In addressing the great issues of the existence of God, the meaning of life, and the fate of the soul, is it unreasonable to think that in his movie “Signs,” M. Night Shyamalan would pit as the enemy of man not far-fetched aliens, but very real demons?
Director M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs tells the story of a farmer and his family in eastern Pennsylvania who are among the first to experience the onset of an alien invasion of the Earth. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is an ex-Episcopal priest who lost his Christian faith after his wife was hit and killed by a truck whose driver fell asleep at the wheel. After the accident, Graham quit the priesthood, turned to farming, and, as the movie begins, is trying his best to raise his two children, Morgan and Bo (Rory Caulkin and Abigail Breslin). Graham’s brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) has moved in with his brother in an effort to comfort him and help with the child-rearing.
Mysterious events begin to occur on the Hess farm. First a crop circle is found in the cornfield; next, the family dog attempts to attack the Hess children; then someone is seen climbing at night onto the roof of the family’s house. Graham reports the events to the police, and soon it is learned via television news that such strange happenings are taking place around the world. Strange lights appear in the sky, and a frightening creature is captured on video at a kids’ birthday party in Brazil. Graham has two disturbing close encounters of his own with apparent alien beings. The Hess family eventually is forced to barricade themselves in their farmhouse, where they wage a final confrontation with the attacking aliens.
Using a technique that made his earlier film The Sixth Sense a smashing success, director Shyamalan introduces a “payoff,” a shocking revelation that gives new meaning to film’s prior events, at the end of Signs. Here the aliens are defeated by the Hess family through a combination of seemingly meaningless and unrelated earlier events. Graham’s dying wife had told him vaguely to “see” and instructed him to tell Merrill, a former baseball player, to “swing away.” When the Hesses confront the lone remaining alien, Graham recalls his wife’s words and looks up to see one of Merrill’s baseball bats–with which he set a home run record–hanging on the wall. As Merrill begins to club the alien with it, a glass of water falls on the alien’s skin, burning it. Little Bo has a habit of leaving half-finished glasses of water around the house; an annoying routine has suddenly become a crucial survival factor. Too, Morgan’s asthma, a life-threatening condition, now saves his life when the alien sprays poison gas into his face. This series of events seems to answer the central question of the film: Are life’s events random and meaningless, or are our actions fated and our souls the intimate concern of God?
Signs is a masterpiece and can be enjoyed if one simply interprets the film as described above. However, there is an alternative way of looking at the movie. For it can be argued that the creatures that come to earth are not aliens from another planet… but demons from Hell.
One clue to this other meaning is the seeming absurdity of the central plot element: The aliens, who possess such advanced technology that they are able to travel across galaxies, are yet incapable of breaking through simple doors and bring no weapons with them to combat their human enemy. Too, they are easily vanquished, humans learn quite accidentally, by water. Though the film was premiered to general critical acclaim, some critics blasted the script for these very reasons.
But the demon theory of the film solves this problem. The water left around the house by little Bo can be interpreted as holy water, famed among Roman Catholic exorcists for warding off demons and evil. And Bo herself? In a seemingly out-of-place exchange during the final confrontation with the creatures, Graham tells his daughter that when she was born, “all the ladies in the room gasped–I mean, they literally gasped–and they go, ‘Oh, she’s like an angel.'” In old Norse, Bo (Búi or Bua) means “to live”; the angel has brought the main weapon of life to be used against the forces of Satan. In a classic line from an earlier scene in the film, Bo wakes up her father to tell him, “There’s a monster outside my room. Can I have a glass of water?” This line deservedly elicits a great laugh from the audience; kids will be kids, right? But there is indeed a monster outside her window, as her father soon sees. Under the demon/angel interpretation, here Bo the messenger from Heaven is asking for the very weapon that she alone somehow senses will combat the demon/monster.
As in the case of the demonically possessed in the real world, Signs‘ “alien” is seemingly burnt by contact with the (holy) water. Note also that the “aliens” have cloven hooves, a classic depiction of demons in Western art since early medieval times. As stated above, the “aliens” also have no technological weapons; they rely on primarily on terror….as does Satan and his minions, who want nothing more than to have humans despair of their salvation and their survival.
As the Hesses take refuge in their basement, Merrill tells his brother Graham, whose loss of faith leads him to give up hope of defeating the creatures:
You didn’t think we’d make it through the night, did you?
Listen… there’s things I can take and a couple things I can’t.
One of them I can’t take is when my older brother,
who’s everything I want to be… starts losing faith in things.
