M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs explores the themes of faith and family through the lens of inner and outer demons manifesting as extraterrestrials, but one theory suggests the movie's antagonists might not be aliens at all. Audiences have often criticized the movie for its nonsensical plot twists: “Why would an advanced alien race destroyed by water come to a planet composed almost entirely of water?” and “Why do the aliens not seem to be able to open doors?” But, what if there’s a deeper meaning behind these seemingly silly choices?
The third feature film from the infamous “plot twist” director M. Night Shyamalan, Signs follows a family in crisis as the head of household, a former priest, struggles with his faith after the loss of his wife. However, the family is forced to come together when they discover a series of crop circles in their corn field and it becomes increasingly clear that all is not what it seems.
Shyamalan is notorious for loading his movies with small hints to the ending twist and making every choice about each film’s direction specifically with a purpose in mind. So, how is it that there are such huge plot holes in Signs surrounding the aliens and their choices? In order to delve deeper, one must ask the question about whether the events in the movie are happening in exactly the way the characters perceive them, or if something else is at work.
What’s Suspicious About the Aliens?
Far different than most alien invasion movies, Signs focuses less on the creatures themselves and more on the family dynamics surrounding the impending invasion. However, there are some glaring problems with how the aliens behave that led audiences to other theories about who or what the aliens might be.
The first—and most obvious—inconsistency is the aliens’ severe weakness to water. Why would an alien race that's advanced enough for interstellar travel come to a planet composed of almost 70% water if they’re weakened by it? The first explanation that comes to mind is that they simply don’t know that water will kill them, but that leads to another problem: why would they use physical scouts instead of scouting the entire planet using some type of advanced alien technology?
These strange plot holes have led some viewers to believe that Signs is simply a poorly constructed movie with sub-par writing, but other audience members have delved deeper and arrived at an altogether different conclusion: the aliens aren’t really aliens at all.
Why The "Aliens" Might Represent Inner Demons
Given the overt biblical themes and imagery throughout Signs, it’s not a far leap to assume that the aliens are also related to something biblical in nature. As each of the movie’s characters are struggling inwardly with their own inner demons, the aliens become an outward manifestation as physical demons.
The first clue of this intention is the crop circle, clearly arranged in the shape of a pitchfork. The next is the differing opinions and views of the creatures as the public becomes more aware of them. Demons are often said to take on the form of their audience’s expectations, and Shyamalan posits through this film that in the modern day, most people are conditioned to see demons in the way that the characters in the movie do: as a hoax, a terrestrial unknown like Bigfoot, or as an otherworldly, but non-spiritual creature like an alien.
As such, it’s no coincidence that the aliens start appearing around the same time that the main character, Graham Hess, admits to losing his faith. Similar to Jacob’s Ladder, Signs draws the main character through a Hell of his own creation until he confronts his own demons and is finally able to be at peace.
Biblical Imagery & Allegory
Shyamalan uses the aliens in Signs as a metaphor or a tool to show the characters the things they need to confront, and because of this, he leaves lots of biblical imagery throughout the movie to clue audiences in to his intentions. In addition to the more upfront speeches about coincidence and faith, there are also a lot of little hints in the imagery and cinematography of the movie in this religious horror movie.
The opening and closing scenes are the first hint of this - the opening scene is shot through a closed window showing a dark and empty playground, while the closing scene is shot through the same window, but now it’s broken open and the family is all together outside in the daylight.
The next clue is the family’s “last supper”. This is the point at which the movie reaches its climax, and Hess confesses to his brother Merrill that he’s not ready yet. His confession foreshadows a coming encounter with the demons he’s avoided facing for years — except this time, the demons are real.
More biblical references lie in the news announcing that the solution to fighting back against the aliens was found in “three small cities in the Middle East.” The obvious parallel to Mecca, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem is there as well as the traditional religious significance of the trinity.
The aliens’ main form of attack, stopping their victims from breathing, can also be interpreted as a biblical reference, as many Abrahamic religions consider the creation of man to have come through receiving God’s “breath of life.”
The final major clue to the aliens’ true nature is their much-maligned weakness to water. Beau’s habit of leaving half-full glasses of water around the house is the Chekhov’s gun of the movie. That said, consider the possibility that it’s not just water that the aliens are weak to — it’s holy water. Being a part of a priest’s home, the water inside is technically holy water, which burns the creatures like acid when it touches their skin.
Is Signs' Demon Theory True?
Unlike many fan theories, there’s some solid evidence that Signs’ aliens actually being demons might be what M. Night Shyamalan intended with this movie. The biblical imagery and references are obviously intentional, as the whole film focuses on themes of faith and belief, specifically Christian faith. Shyamalan often uses biblical themes in his work.
Additionally, Shyamalan is well-known for being an incredibly meticulous filmmaker, inserting clues to his infamous twist endings throughout his movies and choosing every element of the cinematography and score purposefully. Because of this, it’s really strange that he would make such a bizarre lapse of judgement in the aliens’ weakness to water. But, if the intent was for the aliens to be demons and the water to be holy water, then everything makes a lot more sense.
Regardless of the inconsistencies in the plot and whether this explanation is satisfactory enough to wrap the film up for audience members feeling let down by the plot holes, Signs remains one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best films of all time, and this theory certainly offers a new lens to watch it through.