"Signs", anybody?

My daughter’s favorite movie is “Signs”, by M. Night Shamalan. In fact, she likes nearly all of his films. A big fan for sure.

We’ve watched ”Signs” numerous times together and we never seem to grow tired of it. I like it, too. While the film has some tense moments for sure, it’s not what I would categorize as being gory or violent, which is why we allow our daughter watch it. Indeed most of Shamalan’s other films seem to have the same quality -- the ability to put you on the edge of your seat without subjecting your psyche to the gore and violence that seem to be the hallmark of most modern suspense films.

An earlier director, Alfred Hitchcock, was also a master at this.



When trying to put my finger on why “Signs” amps up my pulse a notch or two whenever I watch it, I would have to say it is because of that “fear of the unknown” quality it has. Near the beginning and mid part of the film, Shamalan only allows the audience to see fleeting glimpses of the ET’s that are plaguing Gram’s farm, the character Mel Gibson plays in the film. These fleeting glimpses are what provokes one’s imagination to run wild about what these ET’s might really look like and why they are here. It is not until the end of the film that the audience gets to see in detail what the aliens look like.


Another reason the film is suspenseful, at least to me, is because I really do believe in the existence of these “so-called” ET’s. But my belief about what these beings really are, or where they’re really from, is quite different from that segment of the population that believes they are beings from outer space.

But that’s another post for another time.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen the film yet and are in the mood for a good, suspenseful flick this weekend, my advice is to go rent it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.