M. Night Shyamalan was as big a name in filmmaking as you could find in the early 2000s, following the success of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. His next movie, Signs, ended up being a monster hit as audiences were excited to see what Shyamalan could do with an alien invasion story.

While the aliens were the biggest selling point of the film, Signs ultimately told a story relating to grief, faith, and family more than anything else. Although reviews were good, the ending of the film was met with a mixed response, helping to set the tone for a down era for Shyamalan, where his twists were maligned.

Whether that was fair or not, Signs has ultimately been considered a film that somewhat missed the mark and could’ve been more. That’s where one Hulu original film from 2023 comes into play, as it delivered everything that Signs promised.

No One Will Save You Is A More Hard-Hitting Version Of Signs

The similarities between Signs and No One Will Save You are clear from the start. The latter deals with a woman from a small town who is home alone when gray aliens invade. The invasion scene itself is absolutely gripping and comes across as more harrowing than anything seen in Signs.

That gives No One Will Save You a harder-hitting edge than Signs. However, it goes beyond that as the protagonist, Kaitlyn Dever’s Brynn, has nobody to turn to. In Signs, there’s a father, an uncle, and two kids who band together during this frightening time. Here, Brynn has nobody because she’s been shunned by the entire town.

Due to something in her past, nobody talks to Brynn, meaning nobody is rushing to come help her, making it all seem scarier and giving Brynn a more hopeless situation. No One Will Save You is also notable for featuring almost no dialogue, making the intense scenes a bit more captivating.

No One Will Save You & Signs Both Use Alien Invasions To Explore The Theme Of Grief

The biggest thing that connects Signs with No One Will Save You is the way both films use the alien invasion angle to explore grief. Mel Gibson’s Graham is struggling at the start of the film after his wife dies in an accident and it causes him, a former priest, to abandon the church.

It’s having to deal with the aliens that helps him grow closer to his remaining family. He becomes a better father to both his kids and finds a new connection to his brother. Meanwhile, Brynn has to cope with the death of her best friend.

Since Brynn was the one who caused her friend’s death, she lives with that grief and trauma, which caused her to shelter herself from everyone. Her actual interaction with the alien reveals this and ultimately, after the town gets controlled by the parasitic aliens, they end up treating her better.

It’s the fact that she confronts this grief, even if she was forced to do so, that allows her to move forward. Life is certainly not going to be perfect in a town with aliens in control but Brynn ultimately feels like a better, healthier version of the character she was at the start of No One Will Save You.