History Creator / MNightShyamalan

Shyamalan's next film was ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' (2010), adapting the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' (an animated show the director stated he quite enjoyed) to the big screen. Less than one week after its release, the film garnered a near-universal negative reaction from both fans and critics alike, and has since received a legacy of being considered one of the worst films of its time. Although it became Shyamalan's highest-grossing project in nominal U.S. dollars since ''Signs'', making over $300 million worldwide (in large part because of the fans of the original TV series, many of whom later admitted that they regretted spending the money to see it in theaters), the film was a BoxOfficeBomb due to an overinflated marketing budget.

M. Night Shyamalan (born Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan in Pondicherry, India on August 6, 1970) is an Indian-born American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

Shyamalan's big break would eventually come in the form of a screenplay loosely inspired by an episode of the Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} show ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark''. This screenplay became famous for inciting a bidding war until Creator/{{Disney}} representative David Vogel bought it for a seven-figure sum without consulting his executives[[note]]which actually led to him being dismissed and leaving the company[[/note]]. The resulting movie, released under Disney's Creator/HollywoodPictures label, became 1999's surprise mega-hit ''Film/TheSixthSense'', which featured a well-planned TwistEnding that was [[ItWasHisSled so widely discussed that everyone knows it now]].

His fourth film, ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' (2000), is often overlooked as it didn't make nearly as much money or attract as much critical approval as ''The Sixth Sense'' did, though it was still well-received and is nowadays considered a CultClassic. Although it was likely the first notable [[GenreDeconstruction "realistic"]] comic-book film (nearly five years before the release of ''Film/BatmanBegins''), it was viewed as low-key and "normal" -- so much so that many people don't realize he directed it. This film also had a twist ending and may have started the pattern for his movies to follow often having one as well, which ended up creating an increasingly negative reaction from critics and audiences.

Shyamalan's next film was ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' (2010), adapting the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' (an animated show the director stated he quite enjoyed) to the big screen. Less than one week after its release, the film garnered a near-universal negative reaction from both fans and critics alike, and has since received a legacy of being considered one of the worst films of its time. Although it became Shyamalan's highest-grossing project in nominal U.S. dollars since ''Signs'', making over $300 million worldwide (in large part because of the fans of the original TV series, many of whom have admitted that they regret spending the money to see it in theaters), the film was a BoxOfficeBomb due to an overinflated marketing budget.

After this phase, however, [[CareerResurrection Shyamalan's career started to take a turn for the better]] ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken what a twist!]]), with his next films consistently succeeding at the box office and seeing a general upward trend in critical responses. ''Film/TheVisit'' (2015), a relatively low-key horror-comedy, was praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre. The OntologicalMystery TV series ''Series/WaywardPines'', which Shyamalan executive produced and directed the pilot for, ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016, opening to great reviews that turned mixed as the series progressed. ''Film/{{Split}}'' (2016) continued to buck the trend and generated impressive commercial success on a low budget; ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' (2019) was another financial smash but saw notably more polarized reactions than Shyamalan's past few films, as did ''Film/{{Old}}'' (2021), although the latter was still one of the more profitable releases of summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. His next film, ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'', was released on February 3, 2023 to generally positive reception.

Oh, and speaking of 1999, Shyamalan also collaborated on the screenplay for ''Film/StuartLittle'' and heavily rewrote ''Film/ShesAllThat''. (It just [[http://www.movies.com/movie-news/m-night-shyamalan-interview-after-earth/12370 took him until 2013]] to admit to the latter, although [[https://ew.com/article/2013/06/17/m-night-shyamalan-shes-all-that/ even that doesn't fully cover what happened]].)

His fourth film, ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' (2000), is often overlooked as it didn't make nearly as much money or attract as much critical approval as ''The Sixth Sense'' did, though it was still well-received and is nowadays considered a CultClassic. Although it was likely the first notable [[GenreDeconstruction "realistic"]] comic-book film (nearly five years before the release of ''Film/BatmanBegins''), it was viewed as low-key and "normal" -- so much so that many people don't realize he directed it. This film also had a twist ending and may have started the pattern for his movies to follow often having one as well, which ended up creating a compounding negative reaction from critics and audiences.

