The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack

The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack

Share this post

The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Sixth Sense: 25 Years On

The Sixth Sense: 25 Years On

M Night Shyamalan’s 1999 spooky smash hit is considered a classic with good reason — even if you know the ending

Simon Dillon's avatar
Simon Dillon
Aug 06, 2024
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Sixth Sense: 25 Years On
2
Share
Credit: Buena Vista/Spyglass

Warning: Contains spoilers (though I won’t reveal the ending)

Much of the publicity around M Night Shyamalan’s 1999 smash hit The Sixth Sense revolved around the famous final big twist. This deft narrative rug-pull is justly celebrated, and has, alas been spoiled for many younger people coming to the film for the first time via many a thoughtless meme. Spoiler sensitivity for classic films is a major tenet of my cinematic belief system, and I can only urge and urge again for the it’s-not-a-spoiler-if-it’s-an-older-film crowd to take a moment and think through that selfish perspective in consideration of younger viewers who deserve to discover classics unspoiled.

With that in mind, I will not reveal the famous ending in this article, so those who haven’t seen The Sixth Sense can breathe easy. That said, if you haven’t watched M Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece — still, by far, the best film he has ever made — please proceed with caution, as I will discuss other elements of the plot best discovered for yourself. In fact, The Sixth Sense is best seen how I first saw it during the original cinema release: With no prior knowledge whatsoever.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Simon Dillon
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share