Signs
A grieving former preacher and his family confront an alien invasion whose uncanny signs challenge both their safety and their faith.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- foreboding
- claustrophobic
- melancholic
- late night horror viewing
- rainy evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Shyamalan’s suspenseful direction, atmosphere, and cast while remaining divided over the film’s originality, emotional writing, and payoff.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Hess farmhouse, cornfields, television, and nighttime noises become increasingly menacing as the family anticipates an alien incursion.
Former preacher Graham Hess has abandoned belief after his wife’s death, while the unfolding invasion forces him to confront questions of providence and meaning.
Crop circles, repeated phrases, family memories, and seemingly incidental household details acquire significance as the ordeal develops.
The camera frequently withholds clear views of the visitors, using doorways, windows, television footage, and obstructed cornfields to sustain uncertainty.
Films like Signs, and why
The War of the Worlds
shared alien invasion premise, rural isolation, suspenseful family survival, and faith-centered drama
The Sixth Sense
shared slow-building supernatural threat, domestic setting, grief, and emotionally intimate suspense
The Village
shared rural family under siege, mysterious signs, and escalating psychological horror
The Host
shared monster threat, familial solidarity, and suspense shaped by religious and emotional themes
Movie Details
- Director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Release Date
- 2002-08-02
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (6576)
Cast
- Mel Gibson
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Rory Culkin
- Abigail Breslin
- Cherry Jones
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Patricia Kalember
- Ted Sutton
- Merritt Wever
- Lanny Flaherty
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Signs about?
- A grieving former preacher and his family confront an alien invasion whose uncanny signs challenge both their safety and their faith.
- What is Signs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Signs as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Signs violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Signs as mild.
- What did critics think of Signs?
- Critics broadly praised Shyamalan’s suspenseful direction, atmosphere, and cast while remaining divided over the film’s originality, emotional writing, and payoff.
- Which films are like Signs?
- Films with a similar feel include The War of the Worlds, The Sixth Sense, The Village, and The Host.
- How long is Signs?
- Signs runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Signs?
- In United States, Signs streams on Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus.