''Film/{{Signs}}'' (2002) was the first of Shyamalan's films to receive extensive mockery from audiences, although there was no twist ending ''per se'' this time around (rather a sort of strangely meta use of the ChekhovsGun principle). Despite this, it was still very popular in cinemas and was his second-most successful movie at the box office. It was also the last of his films for a while to get a mostly positive reception from critics, as many of them believed that pretty much everything leading ''up'' to the ending was solid.

After this phase, however, [[CareerResurrection Shyamalan's career started to take a turn for the better]] ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken what a twist!]]), with his next films consistently succeeding at the box office and garnering mixed-to-positive reception. ''Film/TheVisit'' (2015), a relatively low-key horror-comedy, was praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre. The OntologicalMystery TV series ''Series/WaywardPines'', which Shyamalan executive produced and directed the pilot for, ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016, opening to great reviews that turned mixed as the series progressed. ''Film/{{Split}}'' (2016) continued to buck the trend and generated impressive commercial success on a low budget; ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' (2019) was another financial smash but saw notably more polarized reactions than Shyamalan's past few films, as did ''Film/{{Old}}'' (2021), although the latter was still one of the more profitable releases of summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. His next film, ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'', was released on February 3, 2023 to generally positive reception.

* AuteurLicense: The runaway success of ''The Sixth Sense'' granted him the ability to make his quirky films without hindrance until his second straight flop resulted in his license being revoked. Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} supposedly gave him one for ''The Last Airbender'', but then he went and lost it. But, as noted above, [[CareerResurrection he's on his way back up]]... [[HistoryRepeats and then]] ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' and ''Film/{{Old}}'' [[HereWeGoAgain came along]].
* AuthorUsurpation: You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't think of ''Film/TheSixthSense'' when asked about his work, though his detractors might think more of ''Film/TheHappening'' or ''Film/TheLastAirbender''. ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' naturally received a surge in recognition as well during the period where Shyamalan was making ''Film/{{Split}}'' and ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'', though not quite enough to overtake ''Sixth Sense''.

* CentralTheme: In his earliest films, the main theme seems to be, ''everything happens for a reason''. Surprisingly ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' took a different turn than how films usually tackle the theme.

* CreatorBacklash: Shyamalan has stated that ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' was the first film he saw as a genuine failure and still hasn't gotten over how he disappointed thousands of fans of the original source material.
* CreatorCameo: Shyamalan is noteworthy for appearing in his own movies. With the exception of ''Lady in the Water'',[[note]]One reason why so many people hated this movie is because he indulged what appeared to be an AwesomeEgo by casting himself as [[MessianicArchetype humankind's indirect-savior-to-be]].[[/note]] he tends to portray either villainous characters or characters who have a negative (or negligible) impact on the protagonist. He actually [[DirectedByCastMember played the lead role]] in his first film, ''Praying with Anger''.
* DoingItForTheArt: Many of his most recent productions (such as ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'') were funded at least partially out of his own pocket.
* DullSurprise: In most of his films the goal has been to make the characters low-key and avoid [[LargeHam overacting]] at all costs. From ''The Happening'' on, he has instead taken this trope, and it's become ripe for parody how often characters in his movies talk in hushed voices with low tones.

** At first, they were truly epic, but as time went on, the obligatory twist often made little sense, and was just there [[FranchiseOriginalSin because it being there is the rule even though his later films didn't have what made the twists effective in his earlier films]]. Also, no matter how good the twist is, it helps if the ''hundred minutes leading up to it'' support this twist instead of being a random swerve. (Or, in the case of most of his later work save ''Film/{{Split}},'' if the hundred minutes leading up to it are ''in any way entertaining.'')
** Taken up to eleven with ''After Earth,'' as even the ''trailer'' had one.
** When they lack a twist, ''[[MetaTwist that]]'' [[MetaTwist is the twist]]!

* {{Misblamed}}: Not everything in ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' or ''Film/AfterEarth'' was his fault.

* NoIndoorVoice: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. You might notice that about 80% of the dialogue and line delivery in his films are all spoken in hushed or low voices. It makes the louder moments more jarring and quite frankly more unsettling. [[{{Narm}} If not silly]].

* OrwellianRetcon: Seems to have embraced the public's perception of ''Film/TheSixthSense'' as his debut feature, ignoring the obscure ''Praying with Anger'' and ''Wide Awake''.
* PlayingAgainstType: Playing around with this somewhat in his CareerResurrection. ''Film/TheVisit'' was far less art house than most of his previous films. ''Split'' is more of a return to form as a straightforward PsychologicalThriller (unsurprising as it's a [[spoiler:StealthSequel to ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'']]).

