Broadcast Signal Intrusion

2021

Action / Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller

13
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 41% · 63 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 41% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 5.4/10 10 3662 3.7K

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Plot summary

In the late 90s, a video archivist unearths a series of sinister pirate broadcasts and becomes obsessed with uncovering the dark conspiracy behind them.

Director

Jacob Gentry Photo
Jacob Gentry

Top cast

Harry Shum Jr. Photo
Harry Shum Jr. as James
Justin Welborn Photo
Justin Welborn as Michael
Steve Pringle Photo
Steve Pringle as Dr. Stuart Lithgow
Kelley Mack Photo
Kelley Mack as Alice
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB
947.08 MB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 2
947.52 MB
1280*538
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 1
1.9 GB
1920*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 4
1.9 GB
1904*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 5

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Milk_Tray_Guy 5 / 10

Frustratingly wide of the mark

Had high hopes for this mystery-horror. The real life BSI phenomenon has always intrigued me. The movie draws inspiration from the (still unsolved) real life 1987 Max Headroom US signal hijackings, and the 2004 'I Feel Fantastic' internet videos, featuring Tara the android. The performances of Harry Shum Jr as lead character James, and Kelley Mack as his mysterious helper, Alice, are very good. The rest of the cast are pretty solid. Jacob Gentry's direction and Scott Thiele's cinematography create a strong sense of unease. The idea of James coming to terms with a recent loss whilst at the same time tracking the source of a series of mysterious broadcasts he stumbles across whilst cataloguing archive VHS recordings is one that pulls you in. The meetings with mysterious figures offering tantalising crumbs of information along the way wouldn't be out of place in The X-Files, whilst the sense of disassociation and other-worldliness put me in mind of The Last Broadcast (1998), Banshee Chapter (2013), and Censor (2021).But despite looking great and having an interesting hook I found it a letdown. I like slow-burn thrillers/horrors - but they need a payoff. This... kinda did, but what exactly happens and the real answer to the mystery are never explained. Some movies lead you to a place where you have to work it out. This doesn't do that; it leaves you guessing - which isn't the same thing. There are a ton of fan-theories online about what it all means, what's/who's real, what/who isn't; but they're just that - fan-theories. There's nothing that fits perfectly. And despite some strong imagery that stays with you, I was left feeling I'd wasted my time. I'm sure the director can justify every choice he made, but for me he missed the mark. Good acting, premise, and atmosphere get it a 5/10.
Reviewed by kmashburn-00043 6 / 10

The good outweighs the bad...

Don't worry about spoilers. I'm not entirely sure I know what happened.I love obscure, ambiguous endings open to broad interpretation...up to a point. The ending here was a bit too "not sure how to wrap this one up, so...here you go." Roll credits. Or maybe it was the result of slash and burn editing. I don't know.The lead (James) was believable and intense, and the mystery, atmosphere, and creepy imagery definitely held my attention. The music was...ugh. Distracting and, well...intrusive at times. Almost like the composer was scoring a completely different film.I have my own theory about the ending, but this one requires a re-watch. Few horror movies warrant revisiting, but even with its flaws, this isn't one I'll forget 20min after the end credits. I'm not lazy about probing alternate interpretations, but I need something a bit more solid to work with. That being said, I will watch this one again and scour for clues. I rarely write reviews, but this one was effective as an "experience," if not as a full-fledged narrative.If you're OK with the slow burn and can tolerate a "WTF" ending, give this one a shot. I can overlook some of the technical drawbacks if a movie is unique, memorable, and brave enough to abandon the horror formula. The cliches are here, too, of course, but this movie is miles above 90% of current horror fare.
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