From legendary, turned notorious writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan comes The Sixth Sense.

Bruce Willis stars in the film as Malcolm Crow, a child psychologist living in South Philadelphia, PA. One night, he comes home from receiving an award for his work.

While celebrating with his wife, one of Crow's former patients, Vincent breaks into his house and accuses him for not treating him properly.

Distressed and emotionally unstable, Vincent shoots Crow in the stomach before turning the gun on himself.

This scene fades in to the next fall season, where we see Crow has physically recovered from his gunshot wound, but he is not the same person he was before.

It is not clear what is bothering him, but he is completely distraught in his thoughts, complete with a lack of confidence in his work, and just after being awarded his highest achievement.

Crow is following his soon-to-be next patient, Cole Sear. He is a nine-year-old boy with no friends and a deeply troubling secret. Though he takes a strange liking to Crow, Cole refuses to tell him his secret, feeling that he won't be able to help him.

Cole's problem is presumably similar to that of Vincent, and this is troubling for Crow. If he couldn't help him, he would have to work extra hard to help Cole with his problem. Crow also appears to have become distant from his wife, who has become deeply distressed since the shooting. Would his work make them grow farther apart?

Eventually, after spending more time with him, Cole feels calm enough to tell Crow his secret. Cole reveals that he sees the ghosts of dead people as if they blend in with society. Only Cole is able to see them, and claims that they ask him to do things.

Every night, he sees a ghostly figure, and takes shelter in his tent. He even sees ghosts in his school hanging by the necks at the top of a staircase. Now, Cole is desperate for the help of Crow to make the ghosts stop haunting him.

The famous line "I see dead people",  is not the only thing that this film is famous for. The real splash this film made was its twist ending.

The twist gives a new meaning to all of the scenes that proceeded it. Looking back at the film after the ending, viewers can see how well crafted each scene was in order to have a double-meaning.

Without the twist ending, the story has a neutral and easy flow.

The Sixth Sense was a commercial success, making almost $700 million at the box office. It was a major critical success too, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.

It had joined horror films like Psycho and The Exorcist, which managed to receive Best Picture nominations.

Bruce Willis gives one of his best performances in this film, straying away from the loud, crazy actions roles he is best known for. Willis demonstrates that he can be subtle and more observant in the range of his performances.

Toni Colette also gives a fine performance, portraying a mother who loves her son, but has a hard time dealing with his problems. She really makes you debate whether she is a supportive mom or not.

The main star, though, is Haley Joel Osment, who plays Cole Sear with excellent effectiveness. There is a scene where he has a panic attack, but is also crying, and he is able to combine the two tasks and send chills down your spine. He is not just there for emotional response, he is there to act.

He received an Academy Award nomination for his performance, that some believe he should have won. 

What helps even more is that he and Bruce Willis work well together on screen. You can really feel the connection they have as they try to help each other out with their problems.

You can tell just from the opening titles that this film is going to be a real scary one. All of the credits appear with a slow forward zoom against a black background with the solemn score, composed by James Newton Howard, playing; it creates an unsettling sense of anticipation for the events that unfold.

Also, the film is similar to The Shining, in that, most of the fear and action takes place within the conversations. The music and lighting play a big part in these conversations. The timing of the music and the dimming of the lights add more emotional weight to the film's haunting atmosphere.

What makes the Sixth Sense a good ghost story is how realistically the scenarios are played out. The ghosts here are not the stereotypical ones you see as a Halloween decoration or a special effect from The Haunting remake.

These ghosts are appear as real people who are trying to communicate with the living. Wouldn't you think a ghost has anything more important to say than "Boo!"?

This is a film that really tries to examine the relationship between living beings and the paranormal. And who better to interact with than children, who tend not to question events like these as much as adults do. It is a ghost story, yet, a look at human beings as well.

If you have not seen this film, which would be a surprise, check it out for a good chill ride. Doctor's orders!