Haley Joel Osment is a very gifted child actor who has already appeared in many films including Forest Gump (with Tom Hanks). He plays the character of Cole Sear, the vulnerable child who can see ghosts. Haley is ideal in this role as he is able to portray his character as innocent, scared but also very mature for his age. Using a child in this very difficult role was very risky incase it didn’t work, but it has actually been one of the focuses of the film, a child cannot protect himself and if an adult had been used instead, the same effect of vulnerability and complete helplessness would not have been put across to the audience. Cole is first thought to be just a child who is having some problems at school and it is not until halfway through the film that the audience discovers the full horror of Cole’s situation.
Location and setting are one of the most important features of the Sixth Sense. M. Night. Shyamalan chose his hometown of Philadelphia to be the location of this film, he chose this city because it has a lot of history and the buildings featured e.g. Cole’s school, are very old. The purpose of choosing an old town with old buildings as opposed to a modern one is for the audience to realise that Philadelphia will have had a lot of people die there resulting in a lot of ghosts. This is emphasised by the large graveyard that Cole passes on his way to Kyra Collins’ funeral.
Many scenes are set inside Cole’s house. This immediately shows that even though your house is meant to be safe from the world it cannot stop what is happening to Cole. Also inside his house many scenes are set in his own bedroom a place that should be only his. This adds to the helplessness of Cole’s character, as he can never escape his problems. Inside Cole’s bedroom he has a tent full of his toys. At first it seems as if his tent is a sanctuary, a place he can go to and be safe from all of the horrors surrounding him in the outside world, but this feeling of sanctuary is soon shattered when the ghost actually appears inside of his tent. This is a definite attempt by the director to show that it doesn’t matter where Cole is he is never alone and he will never be safe.
Lighting is used effectively to create an atmosphere of tension; one of the main features of the Sixth Sense is shadow. Shadows are often associated with scary things and so are appropriately suited for use in this film. One key scene where shadow is used is when Cole is climbing the long winding staircase. Cole’s shadow is shown before he is, and the cupboard is also completely black, adding to the effect that no one knows what is in there. Music also helps to set the mood of a film and is used for that reason in the Sixth Sense. Eerie music is played before something strange is going to happen. This convention is subconsciously embedded in the audience’s minds and so when they hear eerie or high pitched unusual music they expect to be frightened or surprised.
The director has also adapted a convention that was used by Alfred Hitchcock “The Master of Suspense”. In two of Hitchcock’s films (Marnie and Spellbound) he uses the colour red to symbolize the neurosis or inner turmoil of the central protagonist. In The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan has chosen to symbolize supernatural or scary goings on with red. As this colour is normally associated with death or pain it is very appropriate that it is used in this film. This is a subtle convention and the audience would really have to think hard about the film before realising what the red is symbolizing, but it is there all the way through for them to think about. As well as being a way to make the scenes more colourful it is encouraging the audience to think for themselves and to not just be told the story completely. It is also a form of audience foreknowledge as it is allowing the audience to know when a scary thing is going to happen.
In many films the use of camera angles is significant when trying to define the mood or impending events. Throughout the Sixth Sense an array of strange and unnatural camera angles are used to show the audience that the characters within the film are dealing with supernatural forces. In one scene the camera is positioned so that it is looking completely up the middle of a flight of stairs. This is a view that the audience would not expect to see, and so leads them to expect that a dangerous situation is going to arise. This technique is used very effectively in the film, Anaconda. It is used here to show the snake watching his victims. Many point of view shots of animals use strange camera angles. At the start of the film when Dr. Crowe gets shot the director has used an aerial shot to emphasise the fact that the events that have just taken place wouldn’t normally happen. Most shots are at eye level just like you would see something in real life, and so when it changes there is going to be a very abnormal event coming.
In many scenes it is easy to analyse how the directors have used the characters or props or camera angles to enhance a feeling of suspense.
Scene 1: Man in bathroom, broken glass, telephone off the hook.
This scene shows the happy couple (Malcolm and his wife) in their own house, having fun. This is beginning to paint a picture of their home life and also shows that they feel safe inside their own house. This illusion of happiness is broken when they go upstairs. The window is broken and the telephone is off the hook. This immediately shows the audience that someone is inside their house. The next shot shows a man standing inside the bathroom wearing only his underwear. The reaction from the audience will be that this man is a bit unstable. The director wants to show that the man is a bit mental as this leads the audience to think that anything could happen next.
Scene 2: Cole in the cupboard.
This scene starts with Cole walking up a long winding stairway, he is wearing a red jumper and so the conclusion drawn is that something scary is going to happen. He is also following a red balloon. The camera is used in an unusual way, looking up the middle of the staircase. Before Cole appears at the top of the stairs his shadow is seen first. It is tall and intimidating and so lighting is used effectively to make Cole look small and helpless. When the balloon pops it shatters the silence, making the audience take notice of what is happening. The cupboard is dark and full of more shadows, which again show a significant symbol of a horror or a psychological thriller. When Cole is pushed inside the cupboard it appears to be locked when his mum tries to open it. There is screaming and banging which builds the suspense along with loud music. When it suddenly becomes quiet the audience is unaware of what to expect.
