The Sixth Sense (1999)
RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 6 Oscars
37 wins & 56 nominations total
M Night Shayamalan’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
The Sixth Sense is a movie that will leave you feeling like you need a hug and a nightlight. Haley Joel Osment’s performance is so good, you’ll want to adopt him and protect him from all the ghosts in the world. And let’s not forget about that twist ending – it’s like a rollercoaster that you didn’t see coming, but you’re glad you rode it anyway. M. Night Shyamalan really outdid himself with this one, and it’s no wonder it’s still considered a classic in the horror genre. Just make sure you have a friend to hold onto during the scary parts.
Production Company(ies)
The Weinstein Company, UK Film Council Momentum Pictures,
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material and violent images
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 47m
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Language(s):English, Latin, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 6, 1999 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2003
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Donnie Wahlberg, Glenn Fitzgerald, directed by M Night Shyamalan, written by M Night Shyamalan, mystery, thriller, box office success, budget, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Stephen Hunter, Peter Bradshaw, Carrie Rickey, David Edelstein, Paul Clinton, PG-13, produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Barry Mendel
Worldwide gross: $672,806,432
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,207,706,305
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 73
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 131,701,887
US/Canada gross: $293,506,292
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $526,851,978
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 70
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,681,262
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,893,609
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 244
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $71,801,115
Production budget ranking: 589
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,664,901
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,097,240,289
ROI to date (est.): 993%
ROI ranking: 125
Haley Joel Osment – Cole Sear
Toni Collette – Lynn Sear
Olivia Williams – Anna Crowe
Donnie Wahlberg – Vincent Grey
Glenn Fitzgerald – Sean
Director(s)
M. Night Shyamalan
Writer(s)
M. Night Shyamalan
Producer(s)
Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Barry Mendel
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 6 Oscars
37 wins & 56 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (160) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (22)
At root, his films are patient vindications of crazy faiths, of ghosts and comic book heroes. Loneliness is his theme, and when blessed with courageous performers, as in The Sixth Sense, he can take us just about anywhere.
March 16, 2020
Joshua Rothkopf
In These Times
TOP CRITIC
You leave slightly asquirm. You know it will linger. It becomes a clammy, chilly movie building toward a revelation that you cannot predict. As I say: I cannot tell you. You’d hate me if I did. I can only say, don’t look now, but look sometime.
October 7, 2014
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Dr Crowe gradually comes to believe that little Cole can indeed commune with the unquiet souls, who are reaching out to him for help. And, yes, the scenes where Cole does so can be very creepy indeed.
August 27, 2013
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
So transparent is Osment as an actor, and so rare, that the pain on his face stabs you in the heart.
August 27, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
Osment’s pinched, old-young face suggests an ancient’s insight without an ancient’s defenses — a sensitivity so exquisitely morbid that you worry more for his emotional than physical well-being.
August 27, 2013
David Edelstein
Slate
TOP CRITIC
Willis turns in a measured and understated performance.
August 27, 2013
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Intelligent and poignant; this is a unique kind of ghost story. The human kind.
November 12, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
One of the rare horror films to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, it remain a personal best for the director.
October 15, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
Haley Joel Osment gives one of the best child performances ever, while director/writer M. Night Shyamalan rewards us with one of the best twists of all time. [Full review in Spanish]
March 10, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Boasts a startling twist ending – a trope that isn’t a stranger to the genre, but one that writer/director M. Night Shyamalan uses perfectly.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The Sixth Sense has most importantly been reminding us of how powerful children can be as forces of knowledge, awareness, and healing, if only adults would actually listen to them.
May 24, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Sezín Koehler
Black Girl Nerds
The end is just the icing on a perfectly designed and cooked cake. [Full Review in Spanish]
April 17, 2020
Sergio Benítez
Espinof…
Plot
Malcom Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient (Donnie Wahlberg) . This boy “sees dead people”. Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy much to the dismay of his wife (Olivia Williams). Cole’s mom (Toni Collette) is at her wit’s end with what to do about her son’s increasing problems. Crowe is the boy’s only hope.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy, funny, or odd comment about the film The Sixth Sense on Fresh Kernels.
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