The Curious Case of How ‘The Sixth Sense’ Scarred Me Forever

No, it had nothing to do with the ghosts

The year was 1999, and there was a little movie that had everybody talking. “You have got to see it,” people would tell you. “The ending…wow!” others would claim.

The movie was The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan. So, yeah, I was curious. Still, due to different circumstances, several weeks went by, and I had been unable to watch it.

I was going to regret that.

Just in case you don’t know.

The Sixth Sense wasn’t supposed to be so successful. With a relatively unknown director, a melancholic child as one of the leads, and a Bruce Willis that was only getting half of his usual salary, this film could have easily been mistaken as a filler movie.

It was no such thing. In fact, it achieved something very few pieces of cinema manage to get, even when they invest millions of dollars into it — to remain in our memories, to become a point of cultural reference and an example of what a cleverly constructed movie can make you feel.

Since that’s precisely why we go to the movies — to feel — I say that’s no small feat.

The Damn Newspaper

So, there I was, 18-year-old me, going about my life, when I opened the newspaper to catch up on the local news. I did not expect that, there, in the middle of the editorial page, a cartoonist would decide to use the ending of the movie as the punchline to a political joke.

At the moment, I thought, “Well, no big deal, how important can that be?”

If you have watched the movie, then you know it was very important. I was unable to not see what was right in front of me. In other words, I was screwed and didn’t even know it.

About a week later, I finally got to watch the movie. Oh, poor me!

Everything, everything, seemed so obvious. All of the details screamed the truth at me — at moments, I wanted to shake my fellow moviegoers and shout at them, “Oh, my, can’t you see?”

They couldn’t.

And then, when the twist finally arrived, as the people around me understood just what had been happening before their very eyes, I felt something that can only be described as envy.

All of those people got to experience the wonders of being deceived. They embarked on a cinematic journey and then got the delight of a story taking them to an unexpected place.

I didn’t get to feel that. Once you know, you can’t unknow. There was no going back for me.

Many Years and Movies Later

A few years ago, I got the chance to watch the movie again. This time, since I already knew I knew — hope that makes sense, dear reader — I got to appreciate other aspects of it.

You see, this might be considered a horror movie, but, at its core, we can find deep emotion and vulnerability. In the end, the greatest challenge our characters face is the fact they cannot trust each other and, therefore, feel utterly alone.

Yes, there might be some scares, but what truly brings this movie to life is the depth of the performances and the humanity the script infused them with.

As for me…I got scarred for life. I became deeply, profoundly anti-spoiler, so much that I have even stopped talking to people — or block them on social media — when I find out they enjoy spilling the beans before due time. In other words, if I suspect you might spoil a movie for me, you are out.

It might seem like a silly thing but, to a movie buff like me, it’s of the utmost importance. I want to enjoy the experience, the whole of it. If you cannot respect my stupid trivial concerns, then it means you don’t respect me. Period.

Do you doubt my commitment? Well, let me just point out that, even though The Sixth Sense was released 22 years ago, I still refuse to openly discuss the major plot twist. Why? Quite simple. I know there are people out there who haven’t seen it, and, with God as my witness, I will protect their right to enjoy this movie — or any other movie — with everything I got. After all, once they know, they can’t unknow.