Did "Signs" Screw Up By Not Having The Dog Fight Aliens?

Dan Lalonde
Sep 7
2 min read

Signs Mel Gibson dog Joaquin Phoenix alien UFO

What's your favorite movie scene where the Dog saves the day? Is it Nanook in 'The Lost Boys' body checking the Vampire into the bathtub full of holy water? 'I Am Legend's' Sam protecting Will Smith against the Zombie dogs? Maya the Husky saving Paul Walker from the ice crevasse in 'Eight Below?' Or is it Boomer in 'Independence Day' jumping to safety from the Alien's fireball blast?

To me, 'Signs' is almost the perfect horror film. But every time they get to the scene where the Aliens are coming to Mel Gibson's farmhouse and you hear the German Shepherd Isabelle outside whimper, I immediately hope the humans die for being jackasses. Like, seriously, it just takes away from the momentum the climax is building to. I mean, imagine the extra tension that would be created if they had to rescue the Dog to be brought inside.

The ending is iconic, where Joaquin Phoenix swings away the Alien with the baseball bat into the glass of water, where it's revealed that all the glasses of water are being left by God's doing. As Mel Gibson takes his kids outside, Phoenix finishes the Alien off. But what about if Isabelle is the one to knock the water on the alien? Then I wouldn't be writing this article and would be spending more time on this Sunday on my NFL pool. I knew the Chiefs were gonna lose their first game. I'm going with the Buccaneers to win it all this year.

What's your favorite dog scene from a movie? Comment below with your thoughts.