** A number of actors have ended up as main characters in sequential films. Creator/BruceWillis in ''Film/TheSixthSense'' and ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}''. Creator/JoaquinPhoenix in ''Film/{{Signs}}'' and ''Film/TheVillage''. Creator/BryceDallasHoward for ''The Village'' and ''Film/LadyInTheWater''. Creator/BettyBuckley breaks the trend somewhat by not being in sequential films, ''Film/TheHappening'' and ''Film/{{Split}}''.

* SmallNameBigEgo: He was perceived as having this problem between the release of ''Signs'' and ''The Last Airbender''. The aforementioned HollywoodHypeMachine touting him as being on par with [[Creator/AlfredHitchcock Hitchcock]] and the like in spite of his young age as a movie director [[AwesomeEgo contributed to his ego exactly as one would expect]]--as evident with the ego-stroking present in ''Lady In The Water''--which is a big reason while he got so much backlash in the films he made during that period of time. The scathing critical reception to some of those movies seem to have been a pretty humbling experience for him, and this perception has since decreased.

Oh, and speaking of 1999, Shyamalan also collaborated on the screenplay for ''Film/StuartLittle'' and heavily rewrote ''Film/ShesAllThat''. [[http://www.movies.com/movie-news/m-night-shyamalan-interview-after-earth/12370 (It just took him until 2013 to admit to the latter.)]]

His fourth film, ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' (2000), is often overlooked as it didn't make nearly as much money or attract as much critical approval as ''The Sixth Sense'' did, though it was still well-received and is nowadays considered a CultClassic. Although it was likely the first notable [[GenreDeconstruction "realistic"]] comic-book film (nearly five years before ''Film/BatmanBegins''[='=] release), it was viewed as low-key and "normal" -- so much so that many people don't realize he directed it. This film also had a twist ending and may have started the pattern for his movies to follow, which ended up creating a very negative backlash with every movie to follow.

''Film/{{Signs}}'' (2002) was the first of Shyamalan's films to receive extensive mockery from audiences, although there was no twist ending ''per se'' this time around (rather a sort of strangely meta use of the ChekhovsGun principle). Despite this, it was still very popular in cinemas and was his second-most successful movie at the box office. It was also the last of his films for a while to get a mostly positive reception from critics, as many of them concurred that pretty much everything leading ''up'' to the ending was solid.

Then came ''Film/TheVillage'' (2004), ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' (2006), and ''Film/TheHappening'' (2008). ''The Village'' had some defenders and was quite profitable, but critics were still unkind to it, mainly because they found the ending to be too sharp a curveball. ''Lady in the Water'' broke from the twist ending formula (being based on a bedtime story Shyamalan had conceived for his daughters), but became the point where his status in some circles officially fell from "failing director" to "laughingstock", and also where Creator/{{Disney}} (who were set to distribute the film although their executives didn't even understand its story) was compelled to sever their remaining ties with him. ''The Happening'', a delve into apocalyptic horror that made for Shyamalan's first R-rated film, was supposed to be his WinBackTheCrowd movie. It was well-marketed, and more commercially successful than ''Lady'', but grew infamous as the public consensus considered it to be more effective as an [[SoBadItsGood accidental comedy]] rather than a straight-up horror, as -- among various other problems -- its villains were [[GaiasVengeance evil]] [[AttackOfTheKillerWhatever plants]].

Shyamalan's next film was ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' (2010), adapting the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' (an animated show the director stated he quite enjoyed) to the big screen. Less than one week after its release, the film garnered a near-universal negative reaction from both fans and critics alike. Although it became Shyamalan's highest-grossing project in nominal U.S. dollars since ''Signs'', making over $300 million worldwide (in large part because of the fans of the original TV series, many of whom have admitted that they regret spending the money to see it in theaters), the film was a BoxOfficeBomb due to an overinflated marketing budget.

After this phase, however, [[CareerResurrection Shyamalan's career started to take a turn for the better]] ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken what a twist!]]), with his next films consistently succeeding at the box office and garnering mixed-to-positive reception. ''Film/TheVisit'' (2015), a relatively low-key horror-comedy, was praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre. The OntologicalMystery TV series ''Series/WaywardPines'', which Shyamalan executive produced and directed the pilot for, ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016, opening to great reviews that turned mixed as the series progressed. ''Film/{{Split}}'' (2016) continued to buck the trend and generated impressive commercial success on a low budget; ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' (2019) was notably more outright polarizing than Shyamalan's past few films, as was ''Film/{{Old}}'' (the latter still being one of the more profitable releases during summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic). His next film, ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'', is due for release on February 3, 2023.

