M. Night Shyamalan Theory: The Signs Villains Are Not Aliens - They're Much Worse

With a knack for twist endings, M. Night Shyamalan's films tend to invoke discussion, both positively and negatively. While "Signs" is one of his better-received offerings, it's led to much discussion online of how the twist doesn't make any sense. 

The film ends with the Hess family fending their home from an alien, a localized event from a global invasion. However, they soon discover the alien is allergic to water, and fortunately, the daughter, Bo (Abigail Breslin), has conveniently placed many half-filled glasses of water around the house. Eventually, the alien dies when water falls onto its head. Many have criticized the film because it doesn't make sense for aliens to invade a planet in the first place that's predominantly covered by water, and depending on where you live, water can randomly fall from the sky. But a "Signs" fan theory allows the film to make more sense, provided that the creatures aren't aliens at all but demons. 

And it isn't just water that harms them but holy water, as Redditor u/ImprobableAvocado writes, "It's water blessed by a man of God. It becomes a little heavy-handed at that point of a formerly religious man conquering his demons, but still better than oops the aliens are allergic to something that is just in the air on this planet." The film also mentions how Bo's birth was miraculous, with her being described as angelic. If she's literally an angel, then her pouring the water would purify it, allowing it to harm the demons. And with this interpretation, "Signs" reads as a much better movie. 

"Signs" is a story about Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a former priest who left the church after his wife died. He grapples with his faith throughout the movie before returning to the cloth by the end. With that in mind, bringing aliens into the mix is odd. They do come from the sky, so symbolically, they could represent "dark angels" of sorts. However, making them straight-up demons makes the themes of "Signs" so much stronger. 

Throughout "Signs," Graham metaphorically battles his demons. By the end, he comes face to face with an actual demon. It could serve as a literal manifestation of his loss of faith, literally holding his family hostage. Graham didn't just stop being a priest; he kind of checked out as a father to his children, too. Kids need a dad, especially after going through the trauma of losing their mother, and Graham drops the ball in this regard. A demon threatening his kids serves as a dark reflection of where he was heading without faith. And the family is only able to defeat the demons by coming together. Bo leaves the water glasses around the house, and Graham tells his brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), to "swing away" with his baseball bat to attack the creatures. Graham overcomes his demons by embracing his family.

Additionally, Graham's faith allows him to see how everything is connected via the monsters. The creature releases a toxic gas, but his son, Morgan (Rory Culkin), is unable to breathe it in since he has asthma. Graham sees how everything does, indeed, have a purpose. The "Signs" demon theory ties everything into the theme of religion much more neatly, and it makes the twist of "aliens" being weak against water far less goofy.