Sixth Sense had that killer twist ending that had audiences raving and reeling and revisiting the cinema to see how it was all done. His other films have suffered somewhat in relation to that twist, with eager fans wanting more of the same. Of course, Night is more than a one-trick pony and his films stand repeat watching due to great narrative depth and wonderful technique, but time and time again they seem to be unfairly judged based on their ending rather than on the whole experience. Well, a quick guide to help you decide whether or not you will enjoy this movie is what you thought of either/both his last two movies - if you still enjoyed them even though they didn't have as big twists as Sense then you will probably enjoy this. If you thought they sucked in comparison and are desperately hoping that Shyamalan returns to form with this one - don't bother going!

The answer for that may well lie in the secret surrounding the village. You see, it is entirely surrounded by a dark, mysterious wood, full of creatures who seem to tolerate the villagers so long as their territory is not breached - they live in a kind of truce and there is a perimeter set up around the grounds which the young people are taught never to violate. When one of them, the quiet but impetuous Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) dares to go further than the childhood Chicken-like game of standing on the border with their back to the forest for as long as they can stand it, with the strange snuffling noises and intermittent roars of rage of the wood creatures getting ever closer, and actually crosses into the woods, this seems to upset the delicate balance of (super-?) nature and suddenly livestock starts showing up, skinned but uneaten, and the beasts come into the village while the residents hide in their basements. The creatures mark the villagers doors with red stripes, the "bad colour", as a warning. Yellow is a good colour, which apparently wards off the evil beings.

It's very difficult to convey the plot of the movie without giving it all away. The joy is in the little secrets that the director sets up then slowly reveals. The first twist comes about halfway through the movie and is entirely unexpected - suddenly the plot goes in a direction you didn't expect it to. This inexorably leads into the next revelation and then the next, building to an intriguing climax. Once everything is laid out before you, it all makes sense (despite the protestations of some critics!) although a second viewing would doubtless be rewarding.

It is a good story and most of the so-called plot holes I've seen other people moan about can be explained. If anything the tone of the movie is more important than the plot and here, surely, no-one can criticise. The stark shots with mooted colours, apart from the vibrant reds and yellows, helps to build a sort of colonial atmosphere which permeates the movie. The cinematography is effortlessly beautiful, the direction always interesting. The choice of shots and composition is always different. The pace is slow but never boring, information drip-fed to us rather than pushed down our throats. James Newton Howard's score is unobtrusive but lends a sense of grandeur, highlighting the key moments beautifully. The special effects are used sparingly but are authentic to the themes of the movie.

Is the movie scary? Occasionally, but that's not what it's about. It has a few real moments of suspense and action at appropriate times but it is more of a romance/drama with an element of mystery. I couldn't help thinking of the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, mixed with elements of his previous movie, Signs, and, inevitably, The Blair Witch Project, for the wood scenes, if nothing else. Shyamalan likes to suggest rather than show, and if you like those types of movie, The Others or The Ring might be other pointers, then you will probably enjoy this, taking into account my earlier warnings.