Hello ladies, gentlemen, and creatures lurking in the shadows! This month, October, is a favorite among horror fans, such as myself. My goal for the next 31 days is to share with you the scariest and best of the genre. The films will range from old school classics to modern day gorefests (they won't be in any particular order). So scout these movies out, grab a bag of popcorn (or a blood bag) and enjoy!
The Sixth Sense (1999) Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
The Sixth Sense is arguably one of the best ghost stories ever made - at least in my lifetime. M. Night Shyamalan has had a really bad streak recently with Lady in the Water, The Happening, and that cartoon thing - but his tale of a young boy who can communicate with the deceased is incredible, scary, and emotionally engaging. The story follows this special boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment), along with his single mother (Toni Collette). Cole has to deal with ghosts all the time - often showing themselves exactly as they looked when they died, which makes things even more disturbing. Bruce Willis plays Cole's psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, who finds him very similar to another patient he once had, but unfortunately could not 'save'; he hopes to not repeat his failure on this new boy. As the doctor digs deeper into Cole's life and starts to connect with him, he discovers Cole's powers and tries to help him get through it.
The story is engaging enough, but it's that famous twist ending that makes it all the more complex and amazing. By now, most people have either seen the film or know what the surprise is - but when I saw it for the first time on good old VHS, I was shocked and haunted by the ending. It makes you instantly want to go back and watch the film a second time - and unlike films such as Inception or Source Code, the ending makes sense and the pieces all connect. The script of this movie is so incredible and masterfully written, that I can't imagine the same mind created The Happening.
My favorite scene in the film is actually not the scariest (which is definitely when Cole finds the sick girl in his bedroom); it's near the end of the film when Cole finally tells his mom about his "secret." The scene is so emotional and brings me to the verge of tears - it's just a beautiful moment. I also love all the exchanges between Willis and Osment - it's through them that the movie really shines, and often you forget that Haley Joel Osment is a child actor. There are plenty of adult actors who could never compete with Osment's perfromance (but luckily Bruce Willis was cast!). I also have to give a nod to James Newton Howard's score, which is possibly my favorite of all his works. What else can I say? It's a haunting, beautiful, eerie masterpiece from a director that we all wanted to see turn into the next Hitchcock, but unfortunately ended up turning into a Hollywood joke.
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