With Halloween around the corner, the creators of the newly-formed column, Movie Madness, Will Eaton (12) and George Proctor (11) decided to pick a movie that would appeal to the theme of horror that’s associated with this time of the year. Rather than a traditional slasher flick, the movie chosen is a little less traditional from a horror standpoint. That movie is “The Sixth Sense” released in 1999. This thriller stars Bruce Willis as renowned child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe and Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear, a child with what is perceived to be severe emotional trauma.

The movie demonstrates how Dr. Crowe first meets Cole as a way to make up for his mistake with a previous patient. That patient shot Dr. Crowe before ultimately taking his own life because his condition was left untreated. Cole is immediately shown to have some sort of disorder that prevents him from being able to socialize well, as he is shown to have trouble making friends. Dr. Crowe, who begins having problems with his wife, begins treating Cole, but he starts to realize that there is something much deeper going on inside of Cole than what he is accustomed to.

Overall, as a movie that fits more into the psychological thriller genre than horror, it provides an interesting alternative to the gory and frightening movies typically seen around this time of year. With little to no jump scares present, this movie will not frighten you physically, but more so mentally, with an intriguing plot that leaves no holes by the end of the movie. Considered a classic by many, we recommend this movie to anyone that has a strong palette and a strong attention span, as almost every moment in this movie is crucial to the plot.

That being said, this movie deserves a solid 9/10 for its impressive story and its nuanced style of horror.