M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs: 10 Things You Might Have Missed

In the early 2000s, M. Night Shyamalan was on a roll with films like The Sixth Sense and the superhero movie ahead of its time: Unbreakable. With Signs, Shyamalan had another success, but some of Signs‘ twists and turns made it divisive among audiences. Still, many appreciated the suspenseful drama of seeing an alien invasion from one family’s perspective.

As per usual, M. Night Shyamalan was rather meticulous with what was presented throughout Signs. Very little is by accident when it comes to Shyamalan, and there are a lot of things to miss even years after release, from subtle touches with the aliens to cleverly written subplot elements.

10 All Crop Circles Were Real

It likely would have been easier to digitally add the crop signs seen in aerial shots. However, M. Night Shyamalan stated that he didn’t care for using CGI so not only were the cornfields grown for the film but the signs were done practically.

Shyamalan was smart in this decision as it gave more suspense and realism to the scenes. It makes Graham’s reaction to seeing the sign feel more grounded in reality. What also helps is that Graham is played by none other than Mel Gibson.

9 Hidden Image In DVD Menu

An interesting detail found in the DVD menu is that when starting up or when “Press Play” is selected, the screen flickers then emits static, and turns on and off like an older television screen. When the screen is black, there is a faded image hidden in the screen.

It’s Merrill, Bo, and Morgan in their tin foil hats watching the TV. It’s not exactly a necessary addition nor is it part of the actual film but it is one that shows effort and attention to detail.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Alien Of The Roof Moves Slightly

The first true encounter with the tall and lanky aliens is when Graham looks out the window. On the roof, an alien is watching from a distance providing a creepy jumpscare that is likely to trigger those with scopophobia. It’s these encounters that make Signs an underrated alien horror film.

The alien is only on screen for a couple of seconds but there is a subtle detail added to the moment. When the alien realizes it’s been spotted, it shifts slightly: showing the jittery and frantic nature of these creatures early on.

7 Revolutionary War Themes

Like other films, Shyamalan likes to use colors and certain designs for symbolic purposes. In Signs, the Hess house was built from scratch to look Victorian, there are little figurines based on the American Revolutionary War, and the house itself is colored red, white, and blue.

Shyamalan’s intention was to have the farm and the family represent the Colonists during the 18th century. They were about to be invaded by a massive and scary force with the aliens representing the British army at the time. Despite being outmanned, the Colonists won the Revolutionary War much like how this family survives and overcomes the alien attack.

6 Why Graham Doesn’t Call A Vet

Early in the film, the Hess family dog Houdini is acting strange because of the alien presence and urinates on the kitchen floor. Rather than call a vet, Graham tells his kids to take Houdini outside and he’ll call Dr. Crawford; he doesn’t treat animals, but he’ll know what to do.

Why call a medical doctor over a vet? Well, later on, Graham visits Ray Reddy at his house who happens to be responsible for the accidental death of Graham’s wife. In an establishing shot of the house, the mailbox states that Ray is a veterinarian, subtly explaining that conversation with Morgan.

5 The Alien Hiding In Plain Sight

In what many considered to be the scariest scene in Signs, found footage is shown of a family and group of kids encountering an alien. The alien darts out of some trees and walks past, giving a first true look at the alien but even then, Shyamalan keeps it hidden enough through the low-quality footage.

Something that many can easily miss is that the alien does not come from the trees. It’s actually standing visibly on screen, using its natural camouflage to blend in with the trees and darting its head around. It may not be as strange as the famous xenomorph, but this alien manages to bring the chills.

4 The Signal Becomes Clear When The Family Is Connected

A small detail that may or may not be intentional: throughout Signs, Morgan detects the alien communications through a baby monitor. The only times they manage to get long and clear signals are near the middle and the end of the film.

Both times happen when Graham, Merrill, Morgan, and Bo are all holding each other. Shyamalan puts a lot of symbolism into Signs about faith and hope; it is not unlikely that these moments are meant to signify that the family will get through this invasion as long as they stick together.

3 Missing Crucifix

Speaking of faith, that is definitely the core theme of Signs with Graham having lost his faith after the death of his wife (even though he eventually regains his faith throughout the experience of dealing with Signs‘ incoming alien invasion). Before even telling the audience that Graham is no longer a reverend, there is a small hint towards his lost faith.

During the opening scene, Graham hears Bo scream in the distance and he dashes into view in the bathroom. In that very shot, there is a faded stain on the wall in the shape of a cross indicating that Graham lost his faith and took down his crucifixes. This comes back towards the end when he tells God that he hates him for what happened to his wife.

2 The Alien’s Hand Was Already There

During the third act, Graham and the family are hiding in the basement as the aliens break into the house. The aliens can’t break in through the door so they begin making noises to keep the Hesses distracted. So Graham and Merrill, played by Joaquin Phoenix, begin looking for the coal chute.

When they do find it, Morgan is standing right in front of it leading to him being attacked by an alien hand. It happens so fast that it’s easy to view it as the alien reaching through and grabbing Morgan. In actuality, the hand was already dangling there, camouflaging, and simply reached over to Morgan.

1 Crickets Indicate The Aliens

There is actually a way to tell when an alien encounter is about to occur. Whether it’s when the alien is on the roof, in the crop, or when the invasion starts in the third act. Each time, it usually starts with the crickets chirping as loud as possible but then the crickets stop, leaving the scene with dead silence.

This is most noticeable when Graham is watching the fields from an upstairs window while they are boarding up the house and the crickets stop. This detail helps enhance the suspense, making the audience fear whether an alien could appear at any second.

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