Lesson 6.1 - The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense (1999) is a psychological thriller that would keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this movie would prove to be one of his best. It tells the story of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a young boy who is troubled by something.... something spiritual in nature (which is only revealed to us halfway through the show), and a child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) who tires to help Cole. The two journey together and eventually end up helping each other to cope with the situations they are facing. Unexpected twists and turns throughout the movie are something not to be missed and if you are a fan of the "thriller/horror" genre, I highly recommend this movie. 

Above: The Sixth Sense 

(From left: Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis) 

Throughout the show, why do we cringe and cover our eyes? Why do we lean closer to the person beside us, shake and quiver while watching through out fingers? It is very simple, actually. I believe all it takes is a little play on the psychology of fear. Fear is basically a response to perceived danger (Shiota & Kalat, 2012). Evolutionary psychologists contend that though it is an unpleasant emotion, it is rather useful as it pulls our attention to possible dangers and helps us to avoid them. The show is filled with moments of eerie music and scenes that pique our awareness of the unknown and anticipation that something is going to happen. The fear of the unknown also contributes to the unsettling feelings in our stomachs as we anticipate ghosts walking about and harming the humans. 

It is interesting to see how the director uses different scenes to create a whole environment that promotes feelings of fear in the audience. 

Above: Dr. Crowe and his wife were in the room when she realized 

that the window was broken and that the phone had been broken. 

Their attention (As well as the audience's attention) is diverted toward the 

bathroom connected to the bedroom, which light was on! 

Above: Dr Crowe talking to Cole, 

as Cole explains more to Dr. Crowe about seeing ghosts, 

what you experience when they are near 

and how cold it is when they are angry. 

The scene subsequently shifts to the doorway where 

there are 3 dead people hung on the gallows. 

Above: Cole finally reveals his secret to his mother, 

who has been distraught throughout the whole movie, 

trying to figure out what is troubling Cole so much. 

She feels helpless that she cannot help him. 

To make matters worse, the doctor thinks she has been abusing him 

when in actual fact, his wounds occur when 

he is running away form the ghosts he sees. 

In this scene, an accident has occurred down 

the street from where they are, and a dead woman appears next to Cole. 

SCARY!  

The element of shock is also a contributor to the whole thrilling feel the that the audience develops throughout the show. An evolutionary psychologist would say that the body may be in a constant fight or flight mode, resulting in heightened adrenalin that gives you that "rush". In parts of the show, the audience is shocked when ghosts suddenly appear out of nowhere. To add to the effect, the ghostly appearances are coupled with bursts of high pitched frightening music. If that is not enough to scare you, the dark scenes which pronounces the fact that there is a lot of unknown would creep you out.

Above: Haley Joel Osment as Cole, 

playing in the church where he seeks sanctuary

My favourite part of the whole show was Haley Joel Osment. Even as a child, he was able to play the part well as well as portray intense emotions such as fear, sadness, and even indifference. Seeing that children actors can either make or break a movie, Haley Joel Osment certainly nailed this one!

Overall, I really enjoyed the show. I think the highlight of watching it as a class was when a guy in the audience screamed.

Haha!

For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXO0he1WjYw