Sixth Sense suspenseful scene-3

Another suspenseful scene in the film would be immediately after the dinner conversation, the scene calls into question Cole’s perception as compared to that of the audiences. The scene shows Cole in the hallway, his line of sight concentrated on Sebastian, the family dog, as the dog flees his room; ambient music creeps onto the soundtrack. The quick rise and fall of the music accompanies the fleeting appearance of a teenager in Cole’s room. The camera is positioned so that the spectator sees the ghost before Cole does. By the time Cole turns around to see the ghost, the teenage boy comes out from Cole’s room, Cole’s own private space, and whispers to Cole “I’ll show you where my Dad keeps his gun.” As the boy turns we see a bloodied hole in the back of his head. Immediately after this encounter Cole asks his mother, “If you are not very mad, can I sleep in your bed tonight.” She replies that she is not mad. The reality is that she is as confused, frightened, and helpless as Cole because she is out of options.

A few scenes later, Malcolm tells Cole that he can no longer help him and will be leaving him. Cole tries to convince him not to leave, asking, “How can you help me if you don’t believe me?” This leads Malcolm back to the ten-year-old Vincent Grey session tapes, where on close inspection he hears a third voice, a ghost, saying the words, “I don’t want to die” (in Spanish). From this, Malcolm deduces that the ghosts Cole is seeing are not monstrous threats, but lost souls seeking help. The result of this choice brings the spectator to the film’s true monster, Kyra’s mother. Of all the acts and suggestions of violence seen in the film, Kyra’s videotape, the physical proof that a mother would wilfully murder her own child, is considered by modern standards the vilest act. The spectator is positioned with the father, sympathising with him as the video enlightens him to the truth behind Kyra’s death. The whispered comments as Malcolm and Cole make their way through the mourning house, hint at a long-term illness. Even so, for a parent to see their own child as a burden and then murder them is unfathomable. Questions arise as to why Kyra’s mother would give up and resent her daughter to the point of killing her. These remain questions unanswered.