Pulse

As Mattie (Kristen Bell) steps into the apartment of her friend Douglas Ziegler (Kel O'Neill), she's met with an unsettling atmosphere that precedes a tragic turn of events. The usually affable Douglas, a self-proclaimed computer whiz, greets her with an air of detachment and eventually takes his own life before her very eyes. This senseless act would soon prove to be the catalyst for a series of inexplicable occurrences that threaten to destroy everything Mattie holds dear.

As she delves deeper into Douglas's digital realm, Mattie discovers that he was on the cusp of a groundbreaking innovation - a powerful wireless signal that has the potential to revolutionize the world. However, his untimely demise inadvertently unleashes a mysterious force that seems to feed on human despair, spreading like wildfire as it claims victim after victim. The once-vibrant campus is now a desolate landscape where students are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Mattie's initial unease turns to terror when she stumbles upon a bizarre webpage on Douglas's computer, adorned with cryptic messages and eerie greenish-grey cyberfigures dubbed "ghosts." As she navigates this digital realm, the boundaries between reality and cyberspace begin to blur, leaving her questioning what's real and what's just a manifestation of her own paranoia. The room around her appears to reflect the virtual world, creating an unsettling sense of disorientation.

As Mattie struggles to comprehend the apocalyptic events unfolding before her eyes, she finds herself isolated from the rest of the campus community. Her friend Isabelle Fuentes (Christina Milian) becomes a victim of the mysterious force, attacked by ghostly entities emerging from a laundry machine. It's this harrowing moment that forces Mattie to confront the gravity of the situation and take action to stop the impending doom.

As Mattie delves deeper into the mystery of Douglas's second-hand computer, a shocking revelation unfolds: Dexter (Ian Somerhalder), a former owner of the device, is reluctantly drawn into the fray. Initially, he's resistant to getting involved in Mattie's troubles, but as the stakes escalate, he's forced to confront the terrifying reality that threatens the very fabric of human existence. Joining forces with Mattie, they hatch a plan to deploy a virus created by Josh (Jonathan Tucker), a genius trapped in his own apartment. The innovative solution involves infiltrating the system and shutting it down before it's too late.

Josh, meanwhile, is frantically working to prevent the cyber-creatures from invading his sanctuary. He's taken drastic measures to secure his apartment, wrapping everything in red tape, but even this fails to keep the malevolent entities at bay. As he becomes increasingly desperate, he finally shares his project with Mattie and Dexter: Douglas and he were developing a revolutionary network connection. However, their creation has spawned an uncontrollable proliferation of unknown viruses, rendering it impossible to turn off the computer.

With Josh refusing to leave his perceived safe haven, even as he realizes that entering the outside world will seal his doom. The cyber-creatures breach the main door peephole, and Josh meets a gruesome end. Mattie and Dexter, now in possession of the virus, set their sights on using it to infiltrate the system's central hub - a modem located deep within Douglas's building.

Their perilous journey is fraught with danger as they confront hundreds of grotesque cyber-creatures. Mattie is caught off guard by one of these entities, which steals her desire to fight and live. She finds herself surrounded by an endless sea of grey arms, a chilling reminder that the cyber-creatures are not just external invaders but an integral part of the system itself. Dexter manages to rescue her, cautioning her not to gaze into the ghostly faces.

As they near the main server, Mattie and Dexter finally unleash the virus, pouring it into the heart of the system.

As the last remnants of digital life dissipate, a tantalizing window of opportunity emerges for Dexter (actor name) and Mattie. With the city's virtual umbilical cord severed, they seize the chance to escape the desolate streets, piling into a vehicle that becomes their mobile sanctuary. The world beyond the urban expanse beckons, yet every attempt to reconnect with the digital realm is met with failure - even the most basic forms of communication, entertainment, and information are now nothing more than distant memories.

The only remaining beacon of guidance comes in the form of an army-broadcast radio signal, its urgent tone instructing them to seek refuge outside the city limits. As they navigate the darkness, their car becomes a temporary sanctuary, where they seek solace in the fleeting hope that there may be a place where technology's grasp is still distant.

Their journey is not without peril, however. A gruesome encounter with a four-armed creature serves as a stark reminder of the new world order - one in which humanity must adapt to an existence bereft of modern conveniences. As they finally find respite from the digital chaos, they are forced to confront the harsh reality that their lives will forever be defined by the rustic rhythms of the countryside.

In the aftermath, Mattie's reflective voiceover serves as a poignant epilogue, her words echoing through the silence: humanity must surrender to a primal existence, one that was once considered archaic. Meanwhile, the ghost-beings have claimed dominion over the cities and digital networks - two warring factions locked in an eternal struggle for survival. The movie concludes with this haunting realization, as the screen fades to black.