Shyamalan's big break would eventually come in the form of a screenplay inspired by an episode of the Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} show ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark''. This screenplay became famous for inciting a bidding war until Creator/{{Disney}} representative David Vogel bought it for a seven-figure sum without consulting his executives[[note]]which actually led to him being dismissed and leaving the company[[/note]]. The resulting movie, released under Disney's Creator/HollywoodPictures label, became 1999's surprise mega-hit ''Film/TheSixthSense'', which featured a well-planned TwistEnding that was [[ItWasHisSled so widely discussed that everyone knows it now]].

You can now vote for your favorite Shyamalan film by heading over to the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/Sandbox/BestFilmMNightShyamalan Best Film Crowner]]!

He ended up writing a screenplay inspired by an episode of the Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} show ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark''. Shopping this script around, it became famous for inciting a bidding war until Creator/{{Disney}} representative David Vogel bought it for a seven-figure sum without consulting his executives. This movie, released under Disney's Creator/HollywoodPictures label, became 1999's surprise mega-hit ''Film/TheSixthSense'', which featured a well-planned TwistEnding that was [[ItWasHisSled so widely discussed that everyone knows it now]].

''Film/{{Signs}}'' (2002) was the first of his films to receive extensive mockery, although there was no twist ending ''per se'' this time around (rather a sort of strangely meta use of the ChekhovsGun principle). Despite this, it was still very popular in cinemas and was his second-most successful movie at the box office. It was also the last of his films for a while to get a mostly positive reception from critics, as many concur that pretty much everything leading ''up'' to the ending was solid.

Then came ''Film/TheVillage'' (2004), ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' (2006), and ''Film/TheHappening'' (2008). ''The Village'' had a few defenders and was quite profitable, but critics were still unkind to it, mainly because they found the ending to be too sharp a curveball. ''Lady in the Water'' broke from the TwistEnding formula (being based on a bedtime story Shyamalan had conceived for his daughters), but became the point where his status in some circles officially fell from "failing director" to "laughingstock", and also where Creator/{{Disney}} (who were set to distribute the film although their executives didn't even understand its story) was compelled to sever their remaining ties with him. ''The Happening'', a delve into apocalyptic horror that made for Shyamalan's first R-rated film, was supposed to be his WinBackTheCrowd movie. It was well-marketed, and more commercially successful than ''Lady'', but soon became infamous as a SoBadItsGood accidental comedy rather than a straight-up horror, as -- among various other problems -- its villains were [[GaiasVengeance evil]] [[AttackOfTheKillerWhatever plants]].

His next film was ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' (2010), adapting the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' (an animated show Shyamalan stated he quite enjoyed) to the big screen. Less than one week after its release, the film garnered a near-universal negative reaction from both fans and critics alike. It became Shyamalan's highest-grossing project in nominal U.S. dollars since ''Signs'' (in large part because of the fans of the original TV series, many of whom have admitted that they regret spending the money to see it in theaters). While it made over $300 million worldwide, the film was a BoxOfficeBomb due to an overinflated marketing budget.

Shyamalan still had an outstanding deal with Media Rights Capital to produce -- but not direct -- one film a year for the next three years. The first of these, ''The Night Chronicles: Film/{{Devil}}'', was released in September 2010. Trailers initially played up Shyamalan's involvement in the film, but due to negative reaction, his name was not prominently featured in later trailers and the planned sequels were left unmade. His next film was ''Film/AfterEarth'' (2013), conceived by Creator/WillSmith as a vehicle for his son Creator/{{Jaden|Smith}} which Shyamalan directed but didn't write; notably, the film's trailer made absolutely ''no'' mention of Shyamalan's involvement. It wasn't quite as reviled as ''The Last Airbender'', but it failed commercially in the U.S./Canada market (and a movie with Will Smith is usually guaranteed to be a success) and has been compared to ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', sometimes even being called worse, or at least less interesting.

