All M. Night Shyamalan Movies Ranked (2024)

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M. Night Shyamalan broke through into the mainstream with his second-feature, the late ’90s horror phenomenon The Sixth Sense. The two similarly successful films that followed (Unbreakable, Signs) was building up Shyamalan as a director of possible Speilbergian talent, though in danger of having his third-act screenplay twists overwhelm his brand. That bore Rotten fruit with The Village and The Happening, which set off a bum streak with big-budget sci-fi and would-be blockbusters: The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth.

The Visit in 2015 would be a back-to-basics, comeback horror effort. Its box office and relative critical success set the stage for the Certified Fresh Split, which brought back the dark superhero world of Unbreakable. Shyamalan closed the trilogy with Glass.

And new from Shyamalan: Knock at the Cabin! See where it places as we rank all M. Night Shyamalan movies by Tomatometer!

#1

The Sixth Sense (1999) 86%

#1

Adjusted Score: 94280%

Critics Consensus: M Night Shayamalan's The Sixth Sense is a twisty ghost story with all the style of a classical Hollywood picture, but all the chills of a modern horror flick.

Synopsis: Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened... [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#2

Split (2016) 78%

#2

Adjusted Score: 92982%

Critics Consensus: Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles -- and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.

Synopsis: Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still... [More]

Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#3

Signs (2002) 75%

#3

Adjusted Score: 83343%

Critics Consensus: With Signs, Shyamalan proves once again an expert at building suspense and giving audiences the chills.

Synopsis: Everything that farmer Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) assumed about the world is changed when he discovers a message - an... [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#4

Adjusted Score: 77003%

Critics Consensus: With a weaker ending, Unbreakable is not as a good as The Sixth Sense. However, it is a quietly suspenseful film that intrigues and engages, taking the audience through unpredictable twists and turns along the way.

Synopsis: David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is a... [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Charlayne Woodard

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#5

The Visit (2015) 68%

#5

Adjusted Score: 79024%

Critics Consensus: The Visit provides horror fans with a satisfying blend of thrills and laughs -- and also signals a welcome return to form for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan.

Synopsis: Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) say goodbye to their mother as they board a train and... [More]

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#6

Knock at the Cabin (2023) 67%

#6

Adjusted Score: 86108%

Critics Consensus: Although it's often less than scary and parts of the story don't bear scrutiny, Knock at the Cabin is a thought-provoking chiller and upper-tier Shyamalan.

Synopsis: While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who... [More]

Starring: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#7

Old (2021) 50%

#7

Adjusted Score: 67589%

Critics Consensus: Old has no shortage of interesting ideas -- and writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's uneven execution will intrigue or annoy viewers, with little middle ground between.

Synopsis: A tropical holiday turns into a horrific nightmare when a family visits a secluded beach that somehow causes them to... [More]

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Ken Leung

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#8

Wide Awake (1998) 45%

#8

Adjusted Score: 46311%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Struggling to adjust to his beloved grandfather's death, a boy (Joseph Cross) seeks understanding of God, life and injustice.... [More]

Starring: Joseph Cross, Timothy Reifsnyder, Dana Delany, Denis Leary

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#9

The Village (2004) 44%

#9

Adjusted Score: 51413%

Critics Consensus: The Village is appropriately creepy, but Shyamalan's signature twist ending disappoints.

Synopsis: Members (Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody) of a 19th-century community fear the strange creatures that inhabit the surrounding... [More]

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#10

Glass (2019) 37%

#10

Adjusted Score: 58787%

Critics Consensus: Glass displays a few glimmers of M. Night Shyamalan at his twisty world-building best, but ultimately disappoints as the conclusion to the writer-director's long-gestating trilogy.

Synopsis: David Dunn tries to stay one step ahead of the law while delivering vigilante justice on the streets of Philadelphia.... [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#11

Lady in the Water (2006) 25%

#11

Adjusted Score: 33754%

Critics Consensus: A far-fetched story with little suspense and unconvincing scenarios, Lady In The Water feels contrived, pretentious, and rather silly.

Synopsis: When Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues an enigmatic young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from danger, little does he know that... [More]

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#12

The Happening (2008) 18%

#12

Adjusted Score: 25426%

Critics Consensus: The Happening begins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle.

