Review for 'The Sixth Sense' ft. Opinions for a Horror film

           Chosen film for the day (31 January 2019) is a 1999 United States mystery, thriller, supernatural horror film, ‘The Sixth Sense’ directed by M. Night Shyamalan. A boy named ‘Cole Sear’ held a secret of having the ability to see and communicate with the dead, and soon meets a child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe who intends to help him. Before watching the film, some of the students were introduced to the film during a course-related class. Student were also informed that the director was known for his surprises for the conclusion, which is a complete plot twist in the end, and this really challenges people’s conventions and expectations as every single person is different.

'The Sixth Sense'

            The film started of with a gunshot incident, one of the protagonists, Malcolm the child psychologist got a shot from one of his previous patients, Vincent Grey. Similar to Cole, he has the ability to see and communicate with the dead, but he was later diagnosed with possible mood disorder – schizophrenia, which people take as mental hallucinations. He was convinced to believe that it was because of the mental illness; as it resurfaced, he was drove by anger and sadness murdering Malcolm and later committed suicide by shooting himself.

Vincent Grey.

            According to Cole, the ghosts appeared to be unaware about their existence to others, which people can never see them because they are dead. It was mentioned that they only see what they wanted to see. This is taken as a clue or a hint for leading us to conclude that Malcolm is actually dead. In my honest opinion, the messages were not misleading, but people do not really put too much attentions and thinking on it. To support this statement, I would like to mention that the film was giving us a lot of hints, and it never told us Malcolm is still alive, which people tend to believe in. For instance, Malcolm was literally wearing a coat all the time, covering up his injured and wounded back that was full of blood on it. In addition, Cole can see and talk to any dead people, it suggested the idea that Malcolm has already dead; this will be the reason why Malcolm’s existence was acknowledged by him, but his mom did not.

Cole told Malcolm he saw the ghosts the first time after he confessed his secret.

            In classes, students were taught to look at mise-en-scene and mise-en-shot. Mise-en-scene, the arrangements of a scene including set, props, lighting etc. It can be prepared artificially, but also in nature. Costumes and makeup are also counted as mise-en-scene, as it is what we see in a scene. Meanwhile, mise-en-shot is the focus of ways to bring the scenery out to the audience, in different positions, angles, and timing for the shots. This film has made a good use of both, to enhance the atmosphere and the mood of mysterious and horror.

           The shades of red are used frequently in the film, forming contrasts with the set, backgrounds, costumes and everything. It was either warm or cold colours, but it was never as similar as a bright shade of red. As red colour is shown in a scene, the story was likely leading us to think that something or someone is coming; it was like an anticipation, having their audience paying attention to the focal point, red, which may be defined as – dangerous. In addition, they also used the way of tracking to make people to focus of the red. Red, does not only represents dangerous. It can have multiple meanings. Red in traffic lights, meant to make people stop; red in street signs, meant to be attention and caution; red in an ambulance, meant to be a symbolism of saving lives.

Red curtains.

Red doorknob.

Red outfit and roses.

            As for the film, students are required to define whether it is, or it is not a horror film, with facts and reasons. Horror, the word that represents the intense feeling of fear, frightened, shocked and terrified. Horror films tend to stimulate the audiences, playing around with their phobias and fears, which people always find funny that they still manage to have the courage to make the decision to watch it. People may be scared, but in fact they still watch it. In my opinions, I as a person do not know how to define one as a horror film, because I have not watched quite an amount of films for this genre. Personally, I would not like to watch this genre of films, but this film somehow enhanced my interest in these kinds of films.

            The point of having a genre for a film, is to fit in the criteria of the genre. As for a horror film, audience are expected to be frightened and afraid, either by the plot itself or the scene that stimulates. In this film, the story made me think a lot. People may have made many suspensions towards the film, as for Cole, whether he was having a psychological disorder, and later revealed to be having the ability to see the dead. Then, people may be questioning, the way Malcolm behaved after the gunshot incident was rather unusual, or what people called as – odd. He was acting like nothing has happened to him, and I tend to believe that the time has turned back, which I found that I was wrong because Cole introduced himself as another person rather than Vincent Grey.

            As the film was playing in class, I was focusing on the details and whenever something pops up, some of the course mates around me will get shocked, scared, frightened and whatsoever. Their reactions made me questioned myself because I was rather calm or just seeing the things pop up, without any fear. I do not have a stable stand for ghosts’ existence, but I look them as humans. They were just different, maybe covered with blood and wounds, and their faces may be pale and dimmer; I will not take it as failing to scare me, but I was not frightened.

            One of the things that I have noticed is that, horror films tend to use space to give us a sense of intensity, the feeling of trapped inside and you can have the choice to rather hide or run to escape. This film was filmed indoors and outdoors, but the characters were always in a kind of limited space – house, room, car, store, kitchen, bathroom etc. In the film, the ghosts always appear inside or outside of the space that were set.

            To conclude, the film was indeed a horror film, but it was more focused in a social and psychological way. It challenges the stands and thinking of the audience; if there is anyone around me likes this genre, I would likely recommend this film to them. As for studies, this would be a good reference as well.