Movie review: 'The Signal'

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1 1/2 stars (out of four)

A daisy-chain dystopia filmed by three different directors, “The Signal” combines the inconstancy of an omnibus film with the blandness of art by committee. The end result feels less like a blend of distinct styles than an opportunistic hodgepodge, a second-hand premise wedded to an attention-grabbing gimmick.

In the city of Terminus, madness has broken out, spawned by a mysterious TV broadcast that resembles an overactive lava lamp. Peaceful citizens become bloodthirsty berserkers, and minor quarrels rapidly turn homicidal. Too busy canoodling to turn on the flat screen, Mya (Anessa Ramsey) and Ben (Justin Welborn) escape the initial infection, but Mya’s jealous, brutish husband, Lewis (A.J. Bowen) is among the first to succumb to what one character calls “the crazy.” Separated by fate, the lovers make their way toward a bloody, battered reunion as the world goes steadily mad around them.

Although they differ in scope, “The Signal’s” first and last segments, directed by David Bruckner and Dan Bush, are united in their glum, seedy tone, which is mirrored by the movie’s muddy images. For the middle section, set at what remains of a middle-aged couple’s New Year’s Eve party, Jacob Gentry takes a distinctly different approach, veering away from straight horror and into blood-spattered comedy.
The shift in tone is jarring, but something of a relief as well. Bowen tones down his scowl, and Scott Poythress’ nerdy would-be hero makes far more of an impression than Welborn’s hard-headed lead. Gentry doesn’t spare the gore. There’s one revolting death, and a previously unimagined use for a severed head. But for a while, at least, the apocalypse isn’t such a bad place to be.

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