M. Night Shyamalan is Happening

Posted on June 17, 2008

Dan Vergano of USA Today interviews M. Night Shyamalan, director of the new film The Happening. (Note: spoilers are ahead.)

Q: How do you come by your interest in science? Science isn't a hot topic with most film directors, is it?
A: I think it is a forgotten passion of mine, just daydreaming about some of the wonderful things we've learned from science. My family was in the medical field when I was younger, so science was always a particular (laughs) option out there for me and I saw it as interesting even after life took me to art school and then film school.
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Q: Are you satisfied with the science in The Happening?
A: It was a balancing act. In the early script, we had the science right away, all laid out. I felt it was more powerful to pull back, but then I wanted to put it back in, I even thought about putting it in the credits. Like I said, we were very much relying on James Lovelock and research on the brain. There is just a tremendous amount of information on neurotoxic effects on behavior and physical disorientation.

The film opened in third place this past weekend, with over $30 million in box office sales. The reviewers have been absolutely vicious, although both Ebert and Roeper quite enjoyed it. Wired has an interesting article about the science behind the film. We haven't seen it yet. M. Night is a puzzle. We absolutely loved Unbreakable -- it's a must see -- but we really hated Signs. He's a kind of "love him or hate him" kind of writer.

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