The Happening movie analysis

The Happening movie analysis

The Happening is a science fiction thriller movie written, co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan in 2008 (Books, LLC; 84). It trails a young woman, the husband, the best friend of her husband, and the daughter of her friend as theystruggle to flee from a mysterious natural catastrophe. The plot of the film is centered on the archetypal tale of an inexplicable neuro-toxin that makes people exposed to it to commit murder.

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The central character Elliot Moore is a science teacher who tries to flight from the mystifying substance together with his friends as panic clasps the East Coast of the US. The mystery begins without clear caution. It appears to billow-out-of nowhere. Within a short time; episodes ofweird, frightening deaths that challenge reason and boggles the brainpower in their appalling obliteration, explode in major cities in US.

One keeps wondering what is causing this unexpected, sheer breakdown of human conduct. Is it some sort ofattack by terrorists, oran unsuccessful experiment, ora bad deadly weapon, or an uncontrollable virus? Was it beingspread by water or by water?

For Elliot More (a science teacher in Philadelphia high school) what concerned him most was to come up with a wayto flee from the inexplicable and fatal phenomenon. Even though he and Alma (his wife) are in the middle of matrimonial problems, they decided to travel; first they used a train and later they used a car. They were accompanied by Julian and his daughter jess; they were going to

Pennsylvania farmlands where they thought they will not be consumed by the horrific, ever-increasing attacks. However it becomes obvious that no one and no place is secure. This frightening, imperceptible killer cannot be overrun.

It is only when Elliot starts to comprehend the true-nature of what is prowlingout there and what exactlyhas let loose this energythat terrorizes the future of humankind, that he sees a flake ofoptimism that his delicate family might have a chance to get awayfrom what is happening(Books, LLC; 92). In spite of all this illogicality, one gets to respect Shyamalan’s remarkable facilityto whip-out a flawlessly constructed scary and horrific plot without in fact ever having anytype of monster or reasoned threat. The viewer gets to see all the typical “scary monster“flashes in this film for instance people gazingat objects with shocked looks on their faces, far-flungshouts, prolonged tension escalating shots in scaryhouses and yet at the time when the viewer expects to look-into the “The Big Bad” face, there is practically nothing.

There is no Clover-field with its aching, toothyfacade, no flawed bad chap with a bag of toxins: just lovelytrees’ fields and grasslands moving soothinglyin the gentle wind. There is some sort of true brilliancyto “The Happening” at these particular moments. It seems like Shyamalan, is trying to point to the viewer that, at the heart of each and everymonster film, nothingactuallyprowls out there. It’s like an emptyfield where one can fill it with anythingthat frightens them most. And yet contemplation on cinematic structure and the production of horror films isn’t preciselywhat “The Happening” wants to leave the viewers with. Rather, viewers are compelled to watch the abrupt end of the film at the exact time when Alma thinks that she actually wants to be a good spouse to Elliot and a good mother to Jess. The viewer is left with an image of Jess, More and his wife hugging in a de-monstered grassfield in the midst of Eastern seaboard.

Works Cited

Books, LLC, Films Directed by M Night Shyamalan: The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, the Last Airbender, the Happening, Lady in the Water, the Village. USA, General Books LLC, 2010. Print