Honestly, signs was the first movie I ever experienced terror from all the way up until the end and now I literally do not give a single fuck about that movie.
Turns out I have a fear of aliens walking in the distance. Or, well, had.
Signs both clarified and cured me of it at the same time.
I had this whole theory built up about how the aliens were manifestations of the little girl's trauma and grief and everything was just happening within the town. All the stuff on the radio and TV was her using spooky kid mind powers unconsciously. That's why they were allergic to water: she has a weird thing about contaminated water glasses.
And then at the end he just hits the fucking alien with a baseball bat and the credits roll. What the actual hell.
While I completely agree, I'll do the apologist thing in case it helps anyone enjoy the film (or just sleep better).
spoilers for Signs (2002), of course
The aliens are actually demons or vampires
the water is holy water, either due to the ex-minister praying over his daughter, out of old habits, or due to some act of the angel of her dead mother
It's weak, but I guess it's more reasonable than "space faring aliens visit poison world for giggles".
I also like to allow for the aliens just being really stupidly desperate for some untold reason. But I'll admit it's a stretch to help me enjoy the film.
I just know one of those aliens came out in a place it was raining. As they left the ship they immediately began to hurt, complaining to each other. "Fuck we fucked up, this is NOT good! Who checked the specs on this planet? I bet it was Steve again.... Fucking Steve"