The Sixth Sense - Textual Analysis

The film chosen for analysis is The Sixth Sense directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which was released on August 6^th 1999 (USA). The sixth sense is considered to be a hybrid of genres the main ones being supernatural and horror as well as additional genres like psychological thriller and suspense.

Narrative Structure

In 1969 Todorov produced a narrative theory which he believed all films followed. Todorov’s narrative theory is comprised of five stages which are as follows: Equilibrium, Disruption of the equilibrium, Recognition of the disruption, an attempt to repair damage and new equilibrium. Like most films Todorov’s narrative theory can also be applied to The Sixth Sense.     

The equilibrium presented in the opening sequence appears to be when a female character, Anna Crowe played by Olivia Williams enters a wine cellar/basement, to which she retrieves the wine and joins her husband Dr Malcolm Crowe played by Bruce Willis for a romantic night in. Anna begins praising her husband Malcolm for a recent award he has received for his outstanding achievements as a child psychologist. A close relationship is established from the outset when the couple begin to joke around and become very intimate, as they begin to make their way into the bedroom.  

The disruption occurs when the couple enter the bedroom and Anna notices broken glass along with the sound of a dead tone on the phone, she calls Malcolm to look at what she has found to which they notice their window had been smashed. They approach the window to investigate, whilst looking out the window a dark shadow passes behind the couple and the Anna screams. Malcolm follows the shadow into the bathroom to look into the matter, where he finds a naked man situated in the middle of the bathroom. It then becomes apparent that this man is an ex-patient of Malcolm’s called Vincent Gray. Vincent begins to shriek at Malcolm fuelled by anger and immense distress as he feels Malcolm has failed him and led him to where he is today. The recognition of the disruption occurs when Malcolm remembers the name of the ex-patient, and remembers his circumstances back when he tried to help him. Malcolm tries to persuade Vincent for another chance to potentially put right what he has done wrong, but it is clear that Vincent is somewhat still disturbed by his past and wants revenge. Vincent pulls out a gun and shoots at Malcolm, Anna rushes to Malcolm’s side, as Vincent then turns the gun on himself.

The attempt to repair damage occurs when a few months later Dr. Malcolm Crowe decides to help a new boy named Cole played by Haley Joel Osment, this is because he feels that if he can help this new boy it would be like helping the old one too. He states that Cole reminds him allot of the previous boy in reference to the ex-patient Vincent who shot him. Dr Malcolm Crowe sees helping Cole as an opportunity to rectify where he went wrong with Vincent.

Claude Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions, which are sets of opposite values that help to reveal the structure of media texts for example, good Vs evil. Throughout The Sixth Sense there are several binary oppositions used, one being sane Vs insane which is visible throughout the film. Dr Malcolm Crowe is considered sane and as a child psychologist he specialises in helping children who are considered insane like Cole who sees dead people, as well as the ex-patient he was confronted by in the opening sequence who expressed many characteristics of being insane. Much of the narrative is focused around Cole’s battle to convert from insane to sane/normal and to be able to fit in. Another binary opposition noticeable in the film is human Vs supernatural, protagonist Cole is in constant conflict with the ghosts of dead people to which he struggles to deal with as they are not something he cannot easily escape.

The new equilibrium is established at the end of the film when Cole is able to discuss his psychological problems with his mother and it is revealed that Malcolm in fact died as a result of Vincent shooting him.

The film is in chronological order as events happen one after another, however the narrative moves from being restricted to omniscient this is because information is initially withheld from the audience before being revealed to them. The audience is lead to believe that Cole is seeing Dr Malcolm Crowe in the flesh and as a human. In the end it is brought to our attention that in fact Dr Malcolm Crowe is a ghost, and when he was offering treatment to Cole for his problems he was treating him as a ghost. Therefore when Malcolm was shot at the beginning of the film he did not survive, this only becomes apparent at the end of the film. Consequently the narrative is closed as there is a final conclusion, all ends are tied and Cole is ultimately able to tell his mother what has been troubling him for so long, so he can lead a normal life.

