It is Morgan Hess of "Signs" that makes a suggestion. It is the elders Graham and Merrill Hess that deny him his belief. In Signs we are transported to Bucks County, PA, to a small farm where Graham Hess and his brother Merrill are raising two young children, one with very poignant views and ideas. It is at this time that a string of crop circles begin to pop up all over the world, including their crops. Of course, both Graham and Merrill are perplexed, but think rationally and come up with a word that every other dignified adult would think of: �hoax�.
Director M. Night Shyamalan once again uses what I call �real� filmmaking, where he comes up with a totally original idea, ponders it, writes it, revises it, and finally makes it. It was the same with Shyamalan�s two prior films. In post-production of "The Sixth Sense", he was already well into "Unbreakable". In post-production of "Unbreakable," he was well into the screenplay of "Signs." It is an incredible thing to think about, where this man can think up thought-provoking idea, and rapidly create and build upon another amazing plot.
With "Signs," Shyamalan shows that he is the real thing. Anybody can get lucky and strike gold once, even twice. Now we know he�s not a phony. He uses a powerful sound design for this film. Most of this movie is either very quiet or silent altogether. Building on the tension, Shyamalan drowns us in a deluge of some pretty spectacular material. He uses the �what you can�t see is scarier� concept, meaning he barely shows us the actual thing that is frightening. Mostly, we are left by ourselves to think in our mind what is about to happen. Shyamalan is obviously a knowledgeable guy, knowing how crazy our minds can be. This is even scarier.
One of the joys of "Signs" is the fact that nothing happens in it if it doesn�t have a purpose. That is why the curious and strange Bo Hess always leaves her drinking glasses around the house. That is why Morgan had asthma. That is why Merrill always swung when he was a baseball player. The climax of the film shows us why everything is the way it is. That is a payoff all its own. However Shyamalan chooses not to have a clich�d payoff and leaves the film still building...even when it�s over. ****