ER; Textual Analysis of The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense (1999)



Genre
The Sixth Sense belongs in the supernatural and psychological sub-genres of horror. The audience's generic expectations of the text are definitely most likely to be fulfilled as it contains all the conventional aspects of a horror movie like a build up of tension and a scary climax.

Form and Style
The opening is very conventional, set in an ordinary middle class house, a very easy to relate to location. A sense of foreboding is introduced by sound and the sight of a shadow. Two characters are introduced immediately, a man and a woman, most likely a couple. This extends the feeling of reality and normality. The title of the film connotes that the film will involve very psychological and supernatural story lines. It's about a boy who can see and talk to the dead so naturally it is likely to be a very dark film.

Film Language
The mise-en-scene is very naturalistic and almost homely, from the costumes to the set, to lure the audience into a false sense of security. Interesting camera shots like a handy cam and panning are used to give different perspectives to the scene. The sound fits in with the images well, building up as the tension builds up. Diegetic sound is used to portray reality, like the gun shots and the woman's scream. We learn that the man and woman are most likely to be a couple by the way his body language is very protective over her and her reaction to when he is shot.

Narrative
The narrative suggests that the couple are very middle class by the way they dress and behave. We assume the man with the gun is not in a sane mind because of his lack of clothing and his hysterical mood. The opening scene does not give much more away than this, making it very unpredictable. Alienation is represented straight away by the half naked man with the gun, as there is no clear relation with him and any of the other characters.


Representation and Ideology
We are introduced to a middle class couple who are immediately in a state of crisis. We can assume what class they're from because of the way they dress and act. Gender has a residual ideology as the woman cowers in the corner while the man bravely goes to investigate what has caused the mess, reinforcing a patriarchal ideology.

Media Audiences
The target audience is that of any typical horror film- male aged 14-29.

Institutional Context
This film was produced by Spyglass Entertainment making it an industrial film rather than an independent one. It's starring Bruce Willis which is important because he is such a well-known actor, attracting audiences that may not go to see it otherwise.