Cole Sear (Osment) is a tormented eight-year-old with an unusual gift - he can see dead people. His seemingly behaviour has left him alienated at school.

Child psychologist Dr Malcolm Crowe (Willis) takes the boy under his wing and the unlikely pair slowly forge a friendship based on understanding and mutual trust. But Crowe slowly begins to realise that he's not simply dealing with a schizophrenic...

The Sixth Sense succeeds at being genuinely chilling, a feat which few films can boast of achieving. With the use of unbelievable cinematography and a spine-tingling soundtrack, the imagery is both haunting and disturbing.

While the film does feature its share of shock sequences, Shyamalan's main interest isn't necessarily in scaring the audience. He seems more concerned with the troubled relationships between Malcolm and Cole and between Cole and his mother (Collette).

The performances, particularly Osment and the versatile Collette's, go a long way in making the drama believable. Willis comes off well in this uncharacteristically subdued turn. Shyamalan must be given credit for writing and pulling off such a terrific surprise ending.

It's a testament to his skill as a director that the important clues he drops are barely noticeable en route to the conclusion, which consequently does not feel like a cheap gimmick. In fact, it ties together the weightier themes addressed by the film.