3 out of 5

Directors: Jacob Gentry, David Bruckner

This is one of those good in conception, disappointing in execution affairs. The signal is mostly a horror/thriller about the world going crazy and two lovebirds trying to reunite amidst the madness. The spin is that kids are going nuts thanks to a mass broadcast signal, and the three writer/directors decided to split the movie up into three portions, each helmed by one director, and each a tribute to a specific genre. Unfortunately, what could have been an exciting kick of a film is hindered by its own ploy. Instead of breaking the film up into three separate stories with a shared framework (as would have made sense with the three directors), it is instead one storyline, rendering this shifts in style sort of pointless. The movie pretends to break away in the second transmission, but soon one of the main characters from story one shows up and the film just starts dragging slower and slower from then on. The function of the signal itself is also sort of grating, as it behaves in either incredibly vague or incredibly specific ways depending on the needs of the plot. Not unwatchable, The Signal is entertaining enough, just disappointing in terms of what it might have been. Kudos for some great gore effects and camera work on a small budget.