The Sixth Sense Ending Explained

With Cole Sears (Haley Joel Osment) whispering, “I see dead people,” The Sixth Sense has some iconic scenes, and the ending includes a twist that shifts the entire story. Cole sees psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) to cope with his anxiety and shares that he observes ghosts. The two characters bond quickly, and Malcolm is able to help Cole live a happier and more positive life. His own goal, meanwhile, is to save his marriage to Anna (Olivia Williams) and move past the guilt over the death of his patient Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg).

The Sixth Sense is considered M. Night Shyamalan’s best movie, and it was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Osment’s performance, Best Director, and Best Picture. The movie focuses on Malcolm helping Cole through his struggles, and in the third act, the story shifts to highlight the important and moving lessons that he learns from his patient. The reveal before the end credits is one of the most impressive and surprising, and it speaks to The Sixth Sense‘s themes of accepting death and finding comfort in the fact that there is more than this earthly existence.

Malcolm Discovers He Has Been A Ghost Throughout The Whole Story

Malcolm Was Killed In The First Scene Of The Movie

At the beginning of The Sixth Sense, it seems like Anna and Malcolm are estranged, as he feels she is not paying attention to him anymore. The twist in The Sixth Sense comes when Malcolm sees his wedding ring fall from Anna’s hand and notices that his ring finger is bare. This scene is melancholy but necessary because the couple knows it’s time to move on.

Malcolm is stunned and heartbroken to figure out that when Vincent pointed a gun at him, he died. Cole was able to see and talk to Malcolm, and they were able to find each other for a reason. Instead of going directly to heaven or leaving Earth behind in another way, Malcolm stays behind because he is supposed to assist Cole through this challenging and pivotal time.

The characters are both working through a strange and perplexing experience and putting the pieces together, and Malcolm isn’t yet ready to accept the fact that he is dead and can no longer be with his wife. Compared to other plot twists in M. Night Shyamalan’s movies, this plot point is much more emotional and helps develop the characters, allowing them to become more compassionate and understanding of other people’s pain and hardships.

Malcolm And Cole Both Accept Their Connection With The Spirit World

Malcolm Is Able To Find Peace After Helping Cole

The Sixth Sense‘s twist works because it’s well-crafted and shocking, but it also allows the two main characters to accept their fates and find contentment and hope.

Instead of being upset or angry, Malcolm understands that he can’t change what happened and that he has to move on to the next place. He tells Anna, “I think I can go now. Just needed to do a couple of things. I needed to help someone; I think I did. And I needed to tell you something: You were never second, ever. I love you.” In those words, he finds the closure that is necessary in horror movies about ghosts.

Cole also finds a kind of joy in the fact that he can observe ghosts and is able to open up to his mother, Lynn (Toni Collette), about what has been happening. Before Malcolm’s reveal, Cole explains that he sees Lynn’s mother, and she talks about Lynn dancing when she was young.

This emotional moment proves that Cole and Lynn’s connection is another important piece of the story and that the child has been struggling alone. All he wants is for his mom to understand him and support him, and this scene is moving and well-paced. The character’s perception of his ability has changed; he isn’t afraid anymore.

The Twist Sheds Light On Cole And Malcolm’s Special Connection

The Two Lost Souls Help Each Other

Malcolm is one of Bruce Willis’s best movie roles, and he gives a soft, vulnerable performance as the therapist trying to comfort Cole.

The twist that Malcolm is dead changes the perception of how these two characters have been interacting. Now, it becomes clear that he is the only person who can help this child, as any other therapist or doctor would say that ghosts are fake and refuse to listen. Malcolm is open-minded because he is himself a spirit, and trusting and believing Cole is part of the journey he must go on. The characters need each other and are helping one another process their emotions and heal.

In the decades since the movie was released, debate continues about whether Cole is aware that Malcolm is dead. Some say The Sixth Sense‘s twist is clear when the child says that the ghosts don’t know they’re ghosts and stares at his therapist. Whether Cole knows the truth or not, he feels comfortable with Malcolm because they have a spiritual connection that neither character has with anyone else. This is why they are able to communicate so well and be so honest with each other. It’s telling that Malcolm is helping with paranormal experiences instead of his usual caseload.

