I Can See Dead People... The Sixth Sense Scene Analysis

As you've read in previous posts, our group has been thinking of developing a psychological-supernatural thriller; and so, for strictly research purposes, I've chosen to take a look at the Daddy of all supernatural thrillers , M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense. It's the script that makes the film here, following Bruce Willis' child psychologist as he encounters a creepy kid, Cole, who can 'see dead people'. Not only is it defined by that shock twist, but it's message about accepting death and rebuilding family relationships makes it so much more intelligent than your bog-standard B-Movie thriller. Entertaining, horrifying, yet not reckless. My kinda movie... take note Hollywood. It's this scene that really encapsulates why this film is so thrilling, whilst also portraying the supernatural elements that our group is planning on emulating in our own supernatural-thriller. At this point in the film, the audience has been told that he can supposedly 'see dead people', although the connotations of this haven't really been explained to this point. Until now. And it's disturbing, shocking and jump-out of your seat scary. A truly effective scene demonstrates why this film has become a modern classic. Take a look at the scene below:-

* I don't own this clip. It is being used for educational purposes*


The scene opens with our protagonist Cole (his centralised position highlights his importance within the scene, asking the audience to empathise with him) ; his withdrawn body language and infantile pyjamas symbolic of childhood naivety and fear; the audience sympathises with him at this point, able to relate to that childlike fear of monsters and ghouls in the dark, unknowing that Cole can actually see these bedtime creatures. The darkness of the room has metaphorical connotations of the fear that plagues him. We then cut to a shot of the AC monitor,emphasising that the temperature is decreasing rapidly, in line with Cole's words in previous scenes, making the audience question whether Cole was telling the truth. The menacing non-diegetic music foreshadows the protagonists subsequent danger, heightening the intensity of the scene as a whole. Moreover, the longshot that includes the doorframe within the shot reinforces the fact that Cole is helpless, ostracised from any care or attention, lonely within this world of ghosts. Shyamalan uses this shot effectively, suddenly revealing the silhouette of a ghost passing by the door quickly, shocking the audience, steadily increasing the danger of Cole's predicament. A close up of the protagonist turning around reveals to the audience Cole's emotions, the fear on his face reinforcing the danger he finds himself in as the ghost inhabits his safe haven: his mother's own home, conveying to the audience that the threat is always present, racheting up the horror of the scene. He then turns, walking towards the camera (re-establishing his characters prevalence) as he peers around the doorframe reluctantly, empahsising how much he fears what is hidden in the darkness.

The scene then moves to a point-of-view shot from the protagonist's perspective, reinforcing to the audience where our allegiances should lie. The camera slowly approaches the narrow doorway, connoting Cole's frightened emotions as he approaches his darkest nightmares. This lengthy shot's running time heightens the tension, the audience anticipating when the the creature is  about to appear.