Signs is essentially a home invasion movie where the invaders happen to be from another planet. While it’s technically sci-fi, it functions as a masterclass in low-gore, high-chill teen horror. It doesn't rely on massive battles. Instead, it locks you in a farmhouse with a family that is already falling apart and makes you listen to the scratching on the roof.
The "Found Footage" blueprint
Long before every horror movie used a grainy cell phone camera to scare people, M. Night Shyamalan used a Brazilian birthday party. There is a specific scene in this movie involving a news broadcast and a tall figure in an alleyway that remains one of the most effective jump scares in cinema history. If you are looking for scary movies for 13 and 14 year olds, this is the gold standard for "gateway" horror. It teaches kids how tension works through what you don't see.
The movie thrives on a specific kind of dread. It’s the sound of a baby monitor picking up clicking noises or the sight of a dog barking at nothing. For a teenager raised on the jump-scare-a-minute pace of modern streamers, this might feel quiet at first, but the payoff is much stickier.
The Mel Gibson factor
You can't talk about this movie without talking about the lead. In 2002, Mel Gibson was the ultimate "everyman" hero, but his public persona has shifted significantly since then. For many parents, his presence is the biggest hurdle to enjoying the film. If you're weighing whether to engage with his filmography given his history, our guide to the Mel Gibson art vs. artist debate can help you decide how to frame that conversation with your kids.
In the context of the film, he plays a man who has completely checked out of his life. His performance, paired with Joaquin Phoenix as the well-meaning but slightly dim younger brother, gives the movie a grounded feel that most alien movies lack. They feel like a real family that is grieving, not like action heroes waiting for their close-up.
Logic vs. Feeling
If your kid is the type who loves to "CinemaSins" a movie and point out every plot hole, they are going to have a field day with the ending. The internal logic of why these aliens chose Earth is, frankly, a bit silly if you think about it for more than ten seconds.
However, the movie isn't trying to be a hard sci-fi documentary. It’s a fable. If you can get your teen to focus on the "signs" of the title—the way small, seemingly useless details from earlier in the movie come back to save the day—the logic gaps matter less. It’s a movie about coincidence and whether we choose to see meaning in the chaos. If they liked A Quiet Place, they will recognize the DNA here immediately. It’s the same "family-first, monsters-second" approach that makes the stakes feel personal rather than global.
