‘Thanks for the Childhood Trauma’: Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix Teamed Up on a $408 Million Movie and the Result Was an Absolute M. Night Shyamalan Nightmare

After taking the world by storm with The Sixth Sense, which made M. Night Shyamalan a household name, his next film, Unbreakable, while a success, wasn’t held in the same regard as the ’99 horror film. Wanting to prove he wasn’t a one-trick pony, the acclaimed director got to work on his next horror thriller, Signs, which is still considered by many to be his scariest work to date.

The science fiction thriller starring Mel Gibson was initially seen as cheerful and almost childlike, but turned out to be a nightmare for an entire generation of viewers.

Fans Talk About M. Night Shyamalan’s Brilliant Signs Signs | Touchstone Pictures

Despite its lack of graphic presentation, the extreme tension and danger in Signs proved too much for many viewers. Starring Mel Gibson as Graham Hess and Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hass, Signs is far more intimate in its presentation than other sci-fi horrors,…