In 2008, M. Night Shyamalan wrote, directed, and produced what many consider to be the worst movie of his career. The Happening, which currently boasts a horrifying 17 percent critical score against a 24 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, came with a consensus that it “begins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle.” What most viewers didn’t know at the time, though, is that this was entirely intentional.
Shyamalan wanted to make a big-budget B-movie that playfully called back to the panic films of the ‘60s, like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. He even hinted at this ahead of the release, calling it a “fantastic, fun B-Movie” while doing press.
Some filmmakers like to backpedal when their work doesn’t land. In this case, after a proper rewatch, there’s no other explanation besides that he did exactly what he set out to do with The Happening.
Deliberately Awful In The Best Kind Of Way
The biggest giveaway that The Happening was intentionally meant to be a B-Movie is the talent involved. Say what you want about Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel; they’re competent actors when they stay in their lanes. Just look at 500 Days of Summer and The Departed and tell me they didn’t deliver exactly what those films called for. They did exactly what they were told here, too, and their deliberately wooden acting is part of the assignment.
Mark Wahlberg talks to a plastic plant in The Happening
Wahlberg flatly saying, “Plastic. I’m talking to a plastic plant. I’m still doing it,” while spewing as much pseudoscience as possible about toxins, “set off by people setting off the plants,” is part of the joke. The talent here isn’t just in the writing but in Wahlberg’s ability to keep a straight face while Elliot Moore earnestly tries to figure out why everyone around him is killing themselves.
The same goes for Zooey Deschanel, who brilliantly shouts things like “We can’t just stand here as uninvolved observers!” and “We’re not gonna be one of those a******* on the news who watches a crime happen and not do something! We’re not a*******!” It’s so bad it’s almost poetic, and Shyamalan knew exactly what he was doing when penning the script. We’re talking about a plant-borne pathogen carried by the wind that forces people to take their own lives in the most gruesome ways imaginable. And the reaction from the talent involved in most instances is: “Oh nooooo!”
A Victim Of Its Own Marketing That Deserves Cult Status
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see The Happening until years after its theatrical release. The main reason was that my friends and family went in expecting another Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, or The Village, and told me it was awful when those expectations weren’t met. The marketing for The Happening sold it like a straight thriller, and I can only imagine the confusion when viewers bought tickets expecting as much. Everyone told me the same thing: the story makes no sense, the acting is terrible, and it falls apart by the third act.
Years later, curiosity got the best of me, and I finally sat down with it. I loved it. But I also grew up digging through two-dollar DVD bins at Walmart and watching B-movies all the time. Watching The Happening felt exactly like watching Sharknado or Birdemic: Shock and Terror.
The biggest giveaway for me was how the story was framed. Told mostly through news bumpers explaining what’s happening across affected communities, it’s only a matter of time before that setup gets ridiculous. There’s even a scene where Elliot, desperate for answers his mood ring can’t provide, conveniently finds a radio strapped to a fence post in the middle of nowhere so he can get an update before going back to sloppily sciencing his way through the premise.
The Happening Is A Fantastic Big-Budget B-Movie
Retroactive reviews now celebrate The Happening for its big-budget B-movie charm. But it’s easy to see why it bombed with critics. The $60 million budget made it look too good to be a B-movie. The cinematography and sound design were too clean and too polished. Had it been marketed as a straight-up panic movie with creepy lettering, bright colors, and a gritty aesthetic, audiences would have known what they were in for. Instead, the marketing team played it straight, and the subversion went unnoticed by mainstream audiences.
If you’re willing to give The Happening a second chance, watch it with over-the-top B-movie expectations and you’ll have a great time. On the surface, it’s a terrible film. But once you consider Shyamalan’s intent and Wahlberg and Deschanel’s commitment to the bit, it becomes something much more enjoyable.
As of this writing, you can stream The Happening on Hulu.
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