M. Night Shyamalan is an American filmmaker. He is known for his abnormal storlines and intense plot twists that make you rethink the entire movie. His biggest movie was The Sixth Sense, written and directed by him in 1999. Becoming the second highest grossing horror movie, this drew a lot of attention to him and his movie writing abilities. He had several successes after this, including Unbreakable in 2000, and Signs in 2002. He also has successful daughters. Saleka, a singer, and Ishana, a movie director as well.
The overall concepts of his movies is what makes them so fascinating, as well as the twists. I consider movies that entirely change your perspective on what you just watched to be a huge factor in deciding if they’re worth watching. These are my favorite types of movies. We see that throughout his movies, the character development and storylines are creative each in different ways. Personally, I’ve grown up watching his work, so I’ve found to appreciate them all in their own ways. Everytime I see a new movie of his is in production, I’m anxious to see the crazy twist and concept he’s come up with now.
It can be argued that some of his other movies were better, but here is a list of my top five M. Night Shyamalan movies, based on plot, character development, ending, concept, etc. It was a hard list to decide on, as I loved the majority of his movies.
5. Signs (2002)
Released in 2002, this was the first M. Night Shyamalan movie I remember watching. This was probably my mom’s favorite movie of his, and she was the one who introduced me to his movies. The concept is a classic alien invasion, but the whole spooky vibe of it all made it super appealing. I can’t speak for what it was like when it first came out, but I know this movie still gets watched often, at least by my family. It follows a father and his two kids, and their uncle. They start noticing weird things and eventually figure out what’s going on. I absolutely love all the “miracle” aspects throughout the movie. I thought the alien was super creepy, and it wasn’t graphic or gore, so it was just really unsettling to look at.
4. Unbreakable (2000)
Released in 2000, as the first of the Trilogy, every aspect of this movie was very entertaining. This wasn’t his first time working with Bruce Willis, having done The Sixth Sense, which also appears on this list. The story follows a man, David, somehow being the only one to survive a train collision, finding things out about himself, and how he responds to it. The acting, storyline, and the twists were remarkable. When you know it’s an M. Night Shyamalan movie, you can expect a plot twist, which builds anticipation itself. I loved this movie, having only seen it for the first time a few weeks ago, it quickly became one of my favorites. I thought some of the actions of the little boy, Joseph, were irrational and a little crazy, but overall it aided David to realize some things about himself, which he used to make good decisions and help others.
3. Trap (2024)
Released in August this year, this movie quickly gained popularity. The story follows a father and a daughter at a concert for an artist named “Lady Raven”, played by Saleka, or M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter. We soon find out there’s a serial killer known as “The Butcher”, on the loose, and he’s supposedly at this concert. His movies always drop subtle hints at something deeper, so we of course got a crazy plot twist. I’m trying not to spoil the movie, as it’s still recent, but the twist happens very early on. Every decision the murderer made was very thought out, which almost makes you root for them, solely because of how smart they are. There also is another half twist at the end, which makes it all the better. Now, we really question a lot of the decisions made throughout the movie. Overall, I loved every part of the movie, and was dying to see it the second I saw the previews in the theater. While it’s the newest of the bunch, it definitely earned a spot on the list.
2. Split (2016)
Released in 2016, the hype for this movie was insane. It did the best in the box office out of the trilogy, grossing over 275 million dollars. I still remember when it first came out, everyone was super excited to see it. The movie earned numerous awards. It follows a young girl, Casey, and two other girls, as they’ve been kidnapped by a man, “Kevin” with DID, or “multiple personality disorder”. What carried this movie was not only the phenomenal acting from everyone, but the concept itself is extremely creative. The emotions I felt throughout the movie were intense, I was anxious, horrified, disgusted, and intrigued at times. I don’t even think I’d consider it a twist, rather just an intense storyline. Overall, everything about this movie was so intriguing, definitely worth the watch. I’ve probably seen it twenty times by now.
1. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Finally, we are at the end of the list and to my favorite movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Released in 1999, this is what really made me interested in his movies. I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen the movie honestly, regardless of when it came out. It follows a child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe, again played by Bruce Willis. He is helping a little boy, Cole, who reveals that he can see dead people, specifically people with unfinished business in the real world. Throughout the movie, some things don’t really make sense, which of course is revealed by a shocking twist at the end. You feel like you’re just watching the movies for what it is, then a second later you’re genuinely confused how you missed it this whole time. This is what I love about his work, because you’re like “it was right in front of my face!”. I know in the atmosphere of a movie theater, seeing the twist would’ve been an incredible experience.
I interviewed Jadyn Shannon, a junior at Pitman High School, about the movie Unbreakable.
Q: When did you first watch the movie?
A: “I watched it with my dad when I was eight years old”
Q: Have you rewatched it since then?
A: No, it made me too sad.
Q: What was your opinion of the movie?
A: I thought it was a really good movie. It portrayed the diseases they had really well.
Ultimately, his movies made me significantly more interested in this sci-fi genre. I think they all have a unique style which makes them stand out in the film industry. We can expect good things from him as well as his daughter when it comes to producing memorable films.