10 Best Examples Of Movies With A ‘Chekhov’s Gun’

2. Signs – Glasses Of Water And Asthma

This M Night Shyamalan classic has numerous Chekhov’s Guns from the start. The first one is Graham’s daughter Bo leaving glasses of water all around the house. Graham repeatedly tells her off for this and she never seems to have an explanation as to why she does it.

She might as well be screaming the twist to the audience when she wakes her father up and says without pausing, ‘There’s a monster outside my room can I have a glass of water’. Despite the common complaint from viewers as to why aliens would invade a planet that was 71 percent covered in a substance that is deadly to them, there is no denying the set up of the glasses is very neatly done.

Son Morgan’s asthma is another factor that is alluded to from the start of the film. It is a great relief to the audience when the apparent alien murder of this young boy is thwarted because his airwaves conveniently closed, preventing him inhaling the toxic gas squirted in his face.

These elements have the added effect of convincing jaded preacher Graham that God really is looking after them all and helps to restore his faith at the end of the film.