Quite possibly the best horror film in years

Rating: Null/10 (29 September 1999)

No doubt about it, "The Sixth Sense" is the best horror movie I've seen since the original "Poltergeist." The plot is deceptively simple -- a kid who sees ghosts -- but the movie goes so much deeper than that. It's an allegory for all our nameless fears that we have to fight alone because nobody else shares them.
Besides the plot, multiple other elements come into play in making "The Sixth Sense" the sensation that it is. The acting is superb on all ends. Haley Joel Osment plays Cole with an impressively haunted maturity, and Bruce Willis stays out of his way. And for such relatively small parts, the ghosts give off near-visible auras of otherworldly anger and fear.
The other main element in the psychological terror behind the movie is how it attempts to instill fear in the audience. Transcending flashing lights and computer-generated wraiths, "The Sixth Sense" goes instead for suggestions of cold and some sharp makeup effects. And not to be forgotten is the score, which chilled me deeper than most of the visual elements.
One thing that everyone wants to talk about is the ending. While I won't reveal it here, suffice it to say that I had made dozens of guesses about what the surprise twist could be, and I could not have been more wrong. It completely knocked me off my feet. In short, "The Sixth Sense" is a must-see for anyone who likes a well-thought-out thriller. If it doesn't leave you stricken, impressed, and a little scared the next time you're alone in the dark, you may already have crossed over.