‘Signs’ At 15: The Scariest Alien Movie Ever?

Before Mel Gibson was notoriously a little kooky (and racist) or Abigail Breslin was Little Miss Sunshine, M. Night Shyamalan made Signs, a scary, moving, impressive film now fifteen years old. It’s often overlooked because of his other, bigger films like The Sixth Sense, but it is far and away the film most demonstrative of his prowess as a filmmaker. It’s got depth, style, and patience. It’s criminally underrated amongst the rest of Shyamalan’s films. It is also quite possibly the scariest alien invasion movie ever made – but not for the reasons you might think.

The best makers of thrillers and horror flicks understand that what we don’t see is scarier than any special effect a computer can conjure up. They understand what sound can do – what stimulating senses beyond our vision can achieve, especially when it comes to scaring us. Silence is scary – and Signs knows how to use sound. Signs knows that what terrifies us most are the things that feel real, feel specific, feel plausible.

From the moment the opening credits jar us with James Newton Howard’s stunning score, it’s clear we’re in for something special. Our suspense is heightened, and we’re instantly made apprehensive by the rapid pacing – and then, quiet. Graham Hess (Gibson) is startled awake by a scream, followed by his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), and the two meet outside as they frantically run into their cornfield to try to find the source. We then meet Graham’s children, Bo (a heartbreakingly adorable Breslin) and Morgan (Rory Culkin). “I think God did it,” Morgan says, an unsettling sense of calm on his face. “Did what, Morgan?” He turns his father’s face to where he’s looking; their cornfield has inexplicably been marked with crop circles, and it’s too perfect to have been done by man. As the camera brings us out to observe the scale of what’s happened, it’s a chill-inducing transition – one that immediately reminds us just how small we are.

I won’t detail the plot here, but there are moments in the film so terrifying it’s necessary to note. There are a lot of people who were disappointed by Signs for its lack of conventional horror components and evident religious undertones – and this is fair. Signs is not scary because it utilizes tradition. It’s scary because it finds fear in our homes – and from the very beginning. His children are not safe in their own backyard, their pets are no longer the warm, friendly companions they once knew, and the sound of the wind chimes is ominous instead of comforting.

The masterful pairing of sound to picture is largely what makes Signs so chilling; each terrifying shot is perfectly matched with a sound cue that ensures it packs the maximum punch. Shyamalan understands how seemingly mundane interactions can be elevated in an instant if you throw in the right ingredients, and that is what he does. The first time we ever get a glimpse of one of the aliens, Graham has come to Bo’s room in response to a typical child’s complaint: “there’s a monster outside my room.” He does what any dad would do and goes back with her, and we’re completely caught off guard when there really is one. It’s one of the few so-called “jump scares” in the film, and it’s incredibly effective.

Signs does an excellent job at setting things up from the very beginning; we find out very early that Morgan has asthma, that he resents his dad for something via his body language. We know that Graham has left the church when he asks Caroline not to call him father anymore. There’s something curious about Bo’s water-drinking habits, something supernatural about her dreams – her very first line in the film is “are you in my dream too?”

All these feats of filmmaking aside, however, the film truly is a scary one, and without going over the top. When Graham tries to be big and tough and find the trespasser in the cornfield, he’s quickly shown just how wrong he was – and to horrifying effect. The simple clicking sounds of the alien’s speech in the darkness and the sudden reveal of a leg is enough to fuel nightmares for weeks. There’s nothing but the whooshing of the wind in our ears and Graham’s breathing, so any disturbance is immediately obvious – and frightening.

Perhaps the most memorable of all the scenes in the film, the Brazilian party tape speaks for itself. There’s some inherent humor towards the beginning of it – Merrill has become obsessed in a way he accuses others of being, and he yells “vamanos!” at a group of children on television – but this quickly fades away as what’s really happening becomes apparent. The perfectly-executed home video style, the shakey-cam, the children’s screams – it all comes together so flawlessly, and we experience Merrill’s complete shock and horror along with him. He’s our surrogate here, playing out the utter terror we’d feel if we saw such a thing. Again, the impact of the use of sound on this scene cannot be overstated – between the voices and the score subtly swelling underneath, the entire sequence is brought to a frenzied climax that would not be as effective otherwise. Even later on, when Graham encounters an alien locked in a closet at Ray’s house, the use of complete silence – and then sudden, jarring movement and screams of pain and fear – make it a hundred times scarier than it might have been with an overwhelming score. There’s a sense of discipline and understanding of what belongs where to ensure maximum frights are achieved.

Whether the swelling of the static and alien noises on the baby monitor, the frantic barks of the dog they left behind, or the pitter-patter of the aliens’ feet when they finally come, time and time again we are shown just what auditory stimulation can add to an atmosphere of terror. What Signs does well is accept that it’s not trying to be flashy, or win us over with some big Sixth Sense twist, or reach an absurd climax that sees a human/alien battle happen. There’s humor and humanity sprinkled throughout the film, making you feel comfortable and wary of what’s to come all at once.

There have been plenty of memorably terrifying alien movies – Fire in the Sky among them – but none as equally poignant and scary as Signs. The real horror lies in the film’s simplicity, in its mundanity, in the fact that there’s something wrong long before the aliens ever arrive. We don’t really even see the alien up close until towards the end of the film, and it by then, it doesn’t really matter. We’ve been afraid of them since we saw the silhouette on the roof. Armed in large part with its incredible cast – I’d go so far as to say this is a showcase for one of Gibson’s best performances ever, and Phoenix isn’t far behind – Signs manages to be creepy, emotional, and thrilling all at once. Even at fifteen years old, it still holds up, and it should be remembered as one of Shyamalan’s best, most terrifying films – because it is.

Where to Stream Signs