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"Do you have the crazy?"
-- Rod (as played by Sahr Ngaujah)
-- Rod (as played by Sahr Ngaujah)
I think some of the very best Science Fiction and Fantasy stories ever have toyed directly with the unseen assault that technology has on our bodies.
All one need do these days is consult Google for the plethora of theories (conspiracy or not) worldwide on what the exposure of implementing 5G technology could be doing to ourselves. Heck, go back a few centuries, and even some inspired writing was focused on what the advent of any other new (back then) but relatively primative (based on today's standards) machinery would have on subsequent generations. Even a tale as timeless as H.G. Wells' The Time Machine was -- in some ways -- more about the dangers of using it (what we learned of ourselves) than it was anything else, so storytellers have certainly invested in this kind of creative extrapolation whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Lo and behold, 2007's The Signal kinda/sorta did much of the same -- via its Horror construct -- by featuring residents exposed to a silent but deadly frequency that caused confusion if not downright madness as a result. If you think about it, confusion might push any of us toward the direction of doing something dangerous, but madness? Well, as you can guess, that had this film's characters teetering on the brink of actions quite deadly. Essentially, this signal induced an unimaginable level of paranoia, and the players engaged in all kinds of nasty business as a consequence of exposure.
Written and directed by the team of David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry, the Horror/Fantasy starred Anessa Ramsey, Justin Welborn, Scott Poythress, Sahr Ngaujah, and AJ Bowen. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"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."
All one need do these days is consult Google for the plethora of theories (conspiracy or not) worldwide on what the exposure of implementing 5G technology could be doing to ourselves. Heck, go back a few centuries, and even some inspired writing was focused on what the advent of any other new (back then) but relatively primative (based on today's standards) machinery would have on subsequent generations. Even a tale as timeless as H.G. Wells' The Time Machine was -- in some ways -- more about the dangers of using it (what we learned of ourselves) than it was anything else, so storytellers have certainly invested in this kind of creative extrapolation whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Lo and behold, 2007's The Signal kinda/sorta did much of the same -- via its Horror construct -- by featuring residents exposed to a silent but deadly frequency that caused confusion if not downright madness as a result. If you think about it, confusion might push any of us toward the direction of doing something dangerous, but madness? Well, as you can guess, that had this film's characters teetering on the brink of actions quite deadly. Essentially, this signal induced an unimaginable level of paranoia, and the players engaged in all kinds of nasty business as a consequence of exposure.
Written and directed by the team of David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry, the Horror/Fantasy starred Anessa Ramsey, Justin Welborn, Scott Poythress, Sahr Ngaujah, and AJ Bowen. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"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."
While audiences can be a bit fickle with themes that tinker a bit too closely with science they don't quite understand, these tales generally garner a bit of acclaim and attention from the artistic community. As you can guess, The Signal did quite well on the film festival circuit, garnering some popular marks from such institutions as the Sitges - Catalonia International Film Festival, the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper ... so long as The Signal doesn't get to you!
-- EZ
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper ... so long as The Signal doesn't get to you!
-- EZ
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