The Sixth Sense
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
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I’ve always dreaded that this day would come, but The Sixth Sense has been requested (just like it was last year for my previous Halloween horror festivities, but it didn’t get enough votes to win over the films selected before it). I fear the reviews that may bother the readers that have asked for them, but it is also my duty to be as true to myself and honest to you all as I can be. That being said, I like The Sixth Sense but I don’t love it. I can guarantee that wasn’t the response you were waiting for. I know that it is generally considered one of M. Night Shyamalan’s greatest works, and it is, but I’ve never been in love with anything he has released (although Unbreakable is good enough that it has always stuck with me). Maybe I’m the wrong person to be reviewing The Sixth Sense, but maybe that also makes me the right person. In short, it possesses a fantastic twist (that everyone now knows, but was a complete rush when I was a child first watching this), but The Sixth Sense also leans too heavily on this twist, causing the rest of the film to kind of falter.
However, unlike some of Shyamalan’s worse efforts, The Sixth Sense doesn’t completely collapse under the weight of its twist. I can safely say that this is more of a problem that Shyamalan would run into starting with Signs, once he was crowned the king of cinematic twists. Before, The Sixth Sense was innocent: a genuinely told horror story that felt inspired by the fright nights of the ‘30s (or even the silent era), where the biggest gasps were saved for last. In The Sixth Sense, we get a bit of that retrospective look through Malcolm Crowe, whose perspective the entire film is told through. I also have to say that it’s nice seeing Bruce Willis in a straight-up dramatic role in the late ‘90s and doing a solid job here. Ultimately, both Haley Joel Osment (as child medium Cole Sear) and Toni Collette (who plays his mother) steal the show, and it is through their strengths that The Sixth Sense goes up another level. The paranoia of a child — who isn’t displayed as some sort of Damien or other “creepy” kid, but as an actual kid — mixed with the concerns of his mom (a little old hat in horror to have the worried parent, but it plays well here) turn the film into a lack of control, and yet Shyamalan was at the height of his craft here, completely capable of steering this ship. The Sixth Sense never loses sight of where it wants to go; it may be directly towards the twist, but that isn’t the worst road to bullet down.
The twist at the end of The Sixth Sense both renders the film iconic, but it also hurts the film ever so slightly.
When Cole’s visions get revealed (the ability to see dead people), The Sixth Sense kicks into high gear, but it also becomes a bit of a manifesto of horror tropes. These are obvious stepping stones that lead us right to where Shyamalan wants us to arrive. I will say that there are many other films that rely solely on their twists that don’t age well whatsoever. This includes The Usual Suspects and Identity. The Sixth Sense still shows a lot about guardianship, especially in the eyes of a traumatized child, and it constructs its major characters strongly enough that it warrants additional watches (and even ages decently). Watching The Sixth Sense knowing what will come won’t make the twist any sweeter, but you can definitely pick up more on the little clues Shyamalan planted for us, as well as the quirks and details within the tales and characters. That’s where I am with the film; not quite on the fence enough to say I feel split, but clearly not as won-over as others may be. Even after its once-in-a-lifetime hurrah of a twist, The Sixth Sense is still a good horror film in a standard sense, with a character study that’s worthwhile. It isn’t perfect on all grounds, particularly because some of the rest of the story comes second (or even second-last at points) to the twist and characters, but there’s still enough horror and narrative wit here that The Sixth Sense is a-okay with me.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.