Scene 3: Cole’s confession to Malcolm Crowe.
In this scene Cole is the helpless child and Malcolm is playing the typical adult role of trying to reassure him. Cole hides underneath a blanket as if he is trying to protect himself from someone or something. Malcolm is sitting on a chair, which makes him taller than Cole to actually show to the audience that Cole’s revelation is about him. The use of camera is significant in this scene as it shows the reactions between each character. C/U shots are used as they focus directly on the face. Slow panning is used to draw out the conversation and to add an edge of nervousness to the scene. This scene involves the most intimate moment in the whole film, when Cole decides to trust Malcolm with his secret. Whispering is used to impact on the audience that this is a serious scene. This is the turning point of the whole film as it is from here onwards that Malcolm can try to really help Cole.
Scene 4: When Cole goes to the toilet.
This scene is a large build up to seeing a ghost. It begins with an aerial shot, which is unrealistic and strange as many shots are usually at eye level. It is nighttime and the majority of this scene takes place in the bathroom, which increases Cole’s level of invulnerability. The temperature begins to decrease and is shown effectively by Cole’s breath. Noise and light is then heard coming from the kitchen, this is to scare the audience, as they don’t know who is there. Cole thinks that it is his mum, so when the ghost is revealed it’s effect is devastating, as the person it should be would provide comfort but this completely scares Cole. Suspense is built within this scene, as it is a build up scene. The audience is anticipating seeing a ghost but are meant to be shocked in the way that the ghost is actually represented. The ghost looks like a normal person and so this leads the story through to Cole helping the ghosts.
The Sixth Sense involves a dramatic twist at the end of the film when the audience finds out that Malcolm Crowe was a ghost and that he did die when he was shot a year earlier. Flashbacks are used to reveal how Crowe never interacted with any other characters apart from Cole after he had been shot. Although this was meant to be a shock to the audience, specific clues are placed throughout the film to help them realise that Malcolm Crowe is a ghost.
Whenever there is a ghost around the temperature drops and as Malcolm tries to talk to his wife her breath is always made visible showing that the room is getting colder.
Malcolm appears in the same clothes throughout the film, the ones he wore on the night he got shot. This would have been a difficult clue to spot, as he doesn’t just wear the clothes he was shot in.
Ghosts are typically known to have no shadow and the director has been really careful in keeping to this convention. Malcolm never has a shadow and this is most evident in the scene where Cole is talking to Kyra’s sister. They are sitting on some swings and the swing and themselves both have long, drawn out shadows but Malcolm doesn’t.
Although Malcolm doesn’t interact with any characters apart from Cole, with enough concentration he can affect the physical world (when he throws a brick through the shop window). This has been adapted form the film Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.
The biggest clue of all comes when Cole describes ghosts to Malcolm and how he sees them. This whole scene is actually about Malcolm. Cole tells Malcolm that ghosts don’t know they’re dead and that they only see what they want to see. As Cole is saying this, the camera stays focused on Malcolm, trying to represent that Cole is talking about him.
Camera technique is very important when trying to create suspense; unusual shots give the audience the impression that not everything is completely right. In many films, a majority of the shots are at eye level, so to see something else normally shocks the viewer (Looking up the winding staircase from the bottom).
The ending of this film is fantastic in terms of its intended effect on the audience. Throughout the film the audience is kept thinking that Malcolm Crowe survived when he got shot, but he actually did die. It is not until right at the end of the film that this is revealed to the audience. To enhance the feeling that the audience were completely oblivious the director has included flashbacks of when it is most obvious that Malcolm is a ghost. This allows the audience to see all of the clues that they missed. Using this type of ending is also a way of making the audience want to see the film again. They will go to see the clues and why they missed them the first time round. They will also go to make sure that the filmmakers haven’t slipped up anywhere and that Malcolm’s ghost does follow the rules, e.g. no shadow.
The twist is an advertising strategy and people who’ve been to see the film will tell their friends that the twist is really good and that they should go to see it.
This film is a typical example of the psychological thriller genre. It includes all of the main elements e.g. hero/ anti-hero, victim, and is exciting but still scary. I personally enjoy this type of movie because it is completely different to the world that we actually live in. When you watch these films it makes you wonder if this has or could ever happen in the real world. Although many films that I have seen include things that would never happen (Sleepy Hollow, The Haunting), some films do in a very abstract way represent real life issues e.g. Scream. Serial Killers do exist and so the Scream Trilogy is not altogether that far away from real life. These types of films give you an extra scare, as they could have happened. Another popular genre of film is comedy and so when the two genres are crossed the films created are usually very well received. The film Scary Movie was a huge hit in both the UK and America as it made the audience laugh as well as scare them.
The Sixth Sense was a huge success because it was an original story and especially because of the twist at the end. It made a large impact on the audience that went to see it because it was new and exciting. Although the psychological thriller genre has been around for a long time, The Sixth Sense revived it.
