When I first saw The Sixth Sense way back in January 2000, I remember being absolutely amazed and stunned by the excellence of this film. I’d never seen a film that - while being slow paced - gripped me for the entire time I watched it. The Sixth Sense was THE film of 1999, and went on to become the most successful horror movie in the history of recorded film - grossing$679.4 million worldwide by April 2000. There were a number of highly successful horror films of the 1990’s such as The Blair Witch Project, The Haunting, House On Haunted Hill and the Scream trilogy. This doesn’t mean to say they were any good. The Sixth Sense is a rare film that deals with ghosts and psychic ability in such a realistic manner, that was a welcome change from all the silly slasher-type films - and a perfect one to round off the decade.
The Sixth Sense revolves around two main characters; Malcolm Crowe(Bruce Willis) and Cole Sear(Haley Joel Osment). Malcolm is an award-winning child psychologist who is happily married to his considerably younger wife, Anna(Olivia Williams). They are relaxing one night at their home, when Malcolm is shot by one of his former, now-adult patients, Vincent Grey(Donnie Wahlberg). The film continues months later. Malcolm has apparently recovered from the shooting and becomes involved with a new patient, nine-year-old Cole Sear. Cole’s parents are divorced and he has no close friends - infact, his closest friend "hates him." Cole’s mother, Lynn(Toni Collette) begins to notice that her son isn’t happy, and that maybe something’s going on in which he won’t tell her - like finding cuts and bruises on Cole’s back. A while into the film, Cole confides in Malcolm that he sees dead people - walking around like ordinary people. And that he sees them "all the time." Malcolm isn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but stumbles across a recorded tape way back when he was involved with Vincent Grey. On the tape, Malcolm leaves the room with only Vincent is in there. It’s clear from the tape(when Malcolm increases the volume) that someone else is in there with Vincent. Malcolm comes up with the suggestion that Cole must face his fears and communicate with these dead people - see what they want, and why the keep following him around. In return, Cole helps Malcolm with problems that he’s experiencing with his wife - she won’t talk to him, and he doesn’t know why. Malcolm’s discovery in the end has to be one of the best and most shocking twists in cinematic history.
The factor that makes The Sixth Sense so superb is the extraordinary acting skills of Haley Joel Osment. I have seen quite a lot of movies, and the acting of Osment in The Sixth Sense is absolutely amazing. After each major scene in which something truly gripping occurs, the screen fades to black - giving it a touch to it that makes it unique. I remember watching this film last night on Star Movies, and(now a few years down the line after it’s initial release) realising that a wide variety of scenes in The Sixth Sense have already reached classic status. The one where the dead girl grabs Cole’s leg from underneath her bed is a perfect example of this - the expression on Cole’s face making it all the more iconic. The scene with the girl being sick in Cole’s red tent is another(the tent constantly being used as a metaphor by children as a means of protection), along with the hospital bed scene which sparked a worldwide catchphrase; "I see dead people!" Director M. Night Shyamalan is superb, and with classic films such as The Sixth Sense and the superb Signs, is definitely on his way to becoming the new Spielberg. I have seen a lot of films in which Bruce Willis stars, and I have to say this is one of the best. He takes a backseat to his macho stereotype, and the effects are very rewarding. Willis is very believable as a softer, more gentle character in the form of Malcolm. Toni Collette plays the confused single mother image extremely well. At first it’s difficult to distinguish whether she is protective or abusive towards Cole - but as the film picks up momentum, it’s obviously the former.
The Sixth Sense is officially the highest-grossing horror film in history, which surprises me a little. The film received hardly any publicity until after its success at awards ceremonies. I have now seen The Sixth Sense about 10 times, and never tire of watching it. Of course, the film cannot be viewed day after day(as this would just be too repetitive), but once every three or four months still manages to thrill you in a way no other film did before it, or any film that will in the future.