Synopsis: An apocalyptic threat to humanity arrives out of the clear blue sky with a series of violent, inexplicable deaths spreading... [More]

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Betty Buckley

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#13

After Earth (2013) 12%

#13

Adjusted Score: 21663%

Critics Consensus: After Earth is a dull, ploddingly paced exercise in sentimental sci-fi -- and the latest setback for director M. Night Shyamalan's once-promising career.

Synopsis: People were forced to leave Earth a millennium ago to establish a new home on Nova Prime. Now, Gen. Cypher... [More]

Starring: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Sophie Okonedo, Zoë Kravitz

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan


#14

The Last Airbender (2010) 5%

#14

Adjusted Score: 12610%

Critics Consensus: The Last Airbender squanders its popular source material with incomprehensible plotting, horrible acting, and detached joyless direction.

Synopsis: The four nations of Air, Water, Earth and Fire lived in harmony until the Fire Nation declared war. A century... [More]

Starring: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jackson Rathbone

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

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All M. Night Shyamalan Movies Ranked (2024)

FAQs

What is the order of the M. Night Shyamalan movies? ›

As it happens, we're here to help, with our handy rundown of every Shyamalan movie in order of release.
  • Wide Awake (1998) ...
  • The Sixth Sense (1999) ...
  • Unbreakable (2000) ...
  • Signs (2002) ...
  • Lady in the Water (2006) ...
  • The Happening (2008) ...
  • The Last Airbender (2010) ...
  • After Earth (2013)

What makes M. Night Shyamalan so good? ›

Night Shyamalan is his ability to tell his stories just through visuals. One of his strengths is that he can give meaning to scenes to the audience through extremely subtle ways. Shyamalan's techniques are expertly crafted to allow them to be easily digestible without being overly hammy.

Who is M. Night Shyamalan's wife? ›

What is the movie Old by M. Night Shyamalan about? ›

Does Stephen King like M. Night Shyamalan? ›

Stephen King was a fan of M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Happening,' now streaming on Peaco*ck. According to King, 'M. Night Shyamalan really understands fear.

What does m stand for in M. Night Shyamalan? ›

What does the M stand for in M Night? It stands for Manoj, which is a very common name in India. It's not quite as common as Michael or something here, but it's pretty common. Everyone would mangle it in school.

Is M. Night Shyamalan religious? ›

While Shyamalan was raised Hindu and attended Catholic school for 10 years, he said he considers himself to be "pretty spiritual," but not religious.

What ethnicity is M. Night Shyamalan? ›

Shyamalan was born in Mahé, India, a town in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. His father, Dr. Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, is a Malayali neurologist from Mahé and a JIPMER graduate; his mother, Dr. Jayalakshmi Shyamalan, a Tamil from Chennai, is an OB-GYN.

How did Kara get pregnant in Old? ›

Kara and Trent continue to age into their late teens, and after having sex with each other, Kara gets pregnant at a rapid pace. She gives birth, but the baby dies due to the time rapidly passing. The attempts to leave grow increasingly tense as Charles's worsening schizophrenia causes him to kill Brendan.

What was M. Night Shyamalan's first film after The Sixth Sense? ›

M. Night Shyamalan is an Indian-born American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for directing the films The Sixth Sense, released in 1999, and Unbreakable, released in 2000.

What is the M. Night Shyamalan trilogy? ›

The Unbreakable trilogy, also known as the Eastrail 177 Trilogy, is an American superhero thriller and psychological horror film series. The films were written, produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The trilogy consists of Unbreakable (2000), Split (2016), and Glass (2019).

Should I watch Split or Unbreakable first? ›

Viewers can appreciate Split without prior knowledge of Unbreakable, though the final scene in Split ties back to the first movie. This connection extends to Glass, Shyamalan's latest entry in this superhero trilogy.

In what order should I watch the Unbreakable Split and Glass series? ›

Night Shyamalan's films and learn why he's one of the most uniquely talented filmmakers around, here's the order we suggest you watch them in.
  • 1 Unbreakable. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. ...
  • 2 Split. Universal Pictures. ...
  • 3 Glass. Buena Vista International. ...
  • 4 The Sixth Sense. ...
  • 5 The Village. ...
  • 6 Signs. ...
  • 7 Old. ...
  • 8 Knock at the Cabin.
Jun 3, 2023

Is Glass a sequel to Split? ›

Glass is a 2019 superhero film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also produced with Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, and Ashwin Rajan. The film is a crossover and sequel to Shyamalan's previous films Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016) and the third and final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy.

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