Top 10 M. Night Shyamalan Movies

M. Night Shyamalan is a renowned movie director-producer and writer who is well-known for his signature storytelling and suspenseful plots.

He began his career as a writer and director in the movie Praying with Anger, in which he also acted in the lead role. The movie screened at the 1993 AFI Fest and won the “First Film Competition” for American independent filmmakers.

Shyamalan gained worldwide recognition for directing iconic movies like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable trilogy.

He has also produced and directed some well-known series and movies like Servant, Split, and Wayward Pines.

Furthermore, Shyamalan was nominated for two Oscars for best writing and direction and has won several prominent awards, including the Golden Satellite, Nebula, and ShoWest Awards.

From psychological thrillers to supernatural mysteries, Shyamalan’s movies showcase his genre versatility, making him one of the greatest directors and writers of all time.

Here is the list of M. Night Shyamalan’s top 10 movies that you must watch once in a lifetime.

10. The Happening

The Happening is a science fiction drama adventure movie written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

It stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, and Betty Buckley in the leading roles.

The movie follows a terrible incident in New York City’s Central Park where people begin to take their own lives due to a bio-terrorist attack using an airborne neurotoxin that quickly spread across the Northeastern United States.

Moreover, the movie describes the struggle of a science teacher, Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), his wife (Alma Moore), and a young girl (Julian) to survive the epidemic, which was spreading quickly as a global disaster.

The movie was nominated for the 2009 Saturn Award and has won the ASCAP Award.

9. Wide Awake

Wide Awake is an American comedy-drama family movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

The movie stars Denis Leary, Dana Delany, Joseph Cross, and Rosie O’Donnell in the leading roles.

It follows Joshua A. Beal (Joseph Cross), a ten-year-old boy who, after the demise of his beloved grandfather, goes on a journey to search for answers about life, death, and God.

Furthermore, The movie illustrates Joshua’s school life at Waldron Mercy Academy, a private Catholic boys’ school in Philadelphia, and his bond with his best friend Dave.

Wide Awake was nominated for “Best Family Feature-Drama” and “Best Performance in a Feature Film-Leading Young Actor” at the 1999 Young Artist Awards.

8. The Village

The Village is an American period thriller mystery drama movie written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

It stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson in the leading roles.

The movie follows 19th-century Pennsylvania, a small village where people live in fear of nameless humanoid creatures that inhabit the woods and stay away as long as villagers avoid the woods.

When one of the young villagers becomes seriously ill, a girl from the village ignores the elders and goes to the woods to retrieve medicine. The mystery unfolds when the girl discovers the monster is someone from the village.

The movie became the tenth highest-grossing PG-13 movie of 2004 and was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Schmoes, Golden Trailer, and Empire Award.

7. Knock At the Cabin

Knock at the Cabin is an American apocalyptic, psychological horror mystery movie directed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

The movie is based on the 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay.

It stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kriste Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint in the leading roles.

The movie follows seven-year-old Wen as she vacations with her fathers, Eric and Andrew, at a remote cabin in rural Pennsylvania. There, she encounters a stranger named Leonard, who explains that he needs Wen and her parents’ help to save the world.

Things change when three other individuals break into their cabin with weapons and hold Wen and her father hostage, describing that they have been driven to find the family by visions of an upcoming apocalypse in which oceans will rise, a pandemic will spread, and the sky will fall which can only be prevented by sacrificing Wen’s family.

The movie further displays the struggle of Wen’s family and the series of terrible incidents that occur in the cabin.

It received positive reviews from critics worldwide for its direction and performance and was nominated for several awards like the Saturn Award, Astra Award, Critics Choice Super Awards, and the GLAAD Media Awards.

6. The Visit

The Visit is an American found footage horror mystery movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

The movie stars Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn in the leading roles.

It follows two young siblings, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), who go to stay with their estranged grandparents for five days while their divorced mother, Loretta, goes on a trip.

Things turn around when the siblings plan to record a documentary movie about their visit to their grandparent’s farmhouse and discover their grandparents’ disturbing activities in the house.