After this phase, however, [[CareerResurrection Shyamalan's career started to take a turn for the better]] ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken what a twist!]]), with his next films consistently succeeding at the box office and garnering mixed-to-positive reception. ''Film/TheVisit'' (2015), a relatively low-key horror-comedy, was praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre. The OntologicalMystery TV series ''Series/WaywardPines'', which Shyamalan executive produced and directed the pilot for, ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016, opening to great reviews that turned mixed as the series progressed. ''Film/{{Split}}'' (2016) continued to buck the trend and generated impressive commercial success on a low budget. ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' (2019) was notably more outright polarizing than Shyamalan's past few films, as was ''Film/{{Old}}'' (the latter still being one of the more profitable releases during summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic). His next film, ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'', is due for release on February 3, 2023.

Oh, and speaking of 1999: Shyamalan also collaborated on the screenplay for ''Film/StuartLittle'' and heavily rewrote ''Film/ShesAllThat''. [[http://www.movies.com/movie-news/m-night-shyamalan-interview-after-earth/12370 (It just took him until 2013 to admit to the latter.)]]

''Film/{{Signs}}'' (2002) was the first of his films to receive extensive mockery, although there was no twist ending ''per se'' this time around (rather a sort of strangely meta use of the ChekhovsGun principle). Despite this, it was still very popular in cinemas and was his second-most successful movie at the box office. It was also the last of his films for a while to get a mostly positive reception from critics, as pretty much everything leading ''up'' to the ending was solid.

Then came ''Film/TheVillage'' (2004), ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' (2006), and ''Film/TheHappening'' (2008). ''The Village'' had a few defenders and was quite profitable, but critics were still unkind to it, mainly because the ending was too sharp a curveball. ''Lady in the Water'' broke from the TwistEnding formula (being based on a bedtime story he had conceived for his daughters), but became the point where his status in some circles officially fell from "failing director" to "laughingstock", and also where Creator/{{Disney}} (who were set to distribute the film although their executives didn't even understand its story) was compelled to sever their remaining ties with him. ''The Happening'', an R-rated horror flick about an apocalyptic event, was supposed to be his WinBackTheCrowd movie. It was well-marketed, and more commercially successful than ''Lady'', but soon became infamous as a SoBadItsGood accidental comedy rather than a straight-up horror, as -- among various other problems -- its villains were [[GaiasVengeance evil]] [[AttackOfTheKillerWhatever plants]].

Shyamalan still had an outstanding deal with Media Rights Capital to produce--but not direct--one film a year for the next three years. The first of these, ''The Night Chronicles: Film/{{Devil}}'', was released in September 2010. Trailers initially played up Shyamalan's involvement in the film, but due to negative reaction, his name was not prominently featured in later trailers and the planned sequels were left unmade. His next film was ''Film/AfterEarth'' (2013), conceived by Creator/WillSmith as a vehicle for his son Creator/{{Jaden|Smith}} which Shyamalan directed but didn't write; notably, the film's trailer made absolutely ''no'' mention of Shyamalan's involvement. It wasn't quite as reviled as ''The Last Airbender'', but it failed commercially in the U.S./Canada market (and a movie with Will Smith is usually guaranteed to be a success) and has been compared to ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', sometimes even being called worse, or at least less interesting.

Since then, [[CareerResurrection his career has started to take a turn for the better]]. ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken What a twist!]]). ''Film/TheVisit''--a relatively low-key horror-comedy--was generally well-received and praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre, while the more typically Shyamalanesque OntologicalMystery television show ''Series/WaywardPines'' received excellent reviews and was renewed for another season. ''Film/{{Split}}'' has continued to buck the trend, garnering positive reviews and being very successful on a very low budget. A sequel, ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' was released in 2019; it received mixed reviews, but was successful at the box office (though less so than ''Split''). His next original release, ''Film/{{Old}}'', also got a mixed reception, but was one of the more profitable releases during summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.

Since then, [[CareerResurrection his career has started to take a turn for the better]]. ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken What a twist!]]). ''Film/TheVisit''--a relatively low-key horror-comedy--was generally well-received and praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre, while the more typically Shyamalanesque OntologicalMystery television show ''Series/WaywardPines'' received excellent reviews and was renewed for another season. ''Film/{{Split}}'' has continued to buck the trend, garnering positive reviews and being very successful on a very low budget. A sequel, ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' was released in 2019; it received mixed reviews, but was successful at the box office (though less so than ''Split''.) His next original release, ''Film/{{Old}}'', also got a mixed reception, but was one of the more profitable releases during summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.

