Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan, is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. He made his directorial debut in 1992 with his first movie Praying with Anger. His second movie was the comedy-drama film Wide Awake (1998). His most well-received films include the supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense (1999), the superhero thriller Unbreakable (2000), and the science fiction thriller Signs (2002). Afterward, Shyamalan released a series of poorly received but sometimes financially successful movies, including the period-piece thriller The Village (2004), the dark fantasy Lady in the Water (2006), the eco-thriller The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), and the science fiction film After Earth (2013). Following the financial failure of After Earth, Shyamalan's career was revived with the release of the found-footage horror film The Visit (2015), the psychological thriller Split (2016), and the superhero thriller Glass (2019). Glass is the third and final chapter of his Unbreakable film series, which commenced in 2000. In addition to his directorial work, Shyamalan was a story creator and a producer for the horror film Devil (2010). Shyamalan was also called in for an uncredited rewrite for the teen film She's All That (1999) and also served as a writer for the film Stuart Little (1999). Shyamalan is also known for filming and setting his films in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of his commercially successful films were co-produced and released by Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures and Universal imprints. In 2008, Shyamalan was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 6, 1970 (56)
- Mahé, India
- Producer, director, writer and actor
- 25 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
Known for
What are M. Night Shyamalan's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 19
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 8 · Dark 9
Grounded 7 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 6 · Intense 13
Steady 6 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 9
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 10
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 6
Roles they play
- Threshold guardianas Ray Reddy in Signs (2002)
- Shapeshifteras M. Night Shyamalan in The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet14
- Ambiguous6
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch M. Night Shyamalan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).
Subscription and free streaming for M. Night Shyamalan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
31 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 27 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Remain(2027)
Caddo Lake(2024)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Trap(2024)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
The Watchers(2024)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Knock at the Cabin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Knock at the Cabin(2023)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Old(2021)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Servant(2019)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
Glass(2019)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Split(2016)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
This Is Us(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
The Visit(2015)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Wayward Pines(2015)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
After Earth(2013)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Devil(2010)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
The Last Airbender(2010)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
After Hours(2010)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
The Happening(2008)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Reflections of Lady in the Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Lady in the Water(2006)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Hitchcock and Dial M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The Village(2004)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Entourage(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all showsMaking 'Signs' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Signs(2002)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Unbreakable(2000)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Stuart Little(1999)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
The Sixth Sense(1999)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Wide Awake(1998)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Praying with Anger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Magic 8 Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 29 titles, 27 of them dated from 1993 to 2024.
Biggest box office
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Highest rated
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Most popular right now
Old (2021)
Film career
- 1993Screen debut· Praying with Anger
- 1993First top-billed film· Praying with Anger
- 1999Oscar nomination· The Sixth Sense
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
7 major nominations and no wins, 2000.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Director
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Original
- BAFTA Award, nominated
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do M. Night Shyamalan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of the 19 of 20 with a score; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th8
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is M. Night Shyamalan's work okay for kids?
Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does M. Night Shyamalan work with?
People who share at least 2 of M. Night Shyamalan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ashwin Rajan shares the most, 11.
Actors
- Bruce WillisShared titles: Glass (2019), Unbreakable (2000), The Sixth Sense (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Bruce Willis
- Eliza ScanlenShared titles: Caddo Lake (2024), Old (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Eliza Scanlen
- Nikki Amuka-BirdShared titles: Knock at the Cabin (2023), Old (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Nikki Amuka-Bird
- Anya Taylor-JoyShared titles: Glass (2019), Split (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Anya Taylor-Joy
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- James Newton HowardShared titles: Remain (2027), After Earth (2013), The Last Airbender (2010), The Happening (2008), Lady in the Water (2006), The Village (2004), Signs (2002), Unbreakable (2000), The Sixth Sense (1999)See all 9 shared titles with James Newton Howard
- Tak FujimotoShared titles: Devil (2010), The Happening (2008), Signs (2002), The Sixth Sense (1999)See all 4 shared titles with Tak Fujimoto
- Noemi Katharina PreiswerkShared titles: Remain (2027), Trap (2024), Knock at the Cabin (2023)See all 3 shared titles with Noemi Katharina Preiswerk
- Mike GioulakisShared titles: Old (2021), Glass (2019), Split (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Mike Gioulakis
Producers
- Ashwin RajanShared titles: Remain (2027), Caddo Lake (2024), The Watchers (2024), Trap (2024), Knock at the Cabin (2023), Old (2021), Glass (2019), Split (2016), The Visit (2015), After Earth (2013), Devil (2010)See all 11 shared titles with Ashwin Rajan
- Sam MercerShared titles: Devil (2010), The Last Airbender (2010), The Happening (2008), Lady in the Water (2006), The Village (2004), Signs (2002), Unbreakable (2000), The Sixth Sense (1999)See all 8 shared titles with Sam Mercer
- Marc BienstockShared titles: Remain (2027), Trap (2024), Knock at the Cabin (2023), Old (2021), Glass (2019), Split (2016), The Visit (2015)See all 7 shared titles with Marc Bienstock
- Steven SchneiderShared titles: Trap (2024), Knock at the Cabin (2023), Old (2021), Split (2016), The Visit (2015)See all 5 shared titles with Steven Schneider
