Indian-born M. Night Shyamalan was not yet 30 years of age when his chiller THE SIXTH SENSE (1999) became one of the biggest blockbusters of its year. It is a little surprising to see that this was not his first film. Before that he had won some acclaim with WIDE AWAKE (1998) and PRAYING WITH ANGER (1992). Shyamalan is a director with an outstanding handling of his material. His films are usually quiet, subtle, intelligent tales of terror. His recent SIGNS (2002) is the best chiller of the last few years. Children are usually important characters in Shyamalan's movies. The M. in his name stands for Manoj.