The Signal: Zombie Movie Or Not?
Where do we draw the line on what is and what is not a zombie movie? We just can’t decide on our own, so every Monday we’ll post a new movie to be debated by, you, our readers and ask the question: Zombie Movie Or Not? Every Sunday we’ll post our findings and possibly strike that movie off our Zombie Movie List. The week should give you enough time to rent the movie if need be or you desire.
What every reader must keep in mind is that there are two basic types of zombie that every zombie movie based off of - the Voodoo Zombie and the Romero Zombie. The Voodoo Zombie, while not always raised by Voodoo necessarily, is basically a person, either undead or entranced, that is controlled by a person or entity for the purpose of completing tasks, often killing. Romero Zombies are basically mindless, flesh-eating undead whose bite will turn victims into zombies. Now, not all movies adhere to all of these rules, but if the basics are there, you got a zombie movie.
This weeks debate is over The Signal (2007) Directed by David Bruckner.
IS: While not traditional in it’s representation of zombies as flesh-hungry undead, but rather as people that are infected with a virus of the technological variety that kill with a will given to them by said virus, it fits into the zombie genre more in a metaphoric way, rather than a literal way.
IS NOT: Well, no zombies, means no zombie movie, right?
Now it’s up to you, reader. What do you think? The Signal: Zombie Movie Or Not?
this movie is f#$king awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i was on the edge of my seat with anticipation of whats to come next
but i regret to say no its not a zombie film.
NO WAY is this a zombie movie of any sort. I’m not even sure if it’s survival horror.
I have to agree with the other comments, this is not a zombie movie. I wasn’t crazy about the movie but I’m not a critic.
YES. This is the evolved form of the zombie apocalypse concept. Though they may not be undead or universally (and literally) cannibalistic or are controlled by a Voudon master, this is the modern expression of zombie outbreak. I was prior so divided on this movie, as when I first blogged of it, I described it as a modern filmmakers’ treatment of Romero’s “The Crazies”, which most of this site will say is NOT zombie. I say Signal IS zombie because people are controlled by something central, other, and unexplained (via television is all we know, which TVs turning people into “zombies”, as in completely thoughtless and consumed by the need for consumption, is a proliferated theme throughout art). I’m probably contradicting past posts of mine as some would say this is an “infection” movie. I say that there’s plenty enough zombie film aesthetic - scenes of chaos, the deep seated “dog eat dog” fear becoming fully realized, the collapse of civilization due to an inexplicable alteration of the majority of the population, the “mystified” and then “frenzied” state of those affected by the signal. If Mulberry Street gets to be a zombie movie, so should this!
As much as I completely loved this film, I have to go with a no. It has a lot of the elements of a zombie film, but not enough to categorize it as one. Would fans of the zombie genre probably like this movie? Fuck yeah.
Nope.