It has been 20 years since M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs was released. Is it still his scariest movie ever?
I still remember the first time I watched Signs, in fact, it was my first encounter with the work of Shyamalan. Seven-year-old me was shaken to the core; never had a film lingered on my mind the way Signs had back then. For weeks afterwards, I found myself anxious to shut the curtains at night out of fear that I might catch a glimpse of something unearthly staring right back at me.
You could play this down to childhood imagination running wild; there is no way this movie could be that scary, I thought to myself recently. Oh how I was wrong, because even now, almost 20 years after its first release, Signs is a masterclass on contemporary horror, and it’s all the deterrent I need to keep away from U-hauling into a secluded farmhouse.
Alien horror has never been my cup of tea. There’s just something unappealing about the genre that has me steering clear of them; don’t get me wrong, there’s a few classics buried away amongst the rubble – The Thing, Aliens, 10 Cloverfield Lane, even Robert Rodriguez’s The Faculty. Yes, it’s maybe odd to group the latter two in with genre-defining masterpieces, but I love the concept behind psychological horror-thrillers. The ever-present mystery that keeps you guessing until those last moments; the idea that the threat could be looming right before your eyes; it adds a whole new level of fear. Less is more in these circumstances, and Shyamalan nails this with Signs.
The 2002 sci-fi-thriller thrives on building suspense. At its core, Signs becomes less about the impending alien invasion, and more about the human condition and conflicting morals. The true fear found within the film stems from Mel Gibson’s character, Graham, and his loss of faith. The inner battle he faces brings a great sense of depth to the story; we observe the once ordinary Hess family thrust in the middle of a nightmare-turned-reality as they overcome the death of Graham’s wife. From its opening scene, the air is filled with unease and sets us on edge; the silence isn’t comforting, instead leaving you with the urge to hold your breath. The unspoken trauma of the Hess clan weighs as a heavy burden.
Complimented by James Newton Howard’s nerve-wracking score, Shyamalan lures audiences into Signs with absolutely no sense of security. Something is lurking beyond the crop field; the family pets are lashing out; the children are no longer safe outside; Shyamalan invites the threat straight to the Hess’ doorstep, and isolates them from finding any solace. The dynamic is eerie and that’s before we’ve even been introduced to the villain.
Family tragedy aside, there are some spooky shenanigans going on around the home, and Shyamalan breaks the tranquility between father and daughter with a jump scare. We don’t even get a chance to disgust what is before us. It’s a silhouette in the night. There the alien stands upon the roof, this nightmare has only just begun. Shyamalan continues with his direction in bulking up the tension; there’s no telling when this thing will rear its head again, and that is where Signs excels. The less Shyamalan shows, the bigger the impact when something does appear.
Jump scares can be cheap. They can be unnecessary, yet in Signs, they are simply unnerving. Every single one hits a bullseye, but *that* one catches you off-guard no matter how prepared you think you are – I’m sure we all know exactly what scene I’m referring to here. In what is perhaps the film’s most infamous scene, Joaquin Phoenix obsesses over footage from a birthday party in Brazil; as he leans closer to the screen, his curiosity turns to terror. Shocking would be an understatement, it’s damn near heart stopping to see an alien walking through the street during the day as children’s screams fill the air. Shyamalan’s execution perfectly encapsulates the tone and terror felt during the scene; we live vicariously through Phoenix here, and it is terrifying.
It’s impossible to talk about Signs without referencing Howard’s score and how Shyamalan utilizes silence to its full potential. Nothing can describe the score other than being chilling and jarring to the quiet that immediately follows; it serves as a warning for what is to come, making us wary from the get-go. However, Graham’s venture into the cornfield proves how useful appropriate lighting, the setting and lack of music can be to a horror film. All we can hear is the sound of Graham breathing accompanied by the taunting clicks of the alien; that’s all we need to whip the cushion in front of us. Graham has no idea about the danger that surrounds him, but his hesitation and anxiety transcends off-screen. We never know how many aliens are actually near Graham, all we understand is that he is never alone.
Signs is scary without having to show too much, if anything. It manages to uphold the creepy alongside light comedy and emotional undertones as the Hess family tackle their on-going crisis with faith. Arguably Shyamalan’s most compelling thriller to date, Signs maintains a certain charm that hasn’t quite been replicated in alien horror since.
NEXT: The Innocents Movie Review
About Signs
Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) assumed about the world is changed when he discovers a message – an intricate pattern of circles and lines – carved into his crops. As he investigates the unfolding mystery, what he finds will forever alter the lives of his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) and children (Rory Culkin), (Abigail Breslin). A unique story that explores the mysterious real-life phenomena of crop signs and the effects they have on one man and his family.
