one of the greatest reveals of all time

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2015)

Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) celebrates an award win with his wife Anna (Olivia Williams). Deranged ex-patient Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg) breaks in and shots Malcolm. Vincent then commits suicide. The next fall, Malcolm is treating distressed Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who lives with his single mom Lynn (Toni Collette). His suffering leaves him an outcast at school. After another episode leaves him in the hospital, he tells Malcolm his secret that he "sees dead people".
This is one of the best reveals in movie history. It's not simply a shocking twist. Anybody can write a random twist that aims to shock people. This twist is well-planned and constructed from the first moments of the film. Shyamalan lays out not only clues but the right amount of clues. It is a twist that people are unlikely to foresee but then beat themselves for not forseeing it. He gets the perfect balance.
The other question is whether this is a good movie without the twist. The great thing is that the intensity does not rely on the twist. HJO has the perfect wise innocence quality. It has great creepiness. It's a traditional ghost story and a well made one. The intensity ramps up as the ghosts reveal themselves. This would be one of the great horrors even without the twist.