Pulse 2005

Mattie, portrayed by Kristen Bell, decides to visit her old friend, Douglas Ziegler, played by Kel O’Neill, after he has gone off the grid for a week. Upon entering his apartment, she finds Douglas behaving strangely, and to her horror, he takes his own life in front of her. In the aftermath of this traumatic event, Mattie uncovers that Douglas was working on a groundbreaking wireless technology, which inadvertently unleashed a sinister force capable of draining the will to live from people, leading to an alarming surge in suicides that only intensifies as more individuals succumb to despair.

As Mattie navigates through Douglas’s digital world, she is confronted by a shocking sight: his computer screen is inundated with viruses and an eerie message pops up, asking, > “Do you want to see a ghost?” Curiosity leads her to a bizarre webpage that reflects not only their surroundings but also reveals horrifying cyber creatures, dubbed “ghosts,” which begin to prey on the living. This unusual phenomenon leaves the campus eerily quiet, with students disappearing or isolating themselves in silence. Among those she misses is her friend Isabelle Fuentes, played by Christina Milian, who falls victim to these terrifying entities during an encounter at a laundry facility.

In her quest to find answers, Mattie learns that Douglas’s second-hand computer had belonged to Dexter, portrayed by Ian Somerhalder. Initially reluctant to involve himself in her predicament, Dexter eventually acknowledges the gravity of the situation. Together, they hatch a desperate plan to deploy a virus developed by Josh, played by Jonathan Tucker, aiming to infiltrate the system and restore sanity before it’s too late. Their journey leads them to Josh, who has barricaded himself in his apartment, terrified yet frantic. He discloses that he and Douglas had collaborated on creating extensive network connections but were caught off guard by the malignant entities that emerged along the way. In a tense moment, Josh falls prey to these cyber creatures right before their eyes, highlighting the urgency of their mission.

Determined, Mattie and Dexter embrace their challenge and set off to deliver the crucial virus to a modem situated in the depths of Douglas’s building. The journey is fraught with peril as they are besieged by numerous disconcerting ghostly figures. In a harrowing moment, Mattie becomes ensnared by one of the creatures that feeds off her willpower, leaving her momentarily paralyzed as she is enveloped by a clamoring mass of spectral arms. Fortunately, Dexter intervenes, urging her not to gaze into the ghost’s face, helping her escape this malevolent grip. Once they locate the main server and upload the virus, the system unexpectedly reboots, raising the stakes even higher.

With chaos reigning, the duo hastily flees in a car, driving through an eerily deserted city. All modern communication systems have collapsed, save for an army transmission urging survivors to seek refuge beyond the urban sprawl. Exhausted and fearful, they find themselves sleeping in their vehicle, wrestling with the knowledge that a four-armed ghost may attack them at any moment. Ultimately, they manage to escape with their lives but are left to confront a grim new reality.

As the film concludes, Mattie reflects on the drastic transformation their lives have undergone, accepting that they may now have to adapt to a primitive existence, stripped of the technology they once took for granted. In a haunting voiceover, she muses about humanity’s regression into a simpler life while the ghostly entities claim dominion over the deserted cities and digital realms, both relentless in their struggle for survival.