The Sci-Fi Horror Thriller On Max That Traumatized An Entire Generation

Signs follows the story of former Episcopal priest Graham Hess, portrayed by Mel Gibson, who lives on a rural farm in Pennsylvania with his preteen son Morgan and his young daughter Bo—portrayed by Macaulay Culkin’s younger brother Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin, respectively. Joaquin Phoenix plays Merrill, Graham’s younger brother, who has been helping the family ever since Graham’s wife died in a car accident six months prior to the events of the film.

At the beginning of Signs, large crop circles appear in Hess’ cornfield, which the family attributes to vandals. But things start to get strange when other crop circles begin to appear globally, and reports about sightings of strange beings begin popping up. An all-out alien invasion soon breaks out, with the movie detailing the Hess family’s struggles against the aliens.

We won’t spoil Signs entirely, but the film’s premise is oddly similar to that of War of the Worlds; you know, the one in which alien invaders reach Earth, the full-scale invasion begins, and then they’re killed by something we on Earth consider so common, we take it for granted.

With that said, while both movies hold nearly identical critical response ratings on Rotten Tomatoes—Signs is 1 percent behind War of the Worlds—the 2002 movie managed to better capture the hearts of its audiences thanks to all the chills it provides.

Criticism was rare, with many stating that the film’s only flaw was that it hadn’t left anything to the audience’s imagination, which, admittedly, is a cardinal sin for a release in the horror genre.

With that said, the movie is fantastic, and its earnings state as much. Signs earned $408 million at the box office against its $72 million budget. This is a massive profit of 566 percent, which overshadows that of War of the Worlds—the latter managed to “recuperate” 465 percent of its production budget.

Sadly, the ending of Signs also left no room for a sequel.

Mel Gibson went on to direct the controversial The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, both of which are excellent movies, and Joaquin Phoenix starred in the critically acclaimed Walk the Line and Joker, the latter of which is receiving a sequel in October this year. The lack of an ending that’s open to sequels isn’t such a big deal; Sings may end up receiving an Independence Day treatment in the future.

Of course, the last bit was entirely speculative, but the fact remains that Signs is one of those rare sci-fi horrors that remind you that going to the bathroom isn’t all that important when nature’s call wakes you up in the middle of the night. Those interested can watch Signs on Max.