It is officially September! Let the 30 Day Horror Tag commence! So, the first day of the challenge asks you, "What is a horror film that no one would expect you to love, but you do". I am not a religious person in the sense that I go to church, but I am a spiritual one that experiences blind faith. Going into Signs (2002), one would expect it to be a horror film about aliens, not about a priest regaining his faith after becoming a widow. I cannot believe I was tricked into watching a film about faith disguised as an alien invasion film.
I was only 4 when the film came out, but I believe I was a bit older when the movie was available on VHS and DVD. That transition from the theater to physical media took a long time back then, no straight to online streaming service! I just remember my paternal grandmother talking about the "little girl dancing" and her laughing about it.
Obviously, everything seems a lot scarier when you're younger. I remember the opening credits playing in the living room of our first house and getting anxiety from the score. It almost sounds like the score of the second Jeepers Creepers film, scary stuff! The film gave off this aura of mystery and uneasiness, with a bit of awkwardness. I can barely remember watching the cornfield scene.
I don't think I saw it all the way through again until I was in my early adulthood. All the hazy details of your youth begin to make sense in your fuller developed brain, and I began to acquire a newfound appreciation for the film. I began to fall in love with the atmosphere of the movie, as it provided me the same kind of comfort that I had in Silent Hill (2006). The uneasiness that plagues the film is similar to Silent Hill, in the sense that there is incoming dread. A threat. That feeling excites me.
I don't know why I love the way chaos and impending doom makes me feel. I love Cloverfield for the same reasons, as well as Resident Evil. I guess because my life is so boring, I relish in the thought of something extremely drastic happening. But, why does one find comfort in that feeling? Like a comforting thunderstorm.
I've also had a lot of trouble with religion and faith while I was growing up. I resent a lot of Christianity, although, not as much as I did when I was younger. I used to pray every night to God to help protect my family, help me sleep, to give me good dreams, and to let me have a good day when I woke up. I related to the scene when Graham had his son, gasping for air, in his arms. His head laid back and he spat through gritted teeth, "I hate you. I hate you!". I cannot remember the first time I ever told God that I hated him, but I remember the feeling. It burned in my chest and I was choking through tears.
I had a lot of animosity weighing heavy in my heart. I felt betrayed and lied to. I felt abandoned. Movies like Signs, The Exorcist, and Jacob's Ladder helped me move through a lot of my anger and hopelessness. They helped me believe in something again. That is the beauty of film. While I do not identify as a Christian today, I have regained a sense of faith. I believe in higher powers. I believe that energy cannot be created, nor can it be destroyed. I believe the physical form is limiting and that I will not truly be free until I leave this realm. Then, I will fly over clouds and fight dragons on the other side. For now, I'm trying to live my life to the fullest!
The film holds up tremendously well these days. I don't get tired of watching it, same with The Sixth Sense. There are numerous video essays on YouTube discussing how clever M. Night Shyamalan is as a writer/director, specifically his work in Signs and The Sixth Sense. I love rewatching it with newfound information and seeing just how well the whole film ties together. I especially love seeing the dynamics of the two brothers.
I think my favorite scenes would be: The Baby Monitor scene, The Cornfield scene, and The Miracles or Coincidence scene being my top favorite of the movie. Here is where you can see Joaquin Phoenix's character really shine, besides the end of the film. You can see how different the brothers are and how much Merrill looks up to his brother. Merrill seeks comfort in Graham, not as a priest, but as his sibling. While Graham delivers him an almost sermon-like speech, Merrill was able to give a speech of his own. It's hilarious and just as impactful as Graham's speech about miracles and coincidences.
The only thing that sucks is the CGI, lol! That didn't hold up too well, but I am willing to overlook it. The film did a great job hiding the aliens by showing them in the shadows, through fuzzy t.v. screens, and camouflage. Their designs are okay, I think what made them so scary was the fact that you could only hear them and not see them. And they sounded scary, what with the whale-like moaning and clicking through the baby monitor.
Well, that's day 1! I'm excited for this challenge :) This is also acting as a countdown to the first day of October! Woo hoo!
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