3. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Theres not one person in the world who doesnt know the twist at the end of The Sixth Sense. People can go idly by not knowing what Rosebud is or what the deal is with Tyler Durden, but, amazingly, for a film less than fifteen years old, its twist has become as iconic as the killer at the Bates motel and the true location of the Planet of the Apes. And the reason for this is that The Sixth Sense is not only a great film, but incredibly popular on release. Unlike other films with twists, it was assumed everyone had seen it and was on the same page and thus Bruce Willis less than enviable state was discussed freely. Following The Sixth Sense, M Night Shyamalan looked like a wonder kid ready to shake up Hollywood. But like how Tarantino cant seem to escape pulp pastiche, Shyamalan couldnt stop doing twists. He assumed that was what made his original hit so popular, completely ignoring the engaging characters and eerie story. A few people enjoy some of his work immediately after The Sixth Sense and although stuff like Signs is tenseness, its damn sight better than what was to come. If theres one thing The Happening did that was good, it's that it proved The Sixth Sense was definitely a one off; one twist I doubt Shyamalan wanted us to figure out.