It’s hard to believe that M. Night Shyamalan started out with two dramedies, with direct conversations about faith. Despite some lesser films over the years, Shyamalan has always had an eye for inventive camerawork. Even with problematic screenplays, he’s found at least an interesting scare or two.
The trick to his stories is that any supernatural elements are only a framing device for a larger conversation. When those roles are reversed, as in big-budget flop After Earth, the intimacy is lost. Telling grounded tales of the fantastic has offered up some pretty creepy scenes, among Shyamalan’s many thrillers. Here’s ten of his most successful scares, spoilers included!
Split: Drugged Doctor
Split was a terrific showcase for James McAvoy’s range, but Dr. Fletcher holds her own in this scene. The Beast was a previously unknown personality among The Horde and promised menacing supernatural abilities. The physicality that McAvoy adds to the sudden appearance is terrifyingly convincing.
Rather than leaving and calling the police, Fletcher foolishly attempts to help the captured girls before The Beast’s sacrifice. Ultimately, The Beast crushes her to death, an agonizingly slow sequence that emphasizes every cracked rib. The desperation of Fletcher’s drugged state, and her hopelessness as the knife breaks against his skin are equally horrifying as any jump scare.
The Village: The Creatures Invade
This often maligned movie receives a lot of undue hate and has been considered more reasonably in retrospect. Like many of Shyamalan’s horror scenes, this initial appearance of the supernatural threat coincides with emotional framing. Protagonist Ivy’s trust in Lucius is put to the test as strange, ferocious creatures swarm the village.
Their practical design is very effective with its simplicity, but the audio design is even more intimidating. The camera carefully pulls in tight to keep the monsters mostly in the shadows. It’s their growls that are truly unnerving as Lucius makes it to Ivy’s extended hand in the darkness. The mystery, urgency for silence, and continued terrifying grunts successfully generate suspense.
The Village: Attack In The Woods
It’s a strange decision that Shyamalan chose to reveal the truth behind the creature before this scene. Still, there’s no question that someone is certainly trying to kill Ivy. And despite the illusion being broken, those signature growls reappear. The woods have always been an eerie setting, used for countless horror films like The Blair Witch Project.
Here, Shyamalan uses the camera to capture Ivy’s isolation and blindness. Her resourcefulness and desperation really radiate combined with Bryce Dallas Howard’s superb breakout performance. She brings a lot of nuance, making her stand apart from much of the supporting characters.
The Visit: Hide And Seek
This nifty little found-footage movie was a fun return to small-scale horror for Shyamalan. His stabs at humor can be hit or miss, sometimes even intentionally corny. But this one delivers some great laughs, and unlike some previous work, it’s all deliberate. The film wrenches both a lot of humor and horror out of old people, which isn’t presented as callously as it sounds.
After all, everything is told from two kids’ point of view, and the lead actors are terrific. In this scene, Shyamalan makes the most of the creepy house, by forcing the kids into a claustrophobic crawl space. The playful scurrying of the grandmother looks totally unnatural, akin to an animal. Also, it always remains partly out of view, and her whispered taunts are equally unsettling.
Signs: Home Invasion
Once again, Shyamalan relies primarily on audio to craft suspense, as aliens slowly infiltrate the house. It’s generally a bad idea to kill off the dog in any movie, and this one kills both. But it’s always difficult to hear those whining sounds of pain, which is the first indicator that aliens have arrived. Next, the wind chimes go off, and then some violent pounding erupts as the enemy tries to find a way in.
The camera meticulously follows each of the sounds and the family’s fearful reactions. The “blocking”—meaning character movement—gives a good sense of escalation. Also, the music kicks in just as three alien claws slowly curl underneath the front door. It’s a great blend of every classic cinematic tool for suspense.
Split: The Beast Feeds
The music for this scene alone is deeply unsettling. Not just conceptually, but because the music sounds so different from the usual James Newton Howard collaboration. That would be saved for the Unbreakable theme to sneak in and signal the twist ending. But the scene moves slower than expected, as protagonist Casey wanders through her prison. She discovers The Beast eating one of the other girls alive.
Raw cannibalism is innately disturbing, but the sound effects add a lot. The desperation as Casey flees actually feels more oppressive because of the slow pacing. It’s immersive and greatly emphasizes the urgency. The scene closes with The Beast literally climbing the walls, a great payoff for the promised supernatural elements.
Sixth Sense: Suicide Woman
This terrifying scene actually starts off with some great, relatable humor. Protagonist Cole wakes in the middle of the night to use the bathroom but hesitates to enter the darkness. He yields of course, and ends up in that vulnerable position, so far from his bedroom. The thermostat warns viewers an angry presence is near, and Howard’s score is superbly ominous.
The camera borrows Cole’s point of view, until he finds someone in the kitchen, which he mistakes for his mother. Instead, it’s a woman who committed suicide, and she angrily scares Cole back into his tent of religious figurines. Cole’s emotional breakdown is deeply moving and emphasizes how terrifying and inappropriate these events are for a little kid.
Signs: Unhappy Birthday
This claustrophobic scene somehow creates an extraordinary scare without placing a single main character in jeopardy. It’s simply a shocking jump scare, but it’s certainly well-earned. It’s an abrupt answer to the great mystery of the aliens’ design, after dropping so many mere hints. Their terrifying look is both unique and familiar enough to preconceived notions.
This cleverly draws fear from our expectations in both directions, beating the odds of potential silliness. Aliens can, after all, look like anything. But the body language, too, is utterly threatening as it emerges from the bushes. Further, everything is set at a children’s birthday party. The rowdy kids’ panic and everyone’s subsequent screams work with the sharp musical cue to make an absolutely gut-punching reveal.
Signs: The Cornfield
If there’s anything more terrifying than seeing an alien, it’s merely catching a glimpse of its blue, scaly leg. At this point, the protagonist Graham is still skeptical about the alien threat. The crop circle in his own backyard is a terribly invasive omen, to begin with. But when he smartly tries to trick any human intruders, he discovers an alien culprit instead.
Cornfields are creepy places to begin with, because they obscure everything from view, and crunch loudly. Graham’s flashlight dies out, and there’s a terrifying shot of alien clicking noises rapidly approaching his ear. As he fumbles for his dead flashlight, the slight turn of the alien’s leg, so unexpectedly nearby, is a great shock.
Sixth Sense: The Poisoned Girl
Out of Shyamalan’s entire career, this film easily generates the most investment. And Haley Joel Osment’s profound acting is iconic for a reason. In this memorable scene, Cole hides in his tent, only to be tormented by a young ghost. The clips keeping the tent together slowly come undone, and the camera follows this activity straight to the spirit. That technique is frequently used in successful franchises like The Conjuring.
It’s a slow reveal to the inevitable. And the knee-jerk response to a child vomiting is inherent repulsion. The puke itself is very convincing, and the little girl’s sorrow is clear. But Shyamalan transforms this scare into a moment of strength for Cole, as he finally confronts his fears. The tone completely changes into one of sympathy, with his newfound understanding.
