"I see dead people;" whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment); scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old; already hypersensitive to begin with; is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions; but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man; but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before; he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient; who then turned the gun on himself. Since then; Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking; and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself; he's not about to give up on Cole.

This third feature by M. Night Shyamalan sets itself up as a thriller; poised on the brink of delivering monstrous scares; but gradually evolves into more of a psychological drama with supernatural undertones. Many critics faulted the film for being mawkish and New Age-y; but no matter how you slice it; this is one mightily effective piece of filmmaking. The bare bones of the story are basic enough; but the moody atmosphere created by Shyamalan and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto made this one of the creepiest pictures of 1999; forsaking excessive gore for a sinisterly simple feeling of chilly otherworldliness. Willis is in his strong; silent type mode here; and gives the film wholly over to Osment; whose crumpled face and big eyes convey a child too wise for his years; his scenes with his mother (Toni Collette) are small; heartbreaking marvels. And even if you figure out the film's surprise ending; it packs an amazingly emotional wallop when it comes; and will have you racing to watch the movie again with a new perspective. You may be able to shake off the sentimentality of The Sixth Sense; but its craftsmanship and atmosphere will stay with you for days. --Mark Englehart