{"id":2102690,"date":"2025-10-19T23:33:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T23:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2102690"},"modified":"2025-10-19T23:33:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T23:33:26","slug":"m-night-shyamalans-most-hated-thriller-is-actually-great-from-a-certain-point-of-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/m-night-shyamalans-most-hated-thriller-is-actually-great-from-a-certain-point-of-view\/","title":{"rendered":"M. Night Shyamalan\u2019s Most Hated Thriller Is Actually Great, From A Certain Point Of View"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2008, M. Night Shyamalan wrote, directed, and produced what many consider to be the worst movie of his career. <em>The Happening<\/em>, which currently boasts a horrifying 17 percent critical score against a 24 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, came with a consensus that it \u201cbegins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle.\u201d What most viewers didn\u2019t know at the time, though, is that this was entirely intentional.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Shyamalan wanted to make a big-budget B-movie that playfully called back to the panic films of the \u201860s, like Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s <em>The Birds.<\/em> He even hinted at this ahead of the release, calling it a \u201cfantastic, fun B-Movie\u201d while doing press.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some filmmakers like to backpedal when their work doesn\u2019t land. In this case, after a proper rewatch, there\u2019s no other explanation besides that he did exactly what he set out to do with <em>The Happening.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Deliberately Awful In The Best Kind Of Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The biggest giveaway that <em>The Happening<\/em> was intentionally meant to be a B-Movie is the talent involved. Say what you want about Mark Wahlberg and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/zooey-deschanel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Zooey Deschanel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Zooey Deschanel<\/a>; they\u2019re competent actors when they stay in their lanes. Just look at <em>500 Days of Summer<\/em> and <em>The Departed<\/em> and tell me they didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Mark Wahlberg talks to a plastic plant in &lt;em&gt;The Happening&lt;\/em&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/g2m6C3kfj6D7g5HC_Xg0rw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/72c53f3e2ffbccfcf8d4785937ff4e91\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Mark Wahlberg talks to a plastic plant in <em>The Happening<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Wahlberg flatly saying, \u201cPlastic. I\u2019m talking to a plastic plant. I\u2019m still doing it,\u201d while spewing as much pseudoscience as possible about toxins, \u201cset off by people setting off the plants,\u201d is part of the joke. The talent here isn\u2019t just in the writing but in Wahlberg\u2019s ability to keep a straight face while Elliot Moore earnestly tries to figure out why everyone around him is killing themselves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The same goes for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/cltr\/zooey-deschanel.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Zooey Deschanel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Zooey Deschanel<\/a>, who brilliantly shouts things like \u201cWe can\u2019t just stand here as uninvolved observers!\u201d and \u201cWe\u2019re not gonna be one of those a******* on the news who watches a crime happen and not do something! We\u2019re not a*******!\u201d It\u2019s so bad it\u2019s almost poetic, and Shyamalan knew exactly what he was doing when penning the script. We\u2019re 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: \u201cOh nooooo!\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>A Victim Of Its Own Marketing That Deserves Cult Status<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/LeUutjdTQt.OKrb1D1EWkg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/07d732782bf3e03003253063e68647e9\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I\u2019ll be the first to admit that I didn\u2019t see <em>The Happening<\/em> until years after its theatrical release. The main reason was that my friends and family went in expecting another <em>Sixth Sense<\/em>, <em>Unbreakable<\/em>, <em>Signs<\/em>, or <em>The Village<\/em>, and told me it was awful when those expectations weren\u2019t met<em>.<\/em> The marketing for <em>The Happening<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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 <em>The Happening<\/em> felt exactly like watching <em>Sharknado<\/em> or <em>Birdemic: Shock and Terror.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/2YTSD3w5wFf6i2HHOHxNZQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/df83f147312cad4b061b5e7a16b5aec8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The biggest giveaway for me was how the story was framed. Told mostly through news bumpers explaining what\u2019s happening across affected communities, it\u2019s only a matter of time before that setup gets ridiculous. There\u2019s even a scene where Elliot, desperate for answers his mood ring can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>The Happening Is A Fantastic Big-Budget B-Movie<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Retroactive reviews now celebrate <em>The Happening<\/em> for its big-budget B-movie charm. But it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/pDbS83kSb.o4QgO._TW3Gg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/6283d80e52decba01c26f4e2fc5103ec\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you\u2019re willing to give <em>The Happening<\/em> a second chance, watch it with over-the-top <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/movies\/articles\/raunchy-r-rated-90s-sci-224340238.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:B-movie;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">B-movie<\/a> expectations and you\u2019ll have a great time. On the surface, it\u2019s a terrible film. But once you consider Shyamalan\u2019s intent and Wahlberg and Deschanel\u2019s commitment to the bit, it becomes something much more enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As of this writing, you can stream <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hulu.com\/watch\/23f88f7c-1a6a-4aa9-856a-4ada510f6d41\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Happening;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>The Happening<\/em><\/a> on Hulu.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"mb-4 border-l-2 pl-5 italic text-tertiary\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 \u201cbegins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2102691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[308287,26992,397649,365107],"class_list":["post-2102690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-m-night-shyamalan","tag-mark-wahlberg","tag-the-happening","tag-zooey-deschanel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/M-Night-Shyamalans-Most-Hated-Thriller-Is-Actually-Great-From.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2102690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2102692,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102690\/revisions\/2102692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2102691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2102690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2102690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2102690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}