Genre codes and conventions

The Sixth Sense features some elements that are conventional to the supernatural horror genre. In regards to characters that are typical of the genre, many supernatural horror films tend to focus on one character being affected by the supernatural presence, which is evident in films like The Grudge and The Uninvited. However in the sixth sense it is the young boy Cole. The fact that Cole is a young boy goes against the common representation of the protagonist showed in supernatural horror films as this character is normally female. However, Cole does possess many of the conventional behaviours attached to the protagonist of a horror film like appearing vulnerable and defenceless, which helps the audience relate to the character and feel sympathy towards them. Cole is a very timid character but when confronted by ghosts he acts irrationally, which is something so out of his ‘normal’ character as he is presented as being sweet this can only make the audience feel a sense of compassion with his character and want him to overcome his psychological problem. Dr Malcolm Crowe can also be considered a protagonist as he plays a huge role throughout the film. However his character is not typical of the supernatural genre as the person being haunted by ghosts does not normally have someone helping them through their struggle or who is able to comprehend their irrational ways. Most additional characters in the supernatural horror genre of film are oblivious to the protagonists struggle with a presence and believe that they are crazy because they are seeing things that aren’t visible to them.

The story line is also typical of the supernatural horror genre. In most films of this genre the narrative is focused upon one particular character in which The Sixth Sense does. The presence of ghosts and ability to not easily fight off the presence is also typical of the genre. The presence of ghosts is something that the character has normally not provoked and if otherwise the presence is usually seeking revenge. Throughout the film it is clear that Cole has not provoked the ghosts, only Cole is able to see the ghosts so to others it looks as though he is insane. However the ghosts/supernatural presence although they appear scary to Cole they are not set out to physically hurt him. As the story unfolds you realise that most of them have come searching for answers, this challenges conventions of the supernatural horror genre as in most films of this genre the ghosts/supernatural presence has come to seek physical harm.

Textual Analysis of Key Scene

The suicide ghost scene shows a vulnerable Cole alone and panicked by a ghost he finds in his kitchen. Through the use of cinematography his emotion is made very apparent, which in turn makes you express sympathy with Cole’s character. When Cole is using the toilet a ghost walks past the camera lens the sound instantly changes to a loud screech which insinuates that the Cole is in danger (non-diegetic sound). A close up shows an anxious Cole turn around, a further medium long shot shows Cole now stood in the bathroom taking deep breaths, Cole’s behaviour is typical of the supernatural horror genre as he is visibly troubled and this is normally done to help build a connection between the character and the audience. Non diegetic background music is slow but extremely tense along with off screen diegetic creaking of footsteps which help to build the suspense and tension creating a sense of mystery. 

A POV shot is used to show Cole slowly walking down the hallway to enter the kitchen. The lighting down the hallway is low-key the only source of light seems to be coming from the kitchen, the darkness from within the hallway suggests that Cole is getting closer to impending danger, this type of lighting is typically used in films containing an element of horror. The background music remains slow typical to the supernatural horror genre as they want to make the audience feel on edge. The use of a POV shot enables the audience to feel a part of the film themselves, as if they are on the journey with Cole. This being accentuated makes scary scenes seem scarier as the audience are to feel they are a part of the action. The shot cuts from a POV to a medium long shot that shows Cole stood in the kitchen doorway; high key lighting is used a lot during this scene which makes the actors facial expressions visible to the audience. A medium long shot shows the back of a lady in a pink dressing gown which then cuts to a low angle medium close up showing the lady turn around. The lady appears battered and bruised and carries a stern expression on her face. A long shot shows the lady in the dressing gown stood in the corner of the kitchen to which she begins to shout at Cole. The scene then cuts to a big close up showing slits on her wrists, the non-diegetic background music at this point changes to what sounds like a loud dense screech a quick cut is then made to a close up showing Cole’s reaction to the woman. Through his facial expression it is visible that Cole is not familiar with this woman and is very uncomfortable and frightened of her presence.

A jump cut is used and shows the length of the corridor to which you see Cole start running and enter a fort. The non-diegetic background music at this point is very upbeat and tense which is used to reflect Cole’s feelings as at this point he is very panicky. The camera zooms in as Cole enters the fort. A POV shot is used again showing Cole looking at the lady in the distance shouting at him, as Cole draws black the sheet to shut his fort the scene blacks out and the tense music automatically stops. A medium close up shows Cole in the fort very distressed surrounding him are an assortment of religious ornaments which suggests that Cole tries to find help through prayer. Minimal lighting is used whilst Cole is in the fort; the use of a torch held by Cole makes his emotion visible as he begins to cry this is common in the supernatural horror genre as it makes scenes appear all the more mysterious and dark.  At this point Cole can be heard panting (on screen diegetic sound) which further highlights to the audience that Cole is suffering which makes the audience feel empathy towards him.