SIGNS vs NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD vs THE BIRDS?

[SteveSzyk]

***SLIGHT SIGNS SPOILERS***

Three films not often linked together, but after viewing the similarities are very apparent. An attack of some sort of killers (birds, aliens, and zombies) causing a group of people to lock themselves in a house, by boarding doors and windows. Very tough to compare. Signs was very deep, and I thought so much more than an alien picture. It provided uses every emotion - I laughed, I cried, and I screamed, and has few flaws (The big, big, big one being showing the alien in the end. Yuck.) Night of the Living Dead is horror at its best, although it seems to have aged quite a bit. The Birds is another of Hitchcock's masterpieces, and is extremely suspensful, with a ballsy, fantastic ending.

Signs (8/10)
NOTLD (8/10)
The Birds (8/10)

[MotorizedInstinct]

Signs Spoilers*********
I liked seeing the alien at the end. That shot of it's reflection in the TV was GREAT.

Night of te Living Dead 8.5/10
Signs 8/10
The Birds 7/10

[This message has been edited by MotorizedInstinct (edited 08-08-2002).]

[Evil Spike]

Signs- 5/5

Night of the Living Dead- 5/5

Night of the Living Dead (remake)- 5/5

The Birds- 4/5

[This message has been edited by Evil Spike (edited 08-08-2002).]

[stevereno]

i guess i'll go with SIGNS with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in second and THE BIRDS right behind it

SHIVER ME TIMBERS

[countchocula]

I haven't seen The Birds in its entirety, so I won't be able to comment on it. There is a strong similarity between Signs and NOTLD. A group of people are forced to cope with a worldwide catastrophe while remaining indoors. Both films disregard the public's reaction to the apocalyptic event and zoom in on one family/group of people in particular. Pretending that they were both released over the weekend, I'd give the edge to Signs since it encompassed a wide variety of genres without ever feeling disjointed. NOTLD stuck to suspense/horror, which is far from a downfall. It simply didn't require aspects of comedy or sci-fi to click on all cylinders. But seeing as how NOTLD wasn't released over the weekend, and seeing as how it had an incalculable impact on the genre, breaking new ground in the zombie subgenre, I'd have to say that it’s the better film. That's not to say that Signs didn't bring any fresh ideas to the table. It most certainly did. It's just that it's hard to say that it surpasses an ageless classic when we don't even know how it will fare twenty/thirty years down the line. Will it surmount time? Will it still be as effective when it's considered to be an "old" film?

Night of the Living Dead-5/5
Signs-5/5

Great topic, Steve!

[Horror whore]

THE BIRDS is one of Hitchcock's worsts in my opinion...(Still good, I'd give it a 7/10) I've never seen the original NOTLD, but the remeake blew chunks if you asked me. And SIGNS just kicks ass all around. My pick is SIGNS.

[RogueSpear]

**SPOILERS FOR SIGNS**
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Steve, I agree with everything you said about Signs except for one thing. I thought the ending was the perfect time to show the alien being. The reflection in the TV was a great shot.

Signs, in my opinion is clearly the best movie of the year, if not the past couple of years. It is so brilliant in its subletly. Shyamalan creates a frightening and terrifying atmosphere, not by showing us things but just by letting us know they are there. Sounds are more frightening in Signs than sights are.

**SPOILERS**
The scenes in the house at the end are great. When the camera stays on the family downstairs but you hear the aliens at the front door, on the roof, inside the house is pure genious. One of the freakiest scenes in a long time.

Night of the Living Dead, while still a good film, is clearly dated. Although the atmosphere is there, I feel it lacks the creative use of sounds to scare us, as employed by Shyamalan. Romero does a good job of creating a foreboding atmosphere in Night but it doesn't compare to Signs.

I have not seen The Birds so I can't comment on it.

Signs - 10/10
Night of the Living Dead - 8/10

[This message has been edited by RogueSpear (edited 08-08-2002).]

[Antonio]

Three horror greats, but for different reasons (even though the barricades tie them together). My grades are as follows:

THE BIRDS (1963) Alfred Hitchcock (A+)
SIGNS (2002) M. Night Shyamalan (A)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) George A. Romero (B+)

[teenkiller]

I think Night of the Living Dead is easily the best. Especially the remake. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.