The Sixth Sense and Salma Hayek?

Salma Hayek_IMDB_I See Dead People?

Being that it is Friday the 13th, I would be remiss if I didn’t add something a little supernatural to the annals of the unexplained. A little while ago, I heard through the grapevine that the delightful screen actress Salma Hayek claims her 16 month old daughter Valentina has a sixth sense that allows her to see and talk to spirits. When I heard this, the very first thing I thought is, “That reminds me of the movie with Bruce Willis called The Sixth Sense.” I think we can all recall the moment when Haley Joel Osment uttered the words that made him famous. “I see dead people,” is a phrase in cinematic history that definitely gave me chills the first time I heard it.

The Sixth Sense_IMDB

I’ve also heard people other than Salma claim that their children can see spirits or have memories of past lives. I even had an old lady tell me once that my youngling was seeing guardian angels one day as she observed my offspring’s eyes fastened on something at the ceiling that was darting around like a trapped sparrow. If I remember correctly, I was indeed a little freaked out myself. Just ask Salma, so was she!

According to Wikipedia, a Gallup Poll conducted in 2005 states that 73% of people in the United States alone believe in something paranormal, with 32% of people believing in actual ghosts. With those kinds of numbers, it’s no wonder that over the recent years we have seen a major crop of new TV shows dealing with the paranormal and the supernatural. There are actual paranormal research groups that have their own shows, like Ryan Buell and his group at Penn State and their show called Paranormal State. There is also the Ghost Whisperer series, and a show just called Supernatural. Do you guys remember a show called Crossing Over with John Edward? I think that is when the paranormal genre on TV really started to pick up steam. I don’t think there is a station who doesn’t have its own ghost show. You know you’re on to something when even credible stations like A & E with their aforementioned Paranormal State, and Discovery Channel with their A Haunting have hopped on the ghost wagon.

M. Night Shyamalan_IMDB_ Mr. Suspense Himself

Anyway, M. Night Shyamalan directed The Sixth Sense; a movie which went on to enjoy great success, generated a lot of buzz and brought the suspenseful talents of Mr. Night himself into the forefront of thriller directors and screenwriters. It was definitely a cringe worthy movie, and the end twist (which I won’t ruin for you just in case you’ve been under a rock and haven’t seen The Sixth Sense) was definitely jaw dropping. And yes, my jaw was on the floor, and to this day I muse on the fact that I didn’t see that twist coming, and usually I’m pretty good. Mr. Night has my vote for delivering scary thriller movies; even Lady In the Water had me going at moments, though Signs wins hands down for having me wound the tightest the longest and actually making me so afraid I was sweating while watching the flick.

So, since it is Friday the 13th, watch a scary movie. If you want to see a ghost, I think I’ve heard somewhere that the time between 1am and 3am are the best times, for whatever reason I don’t know. I guess the million dollar question is, do you believe in ghosts? What would your response be if someone said to you, “I see dead people,”?

~P.S.~ Be sure to watch for my post on the upcoming movie A Haunting In Connecticut! It looks very scary!