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Do your friends roll their eyes when you bring up your favorite ghost movie? Do you instantly know the significance of a red balloon? We’re here for you. Welcome back to Drawn to Darkness, where we deep dive into our favourite horror and true crime.

In this episode, though decades have passed, Annie finally makes Caroline sit down for M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 classic, The Sixth Sense, the movie that made “I see dead people” an instant cultural touchstone. We talk creepy dolls, inattentive parents, and claustrophobic closets. Expect tangents about 1999 as the ultimate movie year, the curse and blessing of the “Shyamalan twist,” and the legacy of Munchausen by proxy in horror. We'll cover everything from the brilliance of Haley Joel Osment’s haunted eyes, to Toni Collette’s overworked single mum realism, to Bruce Willis’ understated acting as a child psychologist.

Spoiler + Trigger Warning
We spoil the twist. Be warned! If you’ve somehow avoided spoilers for 26 years,  watch it before listening.

Discussion of child abuse, Maunchausen by proxy (medical abuse), murder and mistreatment of enslaved people, bullying, claustrophobia, hanging, gore, and lots of creepy ghosts. But don’t worry. The puppy survives.

Palate Cleanser

Need something a little lighter after all those jump scares and tragic child ghosts? 

• Taylor Swift’s full anthology – yes, the entire history. 
• John Mulaney & Friends – stand-up with Mike Birbiglia, Nick Kroll, and Fred Armisen for some much-needed comic relief after all that whispery ghost trauma.

Recommendations

• Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Because Philly!
• Lianne Moriarty's books - great twists!
•  Other great twists: Parasite, Empire Strikes Back, Fight Club, Scream, the Usual Suspects, the Prestige.
  Memento – another brilliant 90s twist that’ll fry your brain.
• Ghost stories including The Others ,Stir of Echoes (1999 twin film energy) – Kevin Bacon also sees dead people, What Lies Beneath and The Haunting of Bly Manor (Mike Flanagan) – ghost stories as memory, grief, and limbo.
• Hereditary – more Toni Collette mom horror. About a Boy and Little Miss Sunshine are also a lot of fun.
• More M. Night Shymalan movies: The Village, Signs, Split, Cabin at the End of the World
• Die Hard for Bruce Willis at his most iconic.
• Muriel’s Wedding – if you want Toni Collette but need more ABBA and fewer ghosts.
• The O.C. - Mischa Barton!
• The English sitcom Ghosts – haunted house vibes, but funny and charming.
• The Reformatory by Tananarive Due – a novel about racism, history, and a little boy who sees ghosts.
• Atonement - the novel and movie are both great)
• What we do in the Shadows - always
• What Went Wrong & Unspooled (podcasts) – deep dives into the making and legacy of The Sixth Sense.
• The podcast Ghosts in the Burbs (see episode 4)
• The Dead Zone and The Shining for Stephen King characters with powers

 Homework

Next week we pivot from ghosts to real monsters: Harvey Weinstein. Since M. Night himself referred to Weinstein as a “monster,” we’re finally covering Catch and Kill. Read Ronan Farrow’s investigation and/or listen to the podcast before our next episode. 

Thanks for joining us on this haunted Philadelphia stroll. Review us, share us with your fellow horror and true crime weirdos, and listen up if your kid starts whispering about ghosties!

Cover art by Nancy Azano @nancyazano
Music by Harry Kidd @harryjkidd
Email us: [email protected]