This is how 'scary' works

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 1999)

Director M. Night Shyalaman has obviously done his homework. 'The Sixth Sense' is a painstakingly constructed lesson in how to heighten tension and generate fear.
With none of the high tech special effects of 'The Haunting' and none of the slasher-flick gore of 'Scream' or 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', the movie delivers more edge-of-your-seat nail-biting than all three of those films put together. What seems like a slow beginning is actually a careful build-up to some very creepy scenes.
As always, the terror of what might might be around the corner is more effective than the monster leaping out of the shadows, but here Shyalaman uses both together with a very subtle approach and an expert timing. There are actually times when we forget we're watching a scary movie, and that's when the film strikes.
The fear is projected off the screen brilliantly by Haley Joel Osment in the role of the psychic child. As the only one who sees the dead people, he's the only one that can show the fear. And show it, he does! The young actor does more to portray true terror than film veterans have done in some projects.
Well worth your money (even at the higher priced deluxe cinemas) and certainly worth your time. With no excessive blood and guts and only mild language concerns, anyone who likes a good scare can enjoy this film.