Young, old sense
"Sixth" is a must see
By Andy Seiler, USA Today
The Sixth Sense is a sensation with moviegoers, and the reasons may be deeper than
usual.
The story of a tormented boy and his therapist, written and directed by M. Night
Shyamalan, has surprised prognosticators by topping the box office for two weekends.
According to information collected by Disney , which distributes the psychological
thriller through its Hollywood Pictures division, Sense is attracting both sexes and all
ages.
"This is our first picture to do that since Phenomenon" in 1996, says Chuck
Viane, Disney's distribution president. "And to get a 50-50 ratio of men and women,
as this picture does, just doesn't happen."
Sense supplies the scares horror fans are in the mood for - and something more.
"I saw The Blair Witch Project, and I was expecting that to be a lot scarier than
it was," says Juliette Casselman, 21, a Portsmouth, R.I., college student .
"This was much scarier. . . . Everybody can relate to fears of death and being alone.
At one point, my mother jumped and just clenched my brother. Now my brother has
bruises."
Casselman's mom isn't the only one getting jumpy, says Vik Weet, 19, a film studies
major at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
"A lot of people were disappointed with The Haunting," Weet says.
"People are excited about a movie that shocks them."
The film's surprisingly serious, dark plot gives its scary images power, he believes.
It is dark, perhaps, but it's also therapeutic, says Alan Sandler, medical director at
the Santa Clarita Child and Family Center in California, who likes Bruce Willis'
"well-done" portrayal of a therapist.
"The movie works psychological magic ," Sandler says. " If you're the
kid in the movie, it helps to have a compassionate therapist by your side, modeling the
behavior he wants you to emulate. If you're one of the equally frightened people who pack
the theater, you have to confront your gravest fears while nonetheless shaking in your
shoes."
Perhaps the movie's most mesmerizing feature is a surprise ending - one so startling it
could mean repeat business from people who feel they need to see the film a second time to
understand it.
"My wife and I were at a theater in San Diego over the weekend when a woman came
out discussing the movie with her friend," Viane says. "She said, 'We've got to
go back in. I have to see what I missed.' And they both went back to get tickets and right
back into the next show. "
Beware: A popular prank in Internet chat rooms is for people who have seen the movie to
ruin the ending for people who haven't.
But Casselman has a solution:
"See it now before everyone gives it away," she says, "because everyone
wants to talk about it." |
