The Sixth Sense

Dir: M. Night Shyamalan, 1999 (8.8*)
A chilling and subtle study of the afterlife, as psychologist Bruce Willis meets a young boy, Joel Hayley Osmont in an Oscar-nominated role, who “sees dead people” - Osmont deserved at least a special Oscar, he was believable and carries this film. That’s just the beginning of this creepy film that slowly uncovers its secrets. Like a classic ghost story, the scares come from anticipation and not excess or violence. It’s been said that Shyamalan was trapped under a frozen pond over 20 minutes when a child and survived, and has “seen dead people” ever since, so this could be autobiographical; who knows, he stops interviews when anyone brings this up.