Signs

Released: 2002
Horror, Sci-fi, Mystery
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown: A family that lives on a rural farm discovers crop circles and has to deal with an alien invasion.


This is on my list of one of the scariest films that I have ever seen.  Back when Mel Gibson was still a respected actor, and when Shyamalan was still a good director, this movie is awesome.

A family that is still trying to deal with a family tragedy from a while back lives on a farm in the middle of the countryside.  One day they discover crop circles out on their land and don't know what to make of it.  Then one night Gibson and Phoenix try to chase down what they think is just a trespasser on their farm, a tall, thin, fast, trespasser.
Eventually, things escalate and it turns out aliens have landed on planet Earth.  The family has to choose where to hold up and how to stay safe on their own.

What's so elegant about this movie is that it is told from a very small perspective.  You only know what is happening in the world through this one family's eyes.  They are very secluded living out alone on the farm land so that's very realistic as far as how you or I would see things in that living situation.  Of course, they watch some tv, but soon they lose the signal and are completely cut off from world or local news.  The other really great thing about this story is the balance between the family trying to deal with this alien invasion as well as coming to grips with a terrible personal tragedy that turned their world upside down.  There is equal time given to the unfolding of the invasion vs. what exactly happened to the family before the aliens came along.  I think, it's just really masterful storytelling and perhaps, Shyamalan's best work next to The Sixth Sense.

If you haven't seen it, you gotta'.  It's a great scary story, as well as a human one.

5 out of 5 for being a completely unique movie with a great engaging story.