He was raised in Philadelphia, where he has also set and filmed most of his movies. His first two feature films were ''Praying with Anger'' and ''Wide Awake'', released in 1992 and 1998 respectively, both of which had heavy religious themes and were modestly received but not exceptionally successful.

He ended up writing a screenplay inspired by an episode of the Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} show ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark''. Shopping this script around, it became famous for inciting a bidding war until Creator/{{Disney}} representative David Vogel bought it for a seven-figure sum without consulting his executives. This movie became 1999's surprise mega-hit ''Film/TheSixthSense'', which featured a well-planned TwistEnding that was [[ItWasHisSled so widely discussed that everyone knows it now]].

* ''Film/{{Devil}}'' (2010, producer/writer only)

* ''Series/WaywardPines'' (TV series, 2015–2016)

* AuteurLicense: The runaway success of ''The Sixth Sense'' granted him the ability to make his quirky films without hindrance until his second straight flop resulted in his license being revoked. Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} supposedly gave him one for ''The Last Airbender'', but then he went and lost it. But, as noted above, [[CareerResurrection he's on his way back up]]... [[HistoryRepeats and then]] ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' [[HereWeGoAgain came along]].

* ''Knock at the Cabin'' (2023)

** Taken UpToEleven with ''After Earth,'' as even the ''trailer'' had one.

** At first, they were truly epic, but as time went on, the obligatory twist often made little sense, and was just there, [[FranchiseOriginalSin because it being there is the rule]]. Also, no matter how good the twist is, it helps if the ''hundred minutes leading up to it'' support this twist instead of being a random swerve. (Or, in the case of most of his later work save ''Film/{{Split}},'' if the hundred minutes leading up to it are ''in any way entertaining.'')

* UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}: Shyamalan sets many of his films in the Philadelphia area, as mentioned above.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Was initially attached to direct the film adaptation of ''Literature/LifeOfPi'', but stepped away due to concerns on how his MandatoryTwistEnding reputation would impact people's perceptions of the ending.

* CreatorCameo: Shyamalan is noteworthy for appearing in his own movies. With the exception of ''Lady in the Water'',[[note]]One reason why so many people hated this movie is because he indulged what appeared to be an AwesomeEgo by casting himself as [[MessianicArchetype humankind's indirect-savior-to-be]].[[/note]] he tends to portray either villainous characters or characters who have a negative (or negligible) impact on the protagonist. He actually played the lead role in his first film, ''Praying with Anger''.

* UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}: Shyamalan sets many of his films in the Philadelphia area, as mentioned above.

* CreatorCameo: Shyamalan is noteworthy for appearing in his own movies. With the exception of ''Lady in the Water'',[[note]]One reason why so many people hated this movie is because he indulged what appeared to be an AwesomeEgo by casting himself as [[MessianicArchetype humankind's indirect-savior-to-be]].[[/note]] he tends to portray either villainous characters or characters who have a negative (or negligible) impact on the protagonist.

Since then, [[CareerResurrection his career has started to take a turn for the better]]. ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken What a twist!]]). ''Film/TheVisit''--a relatively low-key horror-comedy--was generally well-received and praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre, while the more typically Shyamalanesque OntologicalMystery television show ''Series/WaywardPines'' received excellent reviews and was renewed for another season. ''Film/{{Split}}'' has continued to buck the trend, garnering positive reviews and being very successful on a very low budget. A sequel, ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' was released in 2019; it received mixed reviews, but was successful at the box office (though less so than ''Split''.) His next original release, ''Film/{{Old}}'' also got a mixed reception, but was one of the more profitable releases during summer 2021 amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.

Since then, [[CareerResurrection his career has started to take a turn for the better]]. ([[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken What a twist!]]). ''Film/TheVisit''--a relatively low-key horror-comedy--was generally well-received and praised for bringing new blood to the tired [[FoundFootageFilms found footage]] genre, while the more typically Shyamalanesque OntologicalMystery television show ''Series/WaywardPines'' received excellent reviews and was renewed for another season. ''Film/{{Split}}'' has continued to buck the trend, garnering positive reviews and being very successful on a very low budget. A sequel, ''Film/{{Glass|2019}}'' was released in 2019; it received mixed reviews, but was successful at the box office (though less so than ''Split''.)

* ''Series/{{Servant}}'' (TV series, 2019, two episodes)