The Sixth Sense (1999)

If somebody hasn’t spoiled this for you yet, close your other tabs and stay off the internet for 107 minutes. Okay. Here’s the thing nobody says out loud: on a second watch you can see how hard the movie works to keep its secret, and some scenes get stiff and careful because of it. Bruce Willis plays Malcolm so quiet and so sad he’s practically a houseplant. The middle drags. But Haley Joel Osment is unreal. He’s a kid carrying a horror movie on his face, and he never once feels like a child actor hitting marks. Toni Collette matches him, and their talk in a car stuck in traffic wrecks people. Shyamalan builds the scares from cold breath and whispers, not gore. It made $672.8 million worldwide on a reported $40 million budget, which is a lot of people shushing their friends. An 8.0 because the scares are earned and the big turn holds up when you go back. $784 says the next red doorknob you see gives you a tiny chill, and you can’t explain why.

What works: Haley Joel Osment gives one of the great child performances, Toni Collette matches him, and the scares come from atmosphere, not gore.

What doesn’t: The middle drags, Bruce Willis is so muted he almost disappears, and on a rewatch you can see scenes straining to hide the secret.

Who it’s for: People who like ghost stories with a heart, and anyone lucky enough to still not know how it ends.