It can be difficult to comprehend what type of horror it is, as the sixth sense does not start off as a horror film, but becomes one. However, as the end of the film approaches, clearly the “marvellous” distinction of horror is used as the “strange and incomprehensible events can only be explained through accepting the existence of the supernatural”. Although the sixth sense is categorised as a thriller, this is somewhat downplayed, as when we discover Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is actually dead, other “thriller” films would intensify this main point in the story, however Shyamalan chooses not to, and films this part of the film in a discreet way. Furthermore, the film is also categorised as a psychological film, however arguably this can also be mistaken. This is because, the boy Cole does not suffer with any mental disabilities, the ghosts are real in terms of the films storyline. Cole clearly appears to be a happier child once he has accepted these visitations from the ghosts and once he has convinced his mother that the dead ghosts that Cole sees are true. Therefore, while its obvious that the film is a hybrid genre, it is more difficult to establish what genres it is.
Depicting the genre of a film can also help the audience select what type of film they would like to see. The film the sixth sense, appealed to women as much as it did to men, and it was notable that the audience seeing this film were mainly older women and younger boys, which was very unusual for a horror genre to do. This could have explained the reason why this film was so successful. The reason why it appealed to women as well as men could have been the fact that the film was not only about horror and ghosts, but also conflicts and dilemmas that are seen in everyday life, and this type of film generally appeals to a woman’s genre. On a closer look at the film, the audience are aware of the smaller storylines that are surrounding the main storyline, for example Cole’s mother Lynn in tatters between her love for her child and her confusion over her “disturbed” son. Using these smaller storylines, the film could be described as a melodrama, as it is rather emotional and more of a family drama. Another feature in the film, which could prove the existence of a melodrama, is the fact that there are four narrators rather than one and this is a key element of a melodrama. Furthermore, there are two main storylines, Cole’s and Malcolm, rather than just one, and these stories are intertwined as well as told separately. Melodramas also contain an unexpected plot twist, which is also seen in the sixth sense when Malcolm discovers he is actually dead. Although there are many aspects of a melodrama involved in the sixth sense, it cannot be categorised as one, owing to the fact that the woman’s point of view doesn’t dictate the film.
Every genre is characterized by its own setting and characters, and the fact that Bruce Willis is acting in the sixth sense, brings the film its own genre altogether, as often the star of the film, is the genre. This could have also helped the success of the film, as other Bruce Willis fans might have been drawn into the film just because Bruce Willis is in it. However, Bruce Willis plays a completely different character to his usual Action films and it’s not a typical Bruce Willis film, which may or may not have disappointed audiences.
The narrative of the film is linear both in terms of space and time, and everything happens in the order they should, apart from a few minor flashbacks. The story is clearly told by two main characters, which drives the audience from the beginning to the end of the story. However, following Malcolm as one of the narrators in the story is somewhat unreliable. This is because Malcolm does not know he is dead and therefore the audience are missing out on such an important piece of information, and this is why the shock ending of Shyamalans film works. Additionally, when the unreliable narrator becomes reliable, and Malcolm realises he is dead, the audience realises that Malcolms interaction with the other characters has been a misleading notion, and obviously had never actually occurred. This cleverly makes the audience reconsider everything they’ve seen so far and makes them interpret events differently owing to the dramatic change. Moreover, this shows that Shyamalan has created two narratives, one for the first time viewer, and then one for the second time viewer, who are then aware that Malcolm is dead and so, looks for clues such as if he’s wearing the same clothes throughout the film. Also, the fact that there is a continuity of revelations, for example, Malcolm getting shot, Cole hearing voices and seeing dead people, portrays that the majority of the narrative is driven by enigma, which keeps the audience captivated and in suspense.
Shyamalan also cleverly uses continuity editing in order to weaken the narrative. For example, when Malcolm and Lynn are waiting for Cole to return from school, there chairs are facing each other, which to the primary viewer appears that they are interacting, but in a closer look, Shyamalan has missed out any shot and reverse shots between them two and therefore shows no character interaction.
As the plot and sub plots (those being the relationship between Malcolm and Anna, and between Cole and his mother), come to an end, the film ends with a closure, for example Cole being happy and accepting the ghosts, and Malcolm fixing his relationship and helping a boy, as all the questions asked by the narrative have been answered, and a sense of finality has come to the film.
