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The Signal (2007)

R  |   |  Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller  |  4 July 2008 (Italy)
6.1
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Ratings: 6.1/10 from 17,804 users   Metascore: 63/100
Reviews: 121 user | 141 critic | 19 from Metacritic.com

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.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: The Signal (2007)

The Signal (2007) on IMDb 6.1/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Rod (as Sahr)
...
Matthew Stanton ...
Jerry (as Matt Stanton)
...
Janice
...
...
...
Christopher Thomas ...
Ken
...
Laura
...
Jim Parsons (as Chadrian McKnight)
...
Sightless Woman
...
Screaming Man (as Dave Bruckner)
...
Screaming Man
John Clifton ...
Maintenance Man
Edit

Storyline

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.

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Future of Horror See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and brief nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

4 July 2008 (Italy)  »

Also Known As:

Signal  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$144,836 (USA) (22 February 2008)

Gross:

$597,420 (USA) (11 July 2014)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The train scenes in the third act were shot without permits. See more »

Goofs

When Mya and Rod are driving, the radio is clearly on as you can hear the noise in the background, yet in the shot that shows the radio, the display is blank. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Ben: What was that? That was strange.
Mya Denton: [in bed] Come back.
Ben: The TV turned itself on.
Mya Denton: [reaching out] Come back.
Ben: Okay.
See more »

Crazy Credits

About 1 minute into the credits, a video effect similar to "the signal" is shown for a few seconds, and then the credits roll on. See more »

Connections

References Irreversible (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

Straight from Hell
Written by Gregor Narholz (as Gregor F. Narholz)
Courtesy of APM Music
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Great idea + Good moments = Bad movie
25 March 2012 | by (Dover, England) – See all my reviews

There's a decent, if not original, idea at the heart of this movie, but the film makers are trying too hard to be arty and clever for it to ever really work.

Telling the story in three parts is a terrible idea. It's such a basic story that's being told that it feels more like a way to extend it to feature length than a worthwhile method of story telling. Part 1 is dark and brooding, part 2 is like a comedy and part 3 tries - but fails

  • to tie the whole thing together.




I liked part 1. It had a great atmosphere and such a feeling of dread that's it's the only part of this 'horror' movie that even approached being scary. It's also getting somewhere when it cuts to part 2, which is so tonally different that it's like a different movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked part 2, but it would have been better on it's own rather than lodged haphazardly between the far more similar parts 1 and 3.

Part 3 struggled to do something and provide a satisfying conclusion. The trouble was that this movie went from the madness caused by the signal turning people into homicidal maniacs into people who talk at random and don't know what's happening. Add the misplaced cutaways and editing tricks and it just becomes a confusing mess. The end just fizzles out and its unsatisfying, muddled and dull nature just about sums up the movie.

Having these three parts as three separate stories would have made for a better experience overall. The main story could have easily been told in Part 1, Part 2 (with a few tweaks) could have stayed the same and then Part 3 could have been a proper finale rather then the delay of something that could have happened an hour beforehand.

The best part of this movie can be found much better elsewhere. The acting was all over the place, with some pretty bad examples on show (unfortunately including a character who appears predominantly in all 3 parts)

I really did want to like this film, but I just can't do it. A nice effort, but just not a very good result.


7 of 8 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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