captures it. The first transmission is filled with unlikable characters whose actions are completely unbelievable for the most part. The second transmission is entertaining and fun and the third is an ok conclusion to it all. I think these guys should have been on the same page better, or each segment should have been a short film in itself. Using the same characters throughout was a mistake. Check it out if the synopsis intrigues you.

Gore - medium

Nudity - none (well, one dude's butt)

Overall - 6/10