About This Quiz
Take one precocious little boy, add a dedicated doctor and one shocking twist ending, and you've got "The Sixth Sense." This 1999 movie was one of the rare horror films to satisfy critics as well as fans, and it helped kickstart M. Night Shyamalan's reputation as the master of the unexpected ending. Take our quiz to test your "Sixth Sense" smarts!Willis stars as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a Philadelphia psychologist who specializes in disorders among children.
As the film opens, an intruder breaks into the Crowe home. Crowe eventually recognizes him as former patient Vincent Grey, who suffered from severe hallucinations as a child. Donnie Wahlberg plays Grey, who shoots the doctor before turning the gun on himself.
In the film, those who are able to see the dead have a tell-tale streak of white hair. Both Vincent Grey and Cole Sear have this feature.
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Crowe meets Cole for the first time in a church, where Cole is playing with his toy soldiers. The church is a favorite hangout for Cole, who reasons that nothing bad can happen to him while he's inside.
Malcolm's wife, Anna, works in an antique store. He suspects that he and his wife are going through a rough spot in their marriage until he finally realizes the truth about his condition.
When viewers first meet Cole's mom, Lynn, she is totally freaked out to find all of the doors and drawers open in the kitchen. Cole reassures her that he opened them while searching for Pop-Tarts.
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Cole's teacher insists that the school was simply a courthouse, but Cole knows the truth -- lawmakers once used the building to hang people.
Cole gets in big trouble when he screams out his teacher's former nickname -- Stuttering Stanley -- while in class one day.
Cole is invited to a rare birthday party at Darren's house when Tommy and Darren cruelly lock Cole in a small cupboard in the attic, telling him they are playing a game called "Locked in the Dungeon." Cole emerges with terrible scratches and torn clothing.
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Cole finally explains to Dr. Crowe that he can see dead people, when he is in the hospital after the incident at the party. Crowe doesn't believe him right away, but Cole explains that he sees the ghosts all the time, and they don't know they're dead.
Lynn gets frustrated with Cole when she keeps finding her mother's bumblebee pendant in his room. She thinks he is taking it, but later learns that her dead mother has been moving the pendant.
Cole finds comfort in cuddling up to his dog, Sebastian, in the film. The puppy sometimes growls when a ghost is near, as though he can sense the dead.
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While listening to an old audio tape of a session he had with Vincent Grey, Malcolm hears a ghost pleading for help from the boy. This confirms for him that Vincent actually could communicate with the dead -- and maybe Cole is telling the truth.
Dr. Crowe suggests that the ghosts are reaching out to Cole for help, and his best bet for dealing with the problem is to listen to the dead and try to help them.
Cole has a tent at home that he hides in for shelter from the ghosts. He has decorated the tent with religious symbols, creating a church-like safe haven at home.
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When the ghost of Kyra Collins -- played by Mischa Barton -- vomits in Cole's tent, he works up the courage to help her. It turns out she was killed by her own mother, who slowly poisoned her until she died.
Kyra directs Cole to a videotape hidden in her jewelry box. Cole gives the tape to Mr. Collins, who learns that it was his wife who killed Kyra.
Cole finally decides he's ready to tell his mom about his ability while the pair are in the car, stuck in traffic. Cole reveals that a woman was killed in the accident, and she's standing right next to the car.
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Cole finally convinces his mom he can speak to the dead when he reveals that his grandmother secretly saw his mom dance in her recital, even though the pair had had a fight beforehand.
Malcolm hears his wife talking in her sleep at home, notices that the door to his basement office is locked, and finally realizes that he died when Vincent shot him.
One of the ghosts Cole sees in his home is a young boy, who brags that he knows where his dad hid his gun. The boy then turns to reveal that the back of his head has been blown off.
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The last time Cole sees Malcolm, he has just performed in the school play and is carrying his prop sword. The two know that Malcolm was finally able to help Cole and they won't be seeing one another anymore.
Those who went back to re-watch the film after learning of the twist ending may notice that the color red is used with great care in the film. The only red items are those tainted by ghosts, such as the doorknob to Malcolm's office or the red balloon Cole follows at the party.
Willis didn't choose to star in "The Sixth Sense" because he was crazy about the script -- he was actually forced to participate, under contract, after he dropped out of another movie, "Broadway Brawler."
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Toni Collette plays Cole's mom, Lynn, in the movie, although Marisa Tomei auditioned for the part.
Director M. Night Shyamalan plays Dr. Hill -- the doctor Cole sees after the incident at the party. Shyamalan took the part to pay tribute to the many doctors in his family.
The film premiered on M. Night Shyamalan's 29th birthday -- August 6, 1999. While his first two movies were relative flops, "The Sixth Sense" helped to secure his spot among the country's best directors.
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Cole reveals to his mom that his grandmother answered the question Lynn asked at her gravesite. Lynn asked if her mother was proud of her, and her mother told Cole, "every day." This cemented the idea in Lynn's head that Cole really could communicate with the dead.
The film earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. While "The Sixth Sense" didn't go on to win any Oscars, just the nomination is very rare for a horror movie.
Born in 1988, Osment was just 11 when the film premiered. He became one of the youngest actors ever to earn a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
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