The Real Meaning Behind The Sixth Sense Ending

The Sixth Sense Finds The Beauty In Its Ghost Story

The Sixth Sense tells a logical story, and the two main characters’ problems feel fixed by the end. The final scenes feel particularly moving since there is no sequel and this is the last time that Malcolm and Cole are together and Malcolm sees his wife.

M. Night Shyamalan’s cameo as Dr. Hill is important and allows the film to explore that there is more out there than just this human existence. Dr. Hill worries about marks on Cole’s body, but when it becomes clear that he is interacting with spirits who need to share the pain that they have experienced, the movie digs deeper into its discussion of death. The Sixth Sense‘s message is that death is a natural part of life and resisting what is meant to be is an unnecessary struggle.

It suggests people should stay open-minded, be willing to help and know that their loved ones are watching over them and sending them signs and signals. Malcolm gives Anna closure as she knows moving on doesn’t mean that she won’t always love him, and the iconic psychiatrist character assists Cole in staying calm when he sees ghosts. Malcolm is satisfied when he achieves his goal of being there for someone, but his child patient shares his own lessons that change Malcolm’s perception of death.

The Sixth Sense Ending Set The Stage For M. Night Shyamalan’s Future Films

Shyamalan May Never Top The Sixth Sense Twist

Prior to the release of The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan was already a professional working writer and director, but his earlier movies weren’t as well known. He had a single credit and a student film to his name. The Sixth Sense was, effectively, his big break into the industry. It also set the tone for Shyamalan’s future film slate.

Viewers watching The Sixth Sense were shocked by the twist ending. While clues were dropped throughout the movie, most viewers were caught up in the horror of it all and didn’t realize what the clues were actually leading to, leaving them to be surprised by the reveal that the main character had been speaking with a ghost throughout the entire movie. That idea, of dropping subtle clues only to pull the rug out from under the audience, is something that appears in most of the writer-director’s movies.

Movies that Shyamalan has worked on like Stuart Little or The Last Airbender are part of existing properties. Those don’t fall in line with his signature style. Movies like The Village and Old, however, do. What’s interesting about his style, however, is that sometimes, the twist is really only a twist to the characters. The audience, after all, is aware of, or able to quickly suss out, the twists in The Visit and Split.

Given how often Shyamalan likes to entertain audiences with his twists that began in The Sixth Sense, it’s likely he’ll find new ways to provide a twist in upcoming releases like Trap, which the trailer makes appear very straightforward.

How The Sixth Sense Ending Was Received

The Twist Made For One Of The Most Iconic Movie Endings Of All Time

While The Sixth Sense is an effective and brilliantly made ghost story, the final moments truly elevate it as it has become known as one of the greatest movie endings of all time. A good twist ending is made by what comes before the final reveal and The Sixth Sense understood that fully. There are many movies that have twist endings in which it feels as though the purpose of the entire story was to get to that ending. The Sixth Sense‘s ending works because, long before M. Night Shyamalan had this reputation, the movie felt complete enough already.

Indeed, Shyamalan did not have the idea for the shocking twist until he was already deep into the writing process. When speaking to GQ about the ending, Shyamalan admitted that he had a solid movie based on this idea of a young boy who sees ghosts, but needed something extra to make it truly special:

Plot should come out of character. At least I think that. A guy who’s treating a boy, who thinks he sees ghosts, what could happen from that You know, how, how does he, you know, how could this be surprising? ‘Cause the movie was very linear for me. And I was like, it doesn’t have this extra gear, this movie, you know, as I was writing it, I was like, “It’s good, it just doesn’t have this extra gear.” And I was like, “Well, what could happen?” And then, you know, I sat up and I was like, oh, you know, it’s a deeper version of the conversation about life after death. And I kept thinking, how can you go deeper into this subject? And it kind of evolved outward and flowered at that moment. So it was a very organic moment of just writing.

Despite the fact that Shyamalan felt that this ending became inevitable in the writing process, The Sixth Sense became viewed as the quintessential movie to revisit to catch all of the clues to the ending. Revisiting the film makes the ending all the more impressive as audiences are able to see the twist hiding in plain sight, but the clues are all linked to character work, much of it coming from the strained relationship Malcolm has with his wife. It is an ending that took The Sixth Sense to another level and created a moment cemented in movie history.