Out of all the tricks M. Night Shyamalan pulled off during his glory years between 1999’s “The Sixth Sense” and 2004’s “The Village,” the most impressive might be that we perceived his films as being Big. You had to see ’em, starting with the buzz about “Sixth Sense’s” twist. They were Events.
Subtle, sophisticated scares
But what struck me on this viewing of “Signs” (2002) is how it’s a Small Film. Take out the salaries of Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix and it’s perhaps even a low-budget film. It’s 1:46 long, and it reaches that length because it’s paced slow.
Probably accidentally, “Signs” plays as an argument for what “The Blair Witch Project” should have done. A friend and I have a long-running debate about whether the lack of a visual witch makes that film scarier. I find that “Blair Witch” lacks something, and I hold it as a tenet of Good Horror that the monster must be shown.
From July 19-23, leading up to the theatrical release of “Old,” Reviews from My Couch is looking back at five films from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan that we haven’t previously reviewed.
“Signs” (2002)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin
Shyamalan shows how to do this without sacrificing mood.
Indeed, “Signs” starts so slowly and moody that it could border on boring after the first viewing. There aren’t plot nuances to discover. Instead, you have to latch onto the craftsmanship and performances.
Shuffling sounds in the corn. The natural WTF element of crop circles. Hints of what’s going on from the TV news. Dogs and townspeople acting weird. (I don’t think Shyamalan got this latter idea out of his system. Throw in the number of times someone says “It’s happening,” and I think “The Happening” was percolating in his mind.)
Family of the corn
The casting of the rural Pennsylvania family is impeccable. We get an excellent feel for this family led by a reverend, Graham (Gibson), who has recently lost his wife – in a chilling manner that we’ll learn toward the end, appropriately tying in with the encroaching fear.
Phoenix’s ex-baseball prospect Merrill has moved in at their farmstead to help out. Graham’s son Morgan (Rory Culkin) has asthma and daughter Bo (adorable Abigail Breslin in her first role) leaves glasses of water all over the place.
We get a feeling that these kids are not merely there for the adults to protect, but that they might play key roles. Shyamalan would lean into this fairy tale vibe much more for “Lady in the Water” – which raises the question of whether he’s better when he doesn’t lean too much into an idea.
“Signs” doesn’t take full advantage of Gibson and Phoenix, but they step in when tears or a laugh are needed. They are doing Everyday acting. In Phoenix’s big scene, Merrill watches TV and reacts to the first on-camera evidence of what’s going on.
Building fear (Spoilers)
A SPOILER WARNING goes here for you quirky folks out there who are reading a review of a 19-year-old movie without having seen it.
OK, so getting back to the discussion of how to show a monster while maintaining scares, here’s how “Signs” does it: 1) a figure atop a roof that could be a nutso neighbor; 2) a bare lower leg shirking into the corn rows; and 3) that great TV moment, where we know it’s aliens.
After the well-crafted moment of Graham peeking under a doorway by using a knife’s reflection, “Signs’ ” tense grand finale has two great “check your shorts” moments: the hand reaching through the grate to grab Morgan, and the alien’s reflection in the TV set.
Shyamalan’s “twist” is that Graham’s briefly abandoned faith turns out to be rewarded. But the film’s broader trick is that it does so much with so little.
This is the big alien invasion of 2002, like “Independence Day’s” events were in 1996. It plays out on TV and the radio, but that’s enough to give us a sense of scope. After all, that’s how we experience most disasters – not by being in the thick of them.
But structurally, “Signs” is a small family drama. It’s a little slight for my tastes; as noted, it’s so reliant on mood that the rewatch value is hurt. But there’s no denying that Shyamalan is an expert at making crafty little “Twilight Zone” riffs and convincing people they are event movies.