Most critics respond warmly to The Sixth Sense as a sombre ghost story whose scares depend on character, atmosphere and restraint rather than gore or effects. Praise centres on Haley Joel Osment’s performance, with several reviews also valuing Bruce Willis’s subtlety and the relationship between the two leads. Shyamalan’s direction draws approval for its controlled pacing, use of sound and ability to make human relationships unsettling. The emotional weight matters as much to these critics as the supernatural unease.
The disagreement is sharp rather than evenly spread. The New York Times rejects the film’s sentimentality and finds Willis’s empathetic performance part of the problem, directly opposing qualities other reviews admire. A milder reservation concerns the deliberate pace, which may test some viewers’ patience. The consensus is strongly positive, then, but the dissent exposes a clear divide over how convincingly the film earns its emotion.