One of my favorite things about M. Night Shyamalan movies is that they offer something for almost any kind of moviegoer to enjoy. For instance, if you want an intense, earnest thriller, you cannot go wrong with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Or, if you want to laugh at something bizarre and wacky, The Happening and The Visit should do the trick.
Although you might be able to anticipate a shocking twist ending, you never quite know what you are in for when you see the latest film by the Academy Award nominee, whose films – while not everyone’s cup of tea – are rarely dull. Let’s take a look back on the best M. Night Shyamalan movies so far, and even the ones people don’t like as much.
Trap (2024)
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donahue, Saleka Shyamalan
What it’s about: While its plot – a serial killer who takes his daughter to a concert and discovers it is being used to catch him – is a chilling idea, I believe that Trap is one of Shyamalan’s funniest movies and especially worth a watch for its wackiness.
How to watch Trap
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
What it’s about: A child psychiatrist struggling with issues of his own tries to help a boy come to terms with his ability to “see dead people” in The Sixth Sense, which is still widely recognized as one of the best horror movies of its time for its engrossing story and iconic twist ending that immediately put Shyamalan on the map.
How to watch The Sixth Sense
Unbreakable (2000)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
What it’s about: A security guard catches the attention of a comic book aficionado after he becomes the sole, uninjured survivor of a devastating train accident in Unbreakable – a unique take on the superhero movie genre with one one of the better Shyamalan twists.
How to watch Unbreakable
Signs (2002)
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin
What it’s about: After discovering a crop circle outside his home, a widowed former preacher and his family eventually become convinced an otherworldly enemy is among them in Signs – one of the scariest alien invasion movies in recent and one of Shyamalan’s scariest films in general.
How to watch Signs
The Village (2004)
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt
What it’s about: Following villagers living in fear of the monstrous creatures that live in the surrounding woods, The Village is an engrossing drama with a twist ending that, if you ask me, deserves a lot more love.
How to watch The Village
Knock At The Cabin (2023)
Starring: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge
What it’s about: Based on Paul G. Tremblay’s novel The Cabin at the End of the World, Knock at the Cabin is a harrowing story of a couple whose vacation with their daughter is interrupted by four strangers who force them to make a “horrible decision” for the sake of humanity.
How to watch Knock at the Cabin
- Stream Knock at the Cabin on Starz
- Rent or buy Knock at the Cabin on Amazon
- Buy Knock at the Cabin on Blu-ray on Amazon
Lady In The Water (2006)
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard
What it’s about: An anxious apartment complex superintendent tries to help a mysterious woman return to her otherworldly home in Lady in the Water – a fairy tale Shyamalan is still proud of and which I recommend for its bizarre and beautifully perplexing bursts of unintentional comedy.
How to watch Lady in the Water
Wide Awake (1998)
Starring: Joseph Cross, Rosie O’Donnell, Denis Leary
What it’s about: Before breaking through with The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan debuted with 1992’s impossible-to-find dramedy Praying with Anger before transitioning into the studio system with the funny, lighthearted coming-of-age story Wide Awake, about a fifth grader inspired to gain a better understanding of his Christian faith after his grandfather’s death.
How to watch Wide Awake
The Happening (2008)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
What it’s about: Mark Wahlberg would later criticize The Happening – about a high school science teacher and others suffering a strange, unexplainable, and deadly phenomenon – but the “thriller” still has its fans as a so-cheesy-but-so-awesome B-movie.
How to watch The Happening
The Last Airbender (2010)
Starring: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel
What it’s about: Fans were disappointed by Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender – following Aang’s journey to unify the kingdoms by mastering all four elements and fulfilling his destiny – for unnecessary changes to the source material, but at least it will cost you nothing to watch it again on the free streaming service Pluto TV.
How to watch The Last Airbender
- Stream The Last Airbender on Pluto TV
- Rent or buy The Last Airbender on Amazon
- Buy The Last Airbender on Blu-ray on Amazon
After Earth (2013)
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith
What it’s about: The strange sci-fi adventure After Earth follows a father and son who struggle to survive after crash landing on a dangerous, uninhabitable planet that humanity once called home.
How to watch After Earth
- Stream After Earth on Hulu
- Stream After Earth on Peacock
- Rent or buy After Earth on Amazon
- Buy After Earth on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Visit (2015)
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Kathryn Hahn
What it’s about: M. Night Shyamalan’s first found footage horror movie, Blumhouse’s The Visit, is framed as a teenager’s documentary about her and her younger brother’s first time meeting their grandparents, which turns into a record of their fight for survival when it appears there is something wrong with “Nana” and “Pop Pop.”
How to watch The Visit
Split (2017)
Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy
What it’s about: Three young women are kidnapped by a stranger who turns out not to be just one person but several personalities living within one man with Dissociative Identity Disorder in Split, which shocked audiences (and even its star) with a conclusion that proved to be one of the coolest twists of Shyamalan’s career.
How to watch Split
Glass (2019)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy
What it’s about: Taking place after the Split ending‘s shocking reveal, Glass serves as an entertaining and fitting conclusion to Shyamalan’s superhero movie trilogy, pitting David Dunn, Elijah Price, and Kevin Wendell Crumb against each other at a mental institution where their superhuman abilities are tried as delusions.
How to watch Glass
Old (2021)
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps
What it’s about: Based on the French-language Swiss graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters, Old – which boasts an intriguing and thought-provoking ending – follows a group of vacationers mysteriously trapped on a beach that somehow speeds up their aging process.
How to watch Old
Say what you want about M. Night Shyamalan but the guy is not without his strengths, if you ask me. I am looking forward to seeing what upcoming horror movies he has in store and, whether they manage to genuinely thrill me or have me howling with laughter, I am on board.
