The Sixth Sense

⭐8.5/10

I got to watch this one with a group of friends on Halloween night, and despite scaring that absolute dickens out of me as a kid, this really isn't a scary movie at all. There's like 3 freaky scenes, and I saw them coming all these years later, so I was kinda happy about that, a movie that's a pretty easy crowd pleaser. 

So not a Halloween movie, but it's a terrific fall movie, very autumnal and dreary, and still perfect for the season. It's about sad Bruce Willis working with sad Haley Joel Osment, and sad for good reason! He sees dead people! A few people with me hadn't seen the movie and didn't know the twists, both that one and also the big one which has since become maybe a top five movie twist of all time? It's fun watching the movie, seeing those reactions from the crowd (and making the connection of where that famous line comes from), but also going in with the knowledge and looking at the clues all along. It totally works on rewatch and held up pretty well to my scrutinizing eye. 

But even without the twists, this movie is pretty great. Bruce Willis and Toni Collect are absolutely awesome as the adults trying to work with a troubled child, and there is one scene that had me welling up that I didn't remember at all. Still, Haley Joel Osment is the real star, turning in one of the greatest, most iconic child acting performances ever. He really is incredible here, totally convincing me he's someone with a lifetime of trauma and fear. 

So an all-time performance and an all-time twist. This movie is maybe slightly more memorable then it is, you know, good, but it's still a very good movie. Creepy, emotionally resonant, a compelling narrative. Still, it's a little 90s in some bad ways, over earnest and silly, and plagued with the Shyamalan sins that more rear their heads after his golden age. Kinda just silly writing, corny lines, that sort of thing. But they are very few! Doesn't ruin the movie at all, but in my mind keep them from achieving a perfect score.