Beyond Fest is celebrating one of modern genre cinema’s most distinctive filmmakers with Night Visions: The Shock and Awe of M. Night Shyamalan, an ambitious 12-feature retrospective spanning 27 years of filmmaking.
Presented by MUBI and programmed and presented in partnership with the American Cinematheque, the retrospective will bring audiences back to some of Shyamalan’s most memorable worlds of supernatural horror, psychological suspense, science fiction and superhero mythology.
Even more exciting for fans, M. Night Shyamalan will attend the retrospective in person, participating in four specially curated programming blocks and taking part in conversations following several screenings.
Celebrating the World of M. Night Shyamalan
Few contemporary directors have developed such a recognizable cinematic identity as Shyamalan.
From the groundbreaking supernatural mystery of The Sixth Sense to the unconventional superhero storytelling of Unbreakable and the claustrophobic psychological terror of Trap, his films frequently take familiar genre concepts and approach them from unexpected angles.
His stories often revolve around family, grief, faith, fear, identity and the unknown, with ordinary people finding themselves trapped inside extraordinary circumstances.
Night Visions offers audiences an opportunity to experience that evolution on the big screen.
As Beyond Fest Head of Programming Evrim Ersoy noted, Shyamalan has spent nearly three decades pursuing an intensely personal filmmaking vision while working on a remarkably large cinematic canvas.
The Eastrail 177 Trilogy
Unbreakable • Split • Glass
Egyptian Theatre — Sunday, September 27 at 11 AM
Post-screening Q&A with M. Night Shyamalan
The retrospective begins with Shyamalan’s interconnected superhero trilogy, known as The Eastrail 177 Trilogy.
The journey begins with Unbreakable (2000), starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, before continuing with Split (2016) and concluding with Glass (2019).
Rather than following the traditional superhero formula, Shyamalan uses the trilogy to explore trauma, identity, belief and the idea of discovering something extraordinary hidden inside an otherwise ordinary person.
Across the three films, the filmmaker gradually reveals connections between seemingly separate stories, creating one of the more unusual superhero universes in modern cinema.
Screening Details
UNBREAKABLE — 2000 — 106 minutes
SPLIT — 2016 — 117 minutes
GLASS — 2019 — 129 minutes
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Guest: M. Night Shyamalan — Post-screening Q&A
The End of the World Is Nigh(t)
Signs • Knock at the Cabin
Egyptian Theatre — Sunday, September 27 at 7 PM
Q&A between films
Shyamalan’s fascination with apocalyptic storytelling takes center stage with Signs and Knock at the Cabin.
Released in 2002, Signs places an alien invasion against the intimate backdrop of a family farm. Rather than focusing exclusively on the spectacle of an extraterrestrial attack, Shyamalan uses the crisis to explore faith, grief and the bonds between family members.
Knock at the Cabin, released in 2023, takes a similarly intimate approach to an apparently world-ending crisis. A family vacation becomes a terrifying moral dilemma when strangers arrive with an impossible demand.
Together, the films demonstrate Shyamalan’s ability to make the end of the world feel intensely personal.
Screening Details
SIGNS — 2002 — 106 minutes
KNOCK AT THE CABIN — 2023 — 100 minutes
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Guest: M. Night Shyamalan — Post-screening Q&A
The Power of Paranoia
The Visit • Trap
Egyptian Theatre — Monday, September 28 at 7 PM
Q&A between films
Two very different settings become increasingly terrifying in The Visit and Trap.
In The Visit (2015), what initially appears to be a harmless visit with grandparents slowly develops into something deeply disturbing. The film plays with perspective and uncertainty as its young protagonists begin questioning the people and surroundings they have been placed in.
Then comes Trap (2024), which turns a massive pop concert into an elaborate psychological battlefield. Josh Hartnett stars as a father who takes his daughter to a concert while secretly attempting to evade a massive police operation.
Both films demonstrate Shyamalan’s talent for taking familiar, seemingly safe environments and gradually transforming them into traps.
Screening Details
THE VISIT — 2015 — 94 minutes
TRAP — 2024 — 105 minutes
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Guest: M. Night Shyamalan — Post-screening Q&A
I See (More) Dead People
The Sixth Sense
Egyptian Theatre — Tuesday, September 29 at 7 PM
Introduction and post-screening Q&A with M. Night Shyamalan
Of course, no retrospective devoted to M. Night Shyamalan would be complete without The Sixth Sense.
Released in 1999, the supernatural thriller became a defining moment in Shyamalan’s career and a landmark of modern horror and suspense.
The story follows child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, played by Bruce Willis, as he attempts to help a troubled young boy who claims that he can see dead people.
But beneath its supernatural premise is a deeply emotional story about grief, loneliness, communication and the need for human connection.
The film became a cultural phenomenon and established Shyamalan as one of Hollywood’s most talked-about filmmakers. More than two decades later, The Sixth Sense remains one of his most influential and enduring works.
Screening Details
THE SIXTH SENSE — 1999 — 107 minutes
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Guest: M. Night Shyamalan — Introduction + Q&A
Additional Shyamalan Screenings at Los Feliz 3
The celebration continues beyond the Egyptian Theatre with three additional films screening at the Los Feliz 3.
The Village
2004 — 108 minutes
An isolated community attempts to maintain its carefully constructed way of life while mysterious forces threaten the boundaries separating its inhabitants from the outside world.
Old
2021 — 108 minutes
A seemingly idyllic tropical beach becomes a nightmare when a group of vacationers discovers that something impossible is happening to their bodies and their perception of time.
Lady in the Water
2006 — 110 minutes
A supernatural story centered on an apartment-building superintendent who discovers a mysterious woman living in the swimming pool and becomes involved in an extraordinary tale