I saw your eyes last night.
I don’t want to ever see your eyes like that again.
Graham has been obviously struggling with demons of a kind prior to and throughout the film: his loss of faith, his anger at God for the death of his wife. “I am not wasting one more minute of my life on prayer,” the former priest thunders when Morgan suggests saying grace before the family’s “last supper” the night of the “alien” attack. When the creatures try to break their way through the basement door, Graham says aloud to himself: “I’m not ready.” Under any interpretation of the film, this can be construed as Graham recognizing that his soul is unprepared for death. Under the demon interpretation, Graham might well be recognizing that he is not ready for the spiritual battle that has been thrust upon him.
Too, the man who fell asleep at the wheel, Ray Reddy (played by director Shymalan) literally has his own “demon”: his unrelieved guilt for killing Graham’s wife. When Graham visits Reddy’s house, he finds the veterinarian packed up and ready to seek refuge elsewhere from the invasion. “I guess if this is the end of the world, I’m screwed, right?” Reddy tells Graham. “People who kill reverends’ wives aren’t exactly ushered to the front of the line in Heaven.”
In parting Reddy warns Graham: “And don’t open my pantry, Father. I found one of them in there and locked him in.” Perhaps Reddy is still struggling to lock his guilt away, and to flee from it.
Note that never do we see the alien ships that have brought these creatures to Earth. Oh, there are lights in the sky, but neither the characters nor the viewers see an actual spacecraft. TV reporters are left to theorize about the alien use of a “cloak of invisibility.” Again, interpreting the “aliens” as demons solves this problem.
Of course, there are the crop circles, supposedly a “sign” of extraterrestrial activity, and here seen by the characters as such (though note that the one in Graham’s cornfield looks decidedly like a pitchfork, the traditional tool of demons); and there are reports on the TV and radio about the “aliens” being defeated by humans in the end. Here the TV broadcaster speaks cryptically, reporting that “the battle turned around in the Middle East. Three small cities there found a primitive method to defeat them.” Could that primitive method be the use of holy water? And this happened in the birthplace of Christianity, among a trinity of cities?
The viewer of Signs must ask himself: Are the events happening as the main characters perceive them? After all, the news media, as well as young Morgan, develop all kinds of wild theories about the intentions, strengths, and weaknesses of the “aliens” without much evidence. A major clue given to us by Mr. Shyamalan that all is not as it appears is given to us when Graham asks at one point, “Is this really happening?”
Mr. Shyamalan has dealt with the supernatural and with angels before and since 2002’s Signs. Wide Awake (1998) tells the story of an all-boys Catholic school where one boy, grieving the loss of his grandfather, is visited by an angel in the guise of a fellow student. The Sixth Sense (1999) uses the “payoff” device of having the protagonist—and the audience—held unaware until the film’s conclusion that he was dead all along; Unbreakable (2000) suggests that some humans possess truly supernatural powers. Mr. Shyamalan also provided the story idea for Devil (2010), which portrays the manifestation of Satan himself among a group of people trapped in an elevator. Mr. Shyamalan is a Hindu who attended Episcopalian and Catholic schools in eastern Pennsylvania and whose work often is imbued with Christian themes and theology. In addressing the great issues of the existence of God, the meaning of life, and the fate of the soul, is it unreasonable to think that he would pit as the enemy of man not far-fetched aliens, but very real demons?
That is the true “payoff” of Signs that Mr. Shyamalan hopes his audience will be savvy enough to discern.
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The author wishes to thank his friend, Veronica Burchard, and reader James Isabella for the insight about the meaning of the TV report of the defeat of the “aliens” by a primitive method.
The featured image is courtesy of IMDB.
Good article. I’ll bet the good Catholic inside troubled Mel Gibson also saw the script’s significance and wanted in. It is actually one of Mel’s best performances.
An interesting interpretation, and wise.
More, it shows up one of our human fallibilities, the tendency to reduce all conflict to the domain of the physical, whether economic or military or political, because most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of spiritual combat.
A smart person once told me all temporal things I see are but metaphors for events in the spiritual realm. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps also, conservatives should be more “imaginative”, focus on the spiritual aspects of sensory appearances, and apply spiritual solutions rather than the worldly means of which secularists are so fond.
Well said, sir.
