A suspense movie is only as successful as the mood it presents, and Signs is a perfect example of a how good direction can take a simple story and amplify it into a highly enjoyable experience.

M. Night Shyamalan effectively builds a world of unease and tension with his most recent effort Signs. With suspense reminiscent of John Carpenter's Halloween (the first one, not the shlocky sequels) and elements of War of the Worlds, Shyamalan crafts a tale that is while simple, remains quite compelling. Understanding that in order to effectively reach an audience, you don't have to drown the audience in cheap "done a thousand times" cheap scares or over the top death scenes, Shyamalan slowly builds the tension over the course of the film. The most effective type of horror or suspense film is one that builds the apprehension through the careful setting of mood. By developing a general sense of tension throughout the picture, heightening moments with articulately arranged shots, Shyamalan allows you to feed your own sense of unease rather than beat you over the head with what his vision of the antagonists. Most of the film's eerie moments are ones people have experienced in their lives when their imaginations run wild. Most of us have had moments when you think you hear something outside, or perhaps believe you may have seen something outside your window. Shyamalan's restraint in not showing too much allows you to project your own experiences into the film, giving you a better means to get absorbed in the film and identify with the characters. Much like in The Blair Witch Project, fleeting glances and bits and pieces are all that are offered for a great deal of the film. However unlike Blair Witch, this film isn't all tease and no show. The story does carefully intensify towards a more rewarding, if not predictable conclusion, while offering plenty of genuinely original scares.

Helping to keep the film from becoming too heavy handed is a healthy amount of humor. Not to be confused with the witty banter type humor seen in Kevin Williamson's films, the humor, while providing contrast to the eerie moments, seems to be interwoven with this general sense of the odd that carries over the picture. The humor is genuinely intelligent as well. After subjugating myself to countless penis and fart jokes in Austin Powers In Goldmember, I found myself laughing far more in this film.

For those who are looking for action-packed sci-fi gorefest, look elsewhere. Signs is a throwback to older films which focused more on the inferred horror than the overt "I stab you in the eye" type suspense/horror films in which you know who's going to live or die within watching the first 15 minutes.

Mel Gibson delivers a generally strong performance as former Minister Graham Hess, a former minister turned farmer, who gave up his faith after his wife's death. Hess is the typical Shyamalan main character, a man trying to overcome tragedy in the recent past, filled with self doubt, and searching for direction in his life. One has got to wonder why all his characters are so melancholy. These character types are fast approaching the extreme in redundancy, but is used effectively in this picture. Gibson performs quite well, displaying quite a broad range of emotion without becoming too hokey.

Joaquin Phoenix, with his ever distracting upper lip scar, does a fine job supporting Gibson as his brother Merrill, who has moved into the house to help out his brother in raising his two kids, played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. I was surprised to find that despite his Culkin lineage, young Rory did not annoy me with any of the smarmines that his older brother Macaulay of Home Alone fame.

Further sculpting the film's creepy mood is its score by James Newton Howard. His subtle orchestrations offer just the right level of ambience to enhance the feel of the film.

This is not to say that the film isn't without it's faults. While the film does maintain a fairly consistent pace, it seems as though Shyamalan was stuck for an ending and cobbles together one that seems both forced and silly. That having been said, the first three quarters of the movie more than make up for its weak conclusion. And yes the film is a bit preachy, but not to an alarming degree, and I think that those who find fault in that should go in seek of their "perfect movie" elsewhere. If your goal is simply to be entertained and get a few good scares in the process, then Signs is right for you.

RATING: 4/5 Stars

- Andrew Parmet