![]() ![]() Broadcast Signal Intrusion isn’t an overly gory film. There are a couple of aspects that I found reminiscent of that film, though they fit fully within the world of this film. These intrusions were created by special effects artist Dan Martin, whose work was recently seen in Possessor. The pirate broadcasts crawl under your skin with their unsettling sights and cacophonous sounds. And that’s before you even consider the intrusions themselves. Shum’s performance is equally committed as the leads in those films, which is important here since so much of the film rests on his shoulders.įrom the faded 90s aesthetic, to its dated technology, to its use of multiple monitors and split screens, Broadcast Signal Intrusion is without a doubt a visually impressive film. Throughout the film, I found myself drawing comparisons to Zodiac, 8mm, and Videodrome, among others. Broadcast Signal Intrusion plays out like a vintage 90s low-fi techno-thriller, albeit one influenced by films from other decades, both before and after. He finds himself followed, encounters a cast of questionable characters with dubious motivations, and gives the audience just enough reason to wonder whether his mental state makes him an unreliable narrator. The film goes all-in on the 90s-style internet research, which will likely bring a smile to viewers who can remember the early days of the web.īefore long, James discovers a possible connection between the pirate broadcasts and a number of missing women in the Chicago area. ![]() James uses this info and starts researching the intrusions, as well as others around the country. Plays out like a vintage 90s low-fi techno-thrillerĪ fellow video obsessive identifies the intrusions as the “Sal-E Sparks incident,” taking its name from an in-movie sitcom called Stepbot, about a robot housewife and homemaker. He continues searching for the footage, even after being told that such requests are flagged and reported to the FBI. During his research, James discovers that an important tape with another of these pirate broadcasts is missing from the archives, and is told that it was seized by the FCC. He pores over the archives, reviewing numerous news recordings discussing the incident. ![]() ![]() James is unsure of the intent or meaning behind the strange broadcast, but he becomes fixated upon it. Almost as quickly as the pirate broadcast began, it is over. Strange noises and distorted speech accompany the figure’s jerking motions as it appears to scream. As the camera gives us a closer view, it becomes obvious that this face is a rubber mask, and its movements seem mechanical. Though the figure appears human, there is something off. On the screen, an unnaturally stiff female figure stands in a room. One day at work, while reviewing a seemingly mundane broadcast, James comes across an instance of the eponymous broadcast signal intrusion. When he’s not surrounded by monitors and videocassettes at his job or his apartment, James spends his times at support groups filled with others experiencing similar loss. portrays James, a video archivist struggling to cope after his wife disappears. These incidents, one of which is linked below, serve as a major inspiration for Jacob Gentry’s Broadcast Signal Intrusion. If there was a reason behind these incidents, it wasn’t deciphered, and the perpetrators were never identified. The soundtrack to these images were discordant noise and altered speech. Nonsensical actions followed, such as throwing soda cans at the camera or being spanked by another figure with a flyswatter. During these intrusions, a man wearing a Max Headroom mask was seen against a moving background of what appeared to be corrugated sheet metal. In Chicago during 1987, there were multiple instances of strange broadcast highjackings affecting different television stations. ![]()
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