Classic Movie Picks: ‘Sixth Sense’ Is A Paranormal Masterpiece

Sticking with this week’s “NewWisco Weekend” theme, let’s take a trip back to 1999 for some paranormal classic movie fun.

Can you see dead people? Hopefully not, but if so, then this week’s pic will seem like it was made just for you. M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” is a paranormal classic. It has one of the biggest surprises in movie history. I’m not saying there aren’t people that saw the big twist at the end coming, but most of us did not. 

Bruce Willis plays child psychologist Malcom Crowe. Crowe receives a visit from an ex-patient named Vincent Gray, played by Donnie Wahlberg. Gray is enraged because he believes that Crowe was completely ineffective as his counselor. Gray shoots Malcolm in the stomach before Wahlberg’s character turns the gun on himself and takes his own life.

A few months later, after we think Crowe’s stomach wound has healed he meets Cole, a 9 year-old boy played by Haley Joel Osment. Cole reminds Crowe a lot of Vincent Gray so Crowe thinks he can make up for past therapy ineffectiveness by counseling Cole, not expecting to find that Cole has a special talent … also known as a sixth sense.

Willis’s character doesn’t quite believe Cole at first, but he’s fascinated by the boy and spends more time studying Cole’s condition than he does spending time with his wife Anna, played by Olivia Williams. The situation takes a toll on their marriage or so we are led to believe.

In addition to Willis, Wahlberg, Osment, and Williams the main cast is completed by Toni Collette, who plays Cole’s mother. Both Colette and Osment received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor.

Osment is especially brilliant given his age and frankly, there is no shame in a 12-year-old losing an Oscar to Michael Caine. In addition to the two acting nods, the film received four other Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay and Director for Shyamalan.

Even though this was not his directorial debut, his brilliant writing and directing put M. Night on the map. Interestingly, his two previous films, “Wide Awake” and “Praying with Anger” are both comedy-dramas that received mixed reviews. 

“The Sixth Sense” was followed up by the popular “Unbreakable” in 2000 and “Signs” in 2002. Shyamalan says he wrote “The Sixth Sense” with Willis in mind right from the start.

The American Film Institute is a huge fan of the movie. In 2007, it ranked “The Sixth Sense” as the 89th best movie of all time. The quote, “I see dead people” was the 44th most popular in movie history, according to the AFI.

And my favorite fun fact about “The Sixth Sense” involves actress Toni Collette who says the story and characters resonated with her so much emotionally, she didn’t even realize it was a horror film until after it was released.

Although Shyamalan has been prolific since his breakout film, in my opinion, he’s never come close to matching it but then again, most filmmakers haven’t. “The Sixth Sense” is a masterpiece and it’s this week’s “Classic Movie Pick of the Week.”

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 p.m. to 8 p .m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.