the sixth sense

I don't know if it was in the book cuz I haven't read it, but both movies feature the color red so much that to call it subtle would be a severe understatement

reply share

add reply

formatting help

I'm in the middle of watching "Stir of Echoes" so don't have a firm opinion on it yet, but so far, pretty good, although I have to admit that I love Kevin Bacon in just about anything. But, I did recently rewatch "The Innocents" with Deborah Kerr and wished to add some points to your assertions about it.
You said

I know it's four years later, but you cite a movie called THE INNOCENTS as having those three elements. Are you referring to Jack Clayton's 1961 film based on Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw"? Because if you are, that comparison is way off-base. There are children in the movie, but they don't see any ghosts. There's no melancholy parent in it at all. There's what might be the spirit of a deceased governess, but she wasn't murdered (she died of illness) and she never tries to impart any information, just stands around and may be a figment of the governess' imagination]

1. We don't know if the children see the ghosts or not, they say they don't, but are implied to be aware of their presence, and indeed to be under the control of the male malevolent ghost who doesn't wish them to acknowledge that they do, in fact, see the ghosts. That's the main dilemma of the movie - Are the ghosts really there, or are they the hallucinations of a sexually repressed governess who perceives evil in expressions of sexual activity not sanctioned by the church (i.e. in the bonds of matrimony.) She is so hysterical about it that she seems to end up contributing to the death of one of her charges, either that or he is killed by the trauma of her trying to remove the control of the male ghost from his body and mind.
2. It's true that the parents are dead, and the uncle is disinterested, almost repulsed by his custodian role for the children. The new governess, in that case, fulfills the melancholy (or tormented) parent role.
3. The previous governess may not have been murdered, but she was also tormented by her sexual slavery to the male (can't remember his name at the moment)and it is implied that she may have committed suicide in a sense, due to his abuse and mistreatment of her. I think the deceased governess is trying to impart information. What about when she is heard and seen sobbing in the old schoolroom, pacing across the hallway in front of the new governess, standing silent and staring at Deborah Kerr and the little girl. If she had nothing to impart, why would she even appear at all? I think she is trying to warn Deborah Kerr's character about the enthrallment of the children, especially Miles, to the evil spirit of the man. Either that, or she's just a figment of Deborah Kerr's imagination! But, my point is that, even though the parallels are not exact, the basic structure of the script does contain many of the same elements as "The Sixth Sense" and many other movies of this ilk.
OK, that's my take on that. And, now that I've watched more of "SOE", I have to agree that it's pretty bad. Too many cliches, indeed. Kevin Bacon and the other actors are decent with what they are given to work with, and the dialogue is pretty good, but there's no real tension created, and it's lackadaisical and uneven in its pacing. I don't agree with the haters for TSS, though. I still think it's one of the best scary movies ever made, and I still don't watch it late at night by myself if I want to sleep without a light on! The performances were excellent and the surprise twist was done so well, that I really was shocked and surprised at the end. SOE I'll probably rate about a 4.

reply share

add reply

formatting help