The science fiction genre is home to many great twists. One of the better examples in recent memory comes from Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which sees the young Murph Cooper encounter a ghost that turns out to be her father, who travels into a tesseract and learns he can communicate with his daughter across time and space. The reveal is so great that it essentially forces a second watch, as that’s the only way to pick up all the breadcrumbs that Nolan leaves behind early in the film. However, Interstellar only gets that treatment because it’s one of the most successful and well-known sci-fi movies of all time.

There have been plenty of sci-fi twists that fly under the radar because they’re in bad movies. The Butterfly Effect, for example, can’t decide what kind of film it’s going to be, delivering four different endings that drastically change Evan Treborn’s story. Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber’s director’s cut totally flips the script, though, having Evan travel back in time and kill himself in the womb. A movie that came out ten years after The Butterfly Effect can’t claim to have a moment as wild as that, but it doesn’t get the credit it deserves, even though it has not only a great story but a great twist as well.

Interstellar Didn’t Have the Best Sci-Fi Twist of 2014

A few months before Interstellar tugged at heartstrings all over the world, a low-budget film from Focus Features hit theaters called The Signal. Starring Brenton Thwaites and Laurence Fishburne, it follows a group of college students on a road trip to California. Nic and Haley are seeing one another, but their relationship is in a rough patch because the former believes his Muscular Dystrophy is causing too many problems. While Haley disagrees, they aren’t able to work through all of their issues before they track a hacker named “NOMAD” who’s been messing with their work at school to a house in Nevada. After going inside, the group blacks out and wakes up in a government facility.

Nic can’t get straight answers from the facility’s head, Dr. Wallace Damon, who explains that the group interacted with an alien lifeform, and things only get stranger when he realizes that his legs have been replaced by alien technology. Once Nic’s friend Jonah escapes, the rest of the group follows suit and begins putting the pieces together. Another confrontation with Damon gives Nic a good look at the man’s nametag, which, of course, reads “NOMAD” spelled backward. With the cat out of the bag, Damon reveals his true form and that the students are not in a government facility but on a ship headed for an alien planet. The twist will send chills down even anyone’s spine, but it hasn’t been enough to secure a future for The Signal.

The Signal Was Never Given a Fair Shot

Prior to its release, The Signal received positive buzz from critics, who appreciated its big swings. Positive word of mouth didn’t lead to a successful run at the box office, though, as the movie only grossed $2.4 million on $4 million budget. That return didn’t give the powers that be much faith in the property, so a follow-up never made it off the ground, despite director William Eubanks teasing a “crazy sequel” that would give Haley a bigger role.

The only hope for The Singal now is for a streaming platform to give it a second life. If enough people start singing its praises online, the status of its sequel could change. But there’s no guarantee that’ll happen, as the world of streaming is as confusing as the situation that Nic and his friends find themselves in.

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