After taking the world by storm with The Sixth Sense, which made M. Night Shyamalan a household name, his next film, Unbreakable, while a success, was not held in the same regard as the ’99 horror. In order to prove he was not a one-trick pony, the acclaimed director started working on his next horror thriller, Signs, which many still consider his scariest work yet.
Initially perceived as joyous and almost childlike in its point-of-view, the Mel Gibson-led sci-fi thriller ended up being a nightmare for an entire generation of audience.
Fans Recount the Brilliance of M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs
Despite not being graphic in its presentation, the extreme tension and peril throughout Signs‘ proved to be too much for many viewers. Starring Mel Gibson as Graham Hess, and Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hass, compared to other sci-fi horrors, Signs is a lot more intimate in its presentation, Which follows Graham’s struggle with faith and grief.
Moreover, in addition to James Newton Howard’s nerve-wracking score, which further elevates the tension, the film also sees Shyamalan brilliantly using silence to intensify tense situations.
While it didn’t replicate the impact of The Sixth Sense, Signs was still seen as a masterclass in contemporary horror, which successfully traumatized viewers upon its release. Reacting to M. Night Shyamalan’s recent post, which sees fans jokingly commending the filmmaker for traumatizing them as kids, fans recounted their admiration for the sci-fi horror.
Although Shyamalan’s Hollywood run post-Signs has been a hit-or-miss, as his next two features were seen as major letdowns, it doesn’t take away from his brilliance on Signs, which made $408M.
Joaquin Phoenix’s Role in Signs Was a Departure From His Traditional Roles
After Mark Ruffalo dropped out of the Merrill Hess role following surgery on his inner ear, the Unbreakable director moved to Joaquin Phoenix for the part. Being fresh from the Oscar race, thanks to his performance in Gladiator, considering he was the comic relief in the tense sci-fi horror, Phoenix joked he was happy to take a break from serious roles. Speaking of his role, he said:
I don’t think I want to be a comedic actor, but I think I just want to try everything, give a shot at everything. And this certainly presented the opportunity for me to play a role that was more fun, not as serious. I didn’t get arrested or kill anybody, so that was really good. It was exactly what I wanted to do in terms of the character.
As for the role of the lead, Clint Eastwood was initially approached to play Graham, but he passed on the film due to scheduling conflicts, which ended up making room for Gibson.
Signs is available to stream on Max.
