The Sixth Sense

The ending is rightly infamous. Haley Joel Osment's performance is awe-inspiring and the script is absolutely brilliant, requiring very finely tuned direction and editing to be pulled off. Few films will teach you more about your own viewing processes. We expect to be informed of relevant facts, and so to rewatch Shyamalan's masterful breakthrough film is to marvel at his narrational sleight-of-hand. On repeat viewings it stays chilling and highly engaging.

I would never have dreamed that a scary yet warm-hearted ghost story would become a summer runaway success. It thoroughly deserves it, too. In light of Shyamalan's rapid decline afterwards, everyone seems to be lining up to bash him, but this movie deserves to be remembered on its own merits

People who have seen the movie know what the big twist is, people who HAVEN'T seen this movie knownwhat the big twist is. I actually thought it was pretty well hidden and still enjoyed watching everything unfold having known what the twist was. A very emotional score and heart wrenching ending that I didn't see coming. Willis and Osment are both very good in their roles. Shyamalan's directing is actually effect too. Absolutely loved this movie.

A very good movie that gets a lot of unnecessary hate cause Shyamalan went on to direct some really bad movies and people love to hate him. This is an excellent movie with a great twist ending with good performances from Osment and Willis.

A well made film, but I read a Goosebumps book with the exact same twist so I had trouble getting over that...

I admit I didn't see the ending coming when I first saw it, and it is reactions like that that have given M. Night Shyamalan his rep. This is still the best thing he's put out, however, with Unbreakable being a close second, and Signs and The Village nowhere near them.

I knew the twist going in (who doesn't know it now?), and the movie is very well put-together, but without the twist, where does it go? It becomes pretty obvious that the script is just building up to that one event, which then happens in very unsubtle matter complete with flashbacks because apparently we can't remember what happened an hour ago. It also doesn't help that the plot was mostly taken from an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark that I remember watching as a kid.

Spoiler alert! M. Night Shyamalan only has one more good movie in him after this!

The Sixth Sense is a mind-bending, psychologically satisfying drama film that teeters on the edge between supernatural thriller and all-out horror.

An effective and creepy movie that deepens with repeated viewings despite the twist ending.

Widely recognized as Shyamalan's best work. Well acted and surprisingly scary psychological drama that will have you reaching fortissues during the last half hour. Launched a Hollywood infatuation with "twist endings".

Ross, Violent Democracy, p. 64: "The Sixth Sense shirks the irresponsible fascination with ghosts in your 'average' horror movie, yet this 'moral' stand depends on the very immorality it rejects. In the guise of a call to remember the violent crimes of the past, it actually finds itself needing to forget the worse crime. And, furthermore, to heal the wounds of those violent crimes it does 'remember,' it concocts mechanisms for exorcising ghosts that work to make justice miraculously attainable."

When echoing the distant past of great potential squandered and undelivered, not many debuts stand so painfully crystallized as Shyamalan's 'The Sixth Sense'. Easily dismissed as a gimmick movie, it is best viewed as a heartbreaking supernatural drama, undeniably brilliant in build up and execution. It was a false promise that a new master of suspence had sounded his arrival. Well, how far the mighty have fallen, what crushingly disappointing tumble from this tiny but shiny gem.

Shyalaman will forever be chasing the greatness of his first film.

I didn't really feel anything other than bored.

It has some great ideas, but it's executed horribly. Haley Joel Osment is awesome and manages to be the best actor in this movie. He's an absolute joy to watch. Willis is good too, of course. But that's as far as the good acting goes. The whole concept is executed cheesily and it's all incredibly exagerated. How about making it even SLIGHTLY subtle so the audience can try to figure out the end twist for themselves? Of course not, let's spell it out to their face over and over. Good one.

One of Shyamalan's best works. Osment's magnificent..

(after repeat viewings) Still great after 20 years, especially in terms of craft, performances and character development. More than just a horror film, it conveys a thing or two about the haunting power of memory and the lasting impact a person can have when they're no longer with us. I also don't get teary-eyed easily, but that scene with Cole and his mom in the car is an all-timer. Long live 90's camcorders.

Even without the super duper Shyamalan gimmick twist it's still a decent story and the interaction between Osment and Willis is charming enough. All the hype doesn't diminish this much in my eyes. It's a contemporary ghost story that's intriguing and manages to play off of the acting strengths of both Osment and Willis.

This thriller has the best twist ever. Too bad every one knows it now. I saw it without a clue and it blew me away. It's still one of the best of its genre.

People hate Shyamalan. He tricked them. The dirty fucker. Also there are super cool people that also enjoy bragging that they knew within 4.6 seconds the big twist. Well la di fucking da. It's a well made thriller that does what's supposed to; entertain.

On rare occasions, I'll see a movie with a scene so perfectly acted that I get goosebumps. This movie has two. My only real complaint would be Olivia Williams feels miscast, and her accent sounds caught between English and American. Much praise for the opening scene, which masterfully steers the audience on the right path for the rest of the movie. People who think it's funny to reveal the ending have tiny wiener energy.

It is hard to go 16 years without getting this movie spoiled to you, but if you have the chance I compel you too. Shyamalan's good film is a REALLY good, and so are his actors. Willis and Osment rock. While the ending is a little subpar and expected, the script is still smart and cool. The direction is the standout though. It creates a really tense and creepy atmospher, I won't soon forget. Awesome.

Full disclosure: I knew the twist going in, but I still really enjoyed this film. The Sixth Sense is a bit of an odd duck in its genre when it comes to its pacing (largely because of the twist ending), but that makes it feel really unique and quite chilling at times. Osment and Willis work quite well together and both put some solid performances on screen. I love the way the twist is executed, and even if you know it going in, this can still be an incredibly compelling film.

Who didn't like the 6th Sense, before word of the ending got out and ruined it for everyone that hadn't seen it yet?