Top 10 M. Night Shyamalan movies ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes

M. Night Shyamalan has gifted the world with plenty of memorable entries in his filmography. His 1999 cult classic The Sixth Sense, twisty horror Knock at the Cabin and the slasher Split are just a few. His newest serial killer thriller Trap is out in the theaters.

Bursting into the movie scene at the tail end of the 1990s, Shyamalan created a subgenre with his distinct directing style of combining realistic stories with supernatural elements. His talent lies in storytelling, with unpredictable narrative, lots of understated twists and turns, and a distinctive voice that challenges viewers to question their perceptions of reality.

Here are 10 of M. Night Shyamalan's movies that have gotten the biggest nods from critics, per Rotten Tomatoes.

The Shark Is Still Working, The Sixth Sense, Split, and more top-rated M. Night Shyamalan movies

1) The Shark Is Still Working

The docu-film, which earned a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, features rare footage from the making of Jaws and the film's cast and crew and filmmakers whose careers have been influenced by Steven Spielberg's blockbuster.

It's been three decades since Jaws came out in the theaters. Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Paul McPhee and more talk about how the film has shaped and influenced popular culture and how it continues to thrill and intrigue viewers.

2) The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense (Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)

This M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller, which has an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, brings a twisty ghost story of a modern horror flick shot in a classical Hollywood picture.

The gist is, a young boy named Cole (played by Haley Joel Osment) has a deep, dark secret — he can see dead people. However, as much as he's frightened about the ghosts visiting him, he's also afraid to tell anyone about his problems except psychologist Dr. Crowe (played by Bruce Willis). They work together to try to get to the bottom of Cole's ghostly curse until a revelation upsets their dynamic.

In a shocking twist, it turns out that Dr. Crowe was dead from the beginning — he's simply one of the ghosts Cole sees. The surprise ending in The Sixth Sense shocked viewers and sealed Shyamalan's signature twist endings.

3) Split

M. Night Shyamalan's Split, which is rated 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, is an award-winning film with an equally winning performance from James McAvoy and his 23 personalities in the movie.

McAvoy's Kevin has a split personality; 23 come out. If being compelled to kidnap three teenage girls is not enough to cause a war between those personas inside him, there's a frightful new 24th coming into the mix.

4) Signs

This sci-fi mystery, which has a fresh 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, joins Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix as brothers investigating an unfolding mystery on their Pennsylvania farm.

M. Night Shyamalan's mastery shows how the film builds suspense as the brothers find intricate patterns carved into the crops, a unique but also a real-life phenomenon that slowly turns into a terrifying supernatural threat.

It's for anyone who likes nervous and paranoid feature films that give heart-pounding tension until the very end.

5) Unbreakable

Unbreakable (Image via Touchstone Pictures)

M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, which has a 70% freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes, signs up Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson for a quietly suspenseful story.

It follows Willis's character, who the only one to come out alive and unscratched from a devastating train wreck. A mysterious stranger (played by Jackson) tells him why he escaped the accident without so much as a scratch on him.

However, it's a bizarre explanation that's set to change everything he believes about himself.

6) The Visit

The Visit (Image via Universal Pictures)

This thriller horror, which is rated 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, features Shyamalan's writing and directing mastery in blending thrills and laughs.

The story follows a teenage girl (played by Olivia DeJonge) and her little brother (played by Ed Oxenbould). They decided to board the train to their grandparents' Pennsylvania farm.

Excited to meet their Nana and Pop Pop, they film their vacation only to discover that their grandparents are hiding a secret that makes them think they will never get home safely.

7) Knock at the Cabin

Knock at the Cabin (Image via Universal Pictures)

M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, which earned a 67% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is an entertainingly suspenseful movie with his nuanced storytelling.

The tension starts when a little girl and her parents are vacationing in a remote cabin, and four armed strangers turn up at their door. They tell the family that the world is ending, and to prevent it, they need to sacrifice a family member. Now, they have to decide if they believe the strangers who have invaded their cabin before all is lost.

8) Stuart Little

Stuart Little (Image via Columbia Pictures)

M. Night Shyamalan's screenwriting brought the classic three-inch mouse to life in Stuart Little, which is rated 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's his second screenplay for comedy films, after Wide Awake, which is loosely based on E.B. White's novel of the same name.

The comedy-adventure features the Littles, who adopted a "charming young mouse" named Stuart from an orphanage. He fights for his rightful place in his new family despite plots to get rid of him by the family cat, bringing chaos, charm and laughter onscreen.

9) Trap

This new mystery thriller, which has a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, shines on M. Night Shyamalan's dedication to original storytelling and thriller concepts.

Partially based on the real-life Operation Flagship, Trap follows a father and his teen daughter who attend a pop concert only to realize that what was supposed to be a fun event is the center of something dark and sinister.

10) Old

M. Night Shyamalan's Old, which is rated 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, unveils a silly yet serious, amusing yet thrilling, and ludicrous yet scary plot.

It follows a family enjoying a tropical holiday at a secluded beach only to find themselves in a horrific nightmare. There's something at the mysterious beach that makes them age rapidly, and now, they only have one day left to live.

Stay tuned for more news and updates on your favorite movies as 2024 progresses.

Edited by Bhargav