The mystery unfolds when the siblings show their mother the records and discover that the people they were living with were not actually her grandparents.

The movie received positive reviews from critics, with many calling it a return to form for Shyamalan’s career after The Last Airbender and After Earth failed critically.

It was also nominated for many renowned awards, such as the Saturn Award, Golden Trailer, IGN Award, and Golden Schomoes Award.

5. Signs

Signs is an American science fiction drama mystery movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

It stars Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, and Rury Culkin in the leading roles.

The movie follows Graham Hess, a former Episcopal priest who lives on a rural farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with his children and younger brother Merill after the demise of his wife.

One day, when going to work on their cornfield, Hess and his brother discover mysterious large crop circles, which resulted in the beginning of an invasion of aliens. The movie further depicts the struggle of families from the attack of aliens.

The movie received praise for its cinematography and story and was nominated for several renowned awards, such as Saturn, Golden Satellite, SFX, Golden Trailer, and Golden Schomoes Awards.

4. Glass

Glass is a drama, sci-fi superhero movie directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan. It is the third and final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy.

It stars James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, and Samuel L. Jackson in the leading roles.

The movie follows David Dunn, who uses his supernatural abilities to track down Kevin Wendell, a man with multiple personalities called the Horde who has kept four cheerleaders hostage to feed to the Beast, a Superman personality that he worships.

It also depicts Dunn’s encounter with Elijah Price, also known as Mr. Glass, in the Raven Hill Memorial, where all three Dunn, Horde, and Glass are held captive and their struggle in the locked room.

The movie received praise for the actors’ performance and was nominated for several awards like Saturn, People’s Choice, and National Film and Television Awards.

3. Split

Split is an American psychological thriller movie written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan.

It is the standalone sequel and the second installment of the Unbreakable trilogy and stars James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Betty Buckley in the leading roles.

The movie follows Philadelphia, where a man, Kevin, diagnosed with multiple personality disorders, abducts three young girls, Claire, Casey, and Marcia, and imprisons them in a secret underground lair beneath the Philadelphia Zoo.

Furthermore, the movie depicts the girls’ struggle to escape the terrible situation and reveals Kevin’s dark childhood.

The movie received positive reviews worldwide and won several awards, including the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, Fright Meter, and Critics Awards.

2. Unbreakable

Unbreakable is an American science fiction drama mystery movie written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

It is the first installment in the Unbreakable trilogy and stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robin Wright in the leading roles.

The movie follows a former star quarterback and security guard, David Dunn, who, while returning home to Philadelphia after a job interview in New York, gets into a tragic train accident where he is the only survivor.

After a few days, David finds a note in his car from Elijah Price, telling him to visit his art gallery, where Price explains his mysterious theory of unbreakable and regards David as one of those few unbreakable.

Furthermore, the movie depicts how David Dunn relates his past incidents with Price’s mysterious theory and learns more about his extraordinary powers as he discovers that touch contact with people brings him visions of criminal acts they have committed, which makes him help people in need.

The movie received worldwide acclaim for its direction and performance and was nominated for several awards, including the Saturn Award, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, and Teen Choice Awards.

1. The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is an American psychological drama mystery thriller movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

It stars Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, and Haley Joel Osment in the leading roles.

The movie follows Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who is attacked by his former patient, Vincent Grey, who blames Malcolm for failing to treat him well.

Months later, after the incident, Malcom encounters a nine-year-old boy, Cole Sear, who reminds him of Vincent. To fix his failure to help Vincent, he begins working with Cole, who claims to see and talk to the dead.

The movie further unravels the mystery of Malcom’s unclear past after the attack, his relationship with his estranged wife, and also Cole’s vision and special ability to see the demised people.

The Sixth Sense received praise for the cast performance, direction, and surprising ending, establishing Shyamalan as a prevailing thriller screenwriter and director.

It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 1999 and was nominated for six Oscars for Best Direction, writing, and Best Actor and Actress in Supporting roles.

In addition, the movie has won several renowned awards, such as the Saturn Award, Blockbuster Entertainment Award, and Critics Choice Award.