10 Movies That Take Themselves Way Too Seriously
9. The Happening (2008)
M. Night Shyamalan had a great run in the early 2000s, but it wasn't long before his twisty scripts and moody aesthetic began to show some cracks. By the time The Happening released in 2008, he seemed to have become a parody of himself, and not in a good way.
Crafting a story about a world besieged by plants that are causing mass suicide, the filmmaker's signature moodiness and slow-burning mystery works only to amplify how silly The Happening's story is, and how downright dreadful its cast are in trying to bring it all to life.
Led by a hysterically out of his depth Mark Wahlberg, The Happening means well in its exploration of climate change and caring for wildlife, but its self-serious attempts to be scary are too funny make it work as Shyamalan clearly intends.