Signs (2002)

Signs is well-remembered these days for a particular scene. I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. It’s the birthday party that traumatized everyone, and conjured a baffling bit of Spanish from Joaquin Phoenix. But surrounding that moment, Signs does a whole lot with very little, a trick director M. Night Shyamalan’s would hone, misuse, and then sharpen again across the next two decades.

The aliens that are constantly terrorizing the cast are heard more than they’re seen. You can tell they’re around by the shuffling of grass, the crop circles burnt into fields, and in one scene, by the sound of crickets chirping. When they are seen, they’re often obfuscated by darkness or some other scene element. They maintain an air of mystery and danger, even as Signs gets to its climactic showdown, because Shyamalan waits until he absolutely must show the alien threats to ever put them on screen. Even if the movie isn’t all that terrifying, the director still puts on a clinic, showing how to economically and tastefully build up suspense, making it a must-watch for lovers of the form. — Moises Taveras