[4] The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious animals.

Artist Clay Riddell abandons his wife Sharon and son Johnny to fulfill his dream of publishing a graphic novel.

A year later, at Boston International Airport, Clay calls his family on his cell phone with good news about his new career.

An electronic signal (later dubbed "the pulse") is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, turning cell phone users into rabid killers.

Heading north through New England to find Sharon and Johnny, the three acquire weapons from a house and are chased by phoners to a nearby river.

Later, the group encounter a sleepless Ray Huizenga and his friend Denise, who say that Kashwak is a trap set by the Raggedy Man.

Clay hugs Johnny while calling the number on Ray's phone, detonating the explosives in the truck, destroying the tower and the phoners.

Dimension Films announced in March 2006 that Eli Roth would direct the project after finishing Hostel: Part II.

[7] However, in October 2012, John Cusack was announced as the first actor to join the film, followed by the selection of Tod Williams as director in early 2013.

[9] Isabelle Fuhrman was announced as Alice on February 5, 2014, and Stacy Keach was cast in an unnamed role of a headmaster the following day.

[15] It was to receive its world premiere at FrightFest as part of the Glasgow Film Festival but was replaced at the last minute by Pandemic.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Shoddily crafted and devoid of suspense, Cell squanders a capable cast and Stephen King's once-prescient source material on a bland rehash of zombie cliches.

[19] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times criticized the film's "bare-bones screenplay" for being "wholly unable to deliver even a smidgen of nuance or depth", and called Cusack's performance "possibly the most detached" of his career.

[23] Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting called it a "forgettable adaptation" and further stated that "the story packs absolutely no punch and the solid stable of actors look bored for most of the film".

[24] Nico Lang of Consequence of Sound wrote that Cell wasted an intriguing premise and called it "unnecessarily glum and grim," as well as "pretty dumb".

[25] Bob Grimm of Coachella Valley Independent wrote that the movie "is easily one of the worst adaptations ever of a King story".