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The Signal

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The Signal (2007)

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Reviews Counted:67

Fresh:36

Rotten:31

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: The Signal is gruesome, funny, and has big thoughts about society, but those disparate elements fail to come together convincingly.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and brief nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Feb 22, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Much like 28 DAYS LATER, THE SIGNAL is a zombie film in disguise asking the question, "What would you do if everyone suddenly turned psychotic?" Conceived by Atlanta filmmakers Jacob Gentry, Dan... Much like 28 DAYS LATER, THE SIGNAL is a zombie film in disguise asking the question, "What would you do if everyone suddenly turned psychotic?" Conceived by Atlanta filmmakers Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush, and David Bruckner as an exercise in which each would write and direct one of three acts, the result is an experimental and apocalyptic horror tale with a for-fans-by-fans mentality that is cerebral and visceral, both disturbing and thought-provoking. In the first segment, it is New Year's Eve in the city of Terminus, and Mya (Anessa Ramsey) has just begun an extramarital affair with Ben (Justin Welborn). As she leaves his apartment, he turns on the television to witness a noisy and colorful swirl. The mysterious transmission affects all television, radio, and cell phone signals, causing normal citizens to transform into bloodthirsty killers. By the time Mya reaches her apartment, her building is littered with corpses, and her husband, Lewis (A.J. Bowen), shows the first signs of the condition, causing Mya to flee for safety. Part two is a bleak domestic comedy in which Lewis, searching for his wife, invades the home of a young couple preparing for a party only to kill several potential guests. In the final segment, Ben and Lewis traverse an intensely chaotic landscape in a race to find Mya. With this artful and hard-hitting creation, Gentry, Bush, and Bruckner, have tried to cover all the bases, right down to an amusingly grotesque RE-ANIMATOR homage in the final act. Though clearly a low-budget production (we never see destruction on a very wide scale), the film overcomes such limitations with an intensity that lasts throughout the duration, and the cast of unknowns enhances the creepiness of the proceedings. Right from its opening sequence--a creepy film-within-a-film--THE SIGNAL establishes itself as one for horror aficionados. [More]

Starring: Anessa Ramsey, Sahr, AJ Bowen, Matt Stanton

Starring: Anessa Ramsey, Sahr, AJ Bowen, Matt Stanton, Suehyla El-Attar, Justin Welborn, Cheri Christian

Director: David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush

Director: David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush
Screenwriter: David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush
Producer: Alexander A. Motlagh, Jacob Gentry
Composer: Ben Lovett, Matthew Compton, Paloma Udovic
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 10, 2008

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Reviews for The Signal

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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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I don't want to come down too hard on "The Signal" because while I don't think that it ultimately works in the end, it is far more ambitious in both concept and execution than the majority of contemporary American horror efforts

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/22/08
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

There is plenty of style but little substance in this sci-fi twist on torture porn.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

The opening two reels of the picture are masterful. Then the rest of the film happens...this picture contains greatness, but only in the smallest amounts.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com

[The filmmakers] tread close to zombie movie conventions but manage to come up with something fresh.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/21/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

a good start to the year in horror.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

An inspired low-budget horror item with a rough and tumble guerilla filmmaking flair. What it lacks is a steady focal point to rattle the viewer's interest and emotions for an hour and a half.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Plays like a trivia game for folks pleased to recognize a severed-head-in-a-vise gag from one of the most storied independent success stories of all time.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
02/21/08
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

... another low-budget effort from filmmakers who mistake cleverness for smarts.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
02/21/08
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The latest example of how creativity can make up for an obvious absence of Hollywood money.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

The Signal is a well-oiled example of that oxymoronic Tarantino phenomenon: the arty grindhouse picture.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
02/21/08
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mood of utter chaos rarely makes you feel like everyday citizens are this close to snapping.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
02/21/08
Matt Pais
Matt Pais
Metromix.com

In a movie about perception, misperception and the ramifications of misunderstanding, it's a bit ironic that the directors can't get out of one another's way.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/21/08
John Anderson
John Anderson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ultimately a crashing bore in all its dismally grainy (what passes for) photography.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/21/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Film Journal International

This Look Ma, no hands! And no head either! horror film makes a Mixmaster stew out of Poltergeist, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Re-Animator, They Came From Within, and Shaun of the Dead.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/20/08
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This uneven but impressive shot-on-digital shocker earns a marker in the mausoleum of apocalyptic horror -- a genre that's proving (un)surprisingly durable in the new century.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
02/20/08
Jim Ridley
Jim Ridley
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This isn't the definitive post-apocalyptic gore-fest some might hope for, and is more memorable for its cast of talented Atlanta-based actors ... than the talent of the three filmmakers.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
02/19/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

An early contender for the worst movie of 2008, this apocalyptic schlock-fest refuses to admit that it's just another zombie slasher pic.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 1 Comment
02/15/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The Signal has a cosmic sense of justice that's often hilarious; a sense of irony about the suggestion that we really could amuse ourselves to death.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
01/08/08
Eric Kohn
Eric Kohn
New York Press

If you're tired of zombie films or rabid people films, Signal is like a cool drink of water on a hot day. It's got all the goodness from the best of those genres while creating its own niche at the same time.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/02/08
Jeremy Knox
Jeremy Knox
Film Threat

Smart and self-aware but also disjointed and discordant.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
10/26/07
Todd Gilchrist
Todd Gilchrist
IGN Movies
 
 
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Latest News for The Signal

August 24, 2008: OtherCool.com: A bloody banquet of excessive, tasteless gore, but with an odd infusion of unsavory humor that never meshes with the horror. Think fatal car crash with a laugh track. Opens in new window
More...

February 21, 2008: Critics Consensus: Cruel to Be Kind, Vantage Has Little Point, Guess Witless Protection's Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got views to a kill, medicated youth, a pair of DIY filmmakers, and Southern justice. What do the critics have to say? More...

February 19, 2008: A bloody banquet of excessive, tasteless gore, but with an odd infusion of unsavory humor that never meshes with the horror. Think fatal car crash with a laugh track. Opens in new window
More...

January 14, 2008: Trailer and trailer review Opens in new window
More...

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