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The Suspense In The Sixth Sense Essay

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The Suspense In The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller. It follows a very simple set of conventions that are associated with all psychological thrillers. The hero or anti-hero is always present in psychological thrillers and is there for the audience to relate to. Vulnerable characters are often depicted as small children. Children are seen as innocent and un-knowing, it is easy for the audience to be aware of what the children are going through as they were all one once. Suspense is always built up with dramatic and scary music. Using this convention allows the audience time to realise that something is going to happen. When the audience views a psychological thriller they …show more content…

This convention is particularly important when trying to show suspense. Filmmakers are always very happy to accept psychological thrillers because they are usually always popular e.g. The Thing, Scream Trilogy, Alien and Vertical Limit.

The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller about a young boy who can see ghosts and the doctor who is helping him. As the movie progresses it is able to show why the doctor is helping the boy and why the child can see the ghosts. The Sixth Sense was a huge success for a director who had not been marked as one of particular importance. M. Night Shyamalan had previously only directed short films, but had started to come into the mainstream with his second feature length film Wide Awake. The Sixth Sense had a huge box office success all over the world and after being nominated for 6 Academy Awards, it won two - Best Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment) and Best Screenplay.

This film is another where Bruce Willis is co-starring with a child (previously Mercury Rising). Bruce Willis was specifically chosen to play the role of Dr. Malcolm Crowe. This is not a role that the audience would expect to see Bruce Willis in as he

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