Ever since 28 Days Later redefined the genre back in 2002, zombie movies have been all the rage. This fascination with the walking – nay, sprinting – dead has resulted in parodies (Shaun of the Dead), remakes (Dawn of the Dead), sequels (28 Weeks Later), and most recently, a Hollywood blockbuster (I Am Legend). The genre has become so popular in recent years that even legendary zombie filmmaker George A. Romero’s career has been resurrected.

A grindhouse film helmed by a trio of Atlanta filmmakers, each overseeing a segment, The Signal is the latest reimagining of the zombie flick, done indie-style.

“I don’t know who the hell started it, but we sure as shit signed up for it.”

It’s New Year’s Eve in the fictional city of Terminus, as Ben (Justin Welborn) and Mya (Anessa Ramsey) lie in bed and discuss their adulterous affair post-coitus. Ben has a proposition for the married Mya: they go to Terminal 13, get on a train, and run away together to start a new life. Their tryst ends with Ben gifting Mya with a mix CD, and the two part ways.

Ben turns on his television, and is puzzled to find that the signal has been jammed, and replaced by a mysterious, scrambled transmission. Unbeknownst to Ben, this signal is pulsing through all electronic devices, and transforming 1 out of every 2 people into murderous, rampaging psychopaths. Ben however hasn’t had his brain scrambled, and embarks on a blood-drenched odyssey to find Mya and escape from this urban dystopia, dealing with her unstable husband Lewis (AJ Bowen) in the process.

The film is divided into three parts, or transmissions, the most effective of which is Transmission 1. Entitled “Crazy in Love” the first part, directed by David Bruckner, chronicles the spread of the signal as complete chaos ensues, with random people brutally slaughtering each other in the street.

The Signal doesn’t pull any punches in the gore department, as people are maimed left and right via creative handmade weaponry, e.g. hedge trimmers, a spray gun emitting toxic chemicals, and a DIY spear adorned with kitchen knives. The film’s most beautiful sequence also occurs here, as Mya blasts Ben’s mix CD on her headphones, shutting out all the carnage surrounding her.

Unfortunately, Transmission 2: “The Jealousy Monster,” directed by Jacob Gentry, really grinds all the excitement established by the opening segment to a screeching halt. The tone shifts awkwardly to a “Shaun of the Dead” meets “Fido”-style satirical commentary on domestic life. The gore really goes overboard here, as the general sense of silliness is punctuated by scenes of extreme violence in a desperate attempt to maintain audience interest.

And Transmission 3: “Escape From Terminus,” directed by Dan Bush, is basically a rehash of the final third of 28 Weeks Later, as Ben struggles to reconnect with Mya.

The main draw of The Signal is its interesting, albeit highly derivative conceit, that is basically a hodgepodge of David Cronenberg’s cult classic Videodrome, the J-horror film Pulse, British zombie parody Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Weeks Later. Critics have claimed that the plot is a complete rip-off of Stephen King’s recent 2006 novel “Cell,” where cell phones wipe user’s brains of any humanity, turning them into killing machines, however the filmmakers claim that they were already done drafting the script when King’s novel was released in early 2006.

Gung-ho performances by the no-name cast keep things interesting for the most part, but ultimately, The Signal amounts to less than the sum of its parts. Unlike King’s novel “The Cell,” or the recent monster flick Cloverfield, the film could’ve taken better advantage of post-9/11 hysteria, but I suppose we’ll have to wait for M. Night Shyamalan’s summer blockbuster The Happening for a healthier dose of exploitation.

The biggest problem area with “zombie” films is the explanation for the infection, and the 11th hour cure that’s usually implemented. Thankfully, The Signal doesn’t settle for a gift-wrapped ending like I Am Legend, but the rationale behind the mysterious transmission leaves much to be desired.