22. The Signal

David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, and Dan Bush, 2008

The Signal is an odd movie. On the one hand, it's an anthology, made up of three segments that were written and directed by three different people. On the other hand, it's a single story following three characters in a world where a mysterious electronic signal is driving everyone crazy. Each segment picks up where the previous one left off (often backtracking as well) and presents its events from the perspective of one of the three principal characters. The tone of the movie shifts a little uncomfortably as a result of this structure, with the first section played as a straight up horror movie, the second as a pitch-black comedy, and the third hovering somewhere between the two. This makes a certain degree of sense, though, given that the comedic (and by far the best) segment is the one presented from the viewpoint of a crazy person.

Performances are as good as you could expect from a tiny production like this. Better than you would expect, really. The effects are also tremendously impressive given the budget. All three directors manage to create a strong sense of dread and unease, which even the abrupt tonal shifts can't undo. My only major complaint is that the third and final segment is easily the weakest, and kind of drags down the momentum that they had been developing. On the other hand, it also contained some of the best individual moments in the movie, including Ben and Mya's faux reunion and the oddly beautiful ending, which kind of touched me in ways I wasn't expecting and can't fully explain. I highly recommend this one.

8.5/10