The Sixth Sense (1999)

In this article, we will be looking at 2019’s book “1001 Movies to See Before You Die” and going through each film in a random order that I have chosen. We will be looking at what constitutes this film to be on the list and whether I think this film deserves to be here at all. I want to make perfectly clear that I won’t be revealing details from this book such as analyses by film reporters who have written about the film in question, so if you want the book itself you’ll have to buy it. But I will be covering the book’s suggestions on which films should be your top priority. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that everyone reading this article has probably watched many of these movies anyway. But we are just here to have a bit of fun. We’re going to not just look at whether it should be on this list but we’re also going to look at why the film has such a legacy at all. Remember, this is the 2019 version of the book and so, films like “Joker” will not be featured in this book and any film that came out in 2020 (and if we get there, in 2021). So strap in and if you have your own suggestions then don’t hesitate to email me using the address in my bio. Let’s get on with it then.

The Sixth Sense (1999) dir. by M. Night Shyamalan

I remember watching this film when I was very young because my parents wanted to show it to me. Let us just say that I was so young that this thing was on Video, a VHS Tape, not even a DVD. I was about infant age but I am not going to lie when I say I was not scared. No, I was not a child with problems who was completely desensitised to this stuff. I simply had no idea what was happening. I could not decipher the storyline because I was so young and really, I wish I could decipher it because after that first watch, I became really obsessed with it. I had no idea what was going on, I did not know why my parents went out of their way to show it to me. But I credit this particular time in my life for starting off my obsession with horror movies and understanding every facet of them. I read books on horror movies and re-watch them to death as a result. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Rotten Tomatoes gave it about seven and a half out of ten with the critics’ consensus reading: "M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense is a twisty ghost story with all the style of a classical Hollywood picture, but all the chills of a modern horror flick.” It was nominated for over five Academy Awards, but lost out to other films. The same happened with the multiple BAFTAs it was nominated for and the Golden Globes. So even though it did not win on the big awards, it did win some smaller ones. At the People’s Choice Awards, the film won all the categories it was nominated for with “Favourite Motion Picture”, “Favourite Dramatic Motion Picture” and “Favourite Motion Picture Actor” (for Bruce Willis) being won. We can clearly see from these awards that there is some foggy shite between the critics and the average audience member that I will probably never know.

With a budget of forty million dollars, it went on to earn over six-hundred and fifty million dollars so we can see that there was a good amount of profit made.

Roger Ebert’s reaction to the film was incredibly written and there are some things I can understand in his criticisms. Here is the conclusion that he came to (and I will link his article so you can read the full thing because it is a brilliant analysis):

“I have to admit I was blind-sided by the ending. The solution to many of the film's puzzlements is right there in plain view, and the movie hasn't cheated, but the very boldness of the storytelling carried me right past the crucial hints and right through to the end of the film, where everything takes on an intriguing new dimension. The film was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, whose previous film, "Wide Awake," was also about a little boy with a supernatural touch; he mourned his dead grandfather, and demanded an explanation from God. I didn't think that one worked. "The Sixth Sense" has a kind of calm, sneaky self-confidence that allows it to take us down a strange path, intriguingly.”

Here's the Roger Ebert criticism on "The Sixth Sense" (1999)