Thanks, Steve. This is really great, and makes sense of a film that had puzzled me for a long time. People thinking demons “must be” aliens? Perfect. Your post makes sense in terms of the movie itself, and of Shyamalan’s other works–though I still don’t get the point of The Happening…
You fellows might like this:
http://catholicism.about.com/b/2013/10/29/the-exorcist-horror-and-faith.htm?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons
My question, of course, is why does the Devil need a disc in which to travel? This focusing on demons (and I’m not opposed to the analysis) flies in the face of the secular gospel of Art Bell, albeit Fr. Malachi Martin explain to him, one dark and dreary evening, that those UFO’s were really ‘demons.’
This is an all-time favorite movie for me. I love every aspect of it. Thanks for making me look at it in a new way, Steve.
An interesting viewpoint, and one that gives the film greater depth. Thank you!
I always thought the performances were excellent – perhaps Gibson’s best performance, but the whole “aliens” scenario never seemed to make much sense as such.
I always thought it was about Demons. Never thought it was anything else.
The notion that one might view Signs as supernatural horror rather than science fiction actually makes me want to see it again.
Most people are familiar with a saying by Arthur C. Clarke: Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. If we did encounter real magic, or the supernatural, would we be likely to rationalize what we were seeing as advanced science? I think that is in play here.
If there was any possible way for me to enjoy this film even more than I already do, you have provided it.
Its been awhile since I’ve seen the movie, but I recall one other line in the film that supports the “Demon” theory. At the end, when humans are defeating the beings, a newscaster on the television mentions that “We know the battle turned around in the Middle East. Three small cities there found a primitive method to defeat them. We have no further details at this time.”
Primitive method? Perhaps, the use of Holy Water to ward off demons? Its notable that the newscaster doesn’t mention a thing about using simple water to kill them, which would have been pretty obvious early on to everyone on the planet.
Well, actually, they turn off the radio before the announcer says what the “primitive method” is. The characters in the house discover the water thing by accident, when a few of the little girl’s half-empty glasses spilled on the (?) creature.
Bravo to James Isabella. I agree! In fact it is “three” cities…a nod to the Trinity?
I differ slightly in my take on the “ancient method” utilized by those in the Middle East: prayer.
Not that i have a problem with movies that depict the issues of man vs demons, good vs evil or whatever dichotomy appeals to you. But consider that in this movie the “demon” has his fingers cut off by a man. As far as my limited knowledge goes, spiritual beings are not subject to kitchen knives.
i agree, they’re spiritual beings and it wouldn’t make sense if they were harmed by physical objects, however, they might be susceptible to harm do to their fall from the graces of God? Holy water can harm them and salt can prevent them from passing through an area, although holy water is blessed, i think that salt might support the idea that they can indeed be harmed, not killed, but harmed.
About the aliens being demons — impressive analysis,
I agree with much of it – here’s one more
Aspect of the alien demons that should be considered, the
Last final scene when the family confronts the demon alien
In the living-room, for about half a second the camera peers
in on the Aliens back, its skin markings is like that of a anaconda, python, Serpent , snake, reptile – and reptiles reptilians are synonymous With Demons, or fallen angels throughout many ancient, biblical And occult texts, satan the Dragon (reptile) being the most popular, notable
Interesting, but the simple fact that it’s ordinary water, not holy water, in the glassss creates a pretty major plot hole.
Is it? Bo is “like an Angel”.
CFA, the water in the glasses is Bo, the angel’s, leftover water, consecrated by her touch.
Thank you for this excellent interpretation. You have given me much to think about, related to my Christian Worldview class. However, I don’t think this movie is about demons. The aliens (or demons) are a side focus. The primary focus is the restoration of faith. The most pivotable moment in the Preacher’s moment was when his wife said, “Swing away Merrill.” The Preacher does not realize what his wife is saying at that moment, but soon enough her last words are a “sign” of how the family can survive the demons. These “signs” are part of our daily life, and when we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit we can navigate life with a heightened sense of knowing God is a work in subtle, intimate ways. By the end of the movie, we see the Preacher putting his collar back on. Faith restored.
I’m an atheist, so obviously I’m approaching the material from I different theological perspective, but I LOVE this interpretation. The “aliens allergic to water” aspect always bothered me and once pointed out, made an otherwise scary and engaging film feel a bit silly.
But in the universe of a Signs, it feels clear that there is a higher power at work, and the prescient “swing high, Merrick” and Bo leaving water around feels clearly influenced by some greater design.
While I may not believe in a god in the tall universe, I think in the film it’s pretty clear that some version of god exists, and the main character seeing the patterns and choosing to return to his faith is inspiring. It’s literally what I would do if confronted with this sort of experience in real life.
Thank you for the insightful analysis.