I’ve written here before about my affinity for the horror genre. My two favorite frightening flicks from the last ten years are 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead. The former dynamically resurrected the zombies taking over the world plot, while the latter parodied the dead rise again theme in biting fashion. Both movies took different approaches to tried-and-true ideas and offered a fresh perspective. I like films that make an effort to be original. It’s not easy to accomplish when you consider just about every story has been told a thousand times over. The Signal combines elements from the above mentioned films and the results are impressive. Creepy, gory, funny and hopeful are all words that adequately describe The Signal, which is more than enough to solidify my recommendation.

Mya is young and married. She’s having an affair with Ben. On New Year’s Eve day, the two awaken with dreams of running off together. They also wake up to the television emitting a strange, blurred picture. Mya returns home to her husband Lewis, who is suspicious of her whereabouts. She covers but Lewis doesn’t seem to buy it. He and his pals are trying to watch a game, but the television signal is still whacked. An angry disagreement ends with Lewis caving in his buddy’s skull with a baseball bat. Mya leaves the apartment; however, her neighbors seem to be killing one another for no apparent reason. She narrowly escapes the building only to find the maddening brutality has poured onto the streets. Fearing for her safety, Ben sets out to find Mya. What ensues is a fight for survival among those who are affected and those who aren’t.

If you enjoy blood and gore, you’ll dig this movie. Humans turning on humans has been done before and better, but The Signal keeps the action flowing with three separate chapters (aka “transmissions”) directed by a trio of filmmakers. The mysterious “signal” preys upon the innate fears and jealousies people struggle with daily. It invades the psyche and triggers violent tendencies. Everyone is susceptible to its affects, but those who have difficulty controlling their emotions make east targets. Lewis’ jealousy becomes magnified to the point that he is transformed into a homicidal maniac. Those, like Ben, who can decipher the signal realize it’s a trick designed to alter humans perceptions of reality. Ben says, “If we change the way we look at things, the things we see will be different.”

Working with a limited budget, the Writer/Director team of David Bruckner, Dan Bush and Jacob Gentry ratchet up the thrills and chills in this capable horror-fest. There are plenty of be-headings and spurting blood to go around and the story is mildly interesting, albeit a tad confusing. Performance wise, AJ Bowen stands out playing the deranged jilted husband, Lewis. The rest of the cast is merely okay given the limited script. Overall, the finished product is better than it probably should have been. Solid special effects and an eerie score keep The Signal from being another run-of-the-mill zombie caper. It’s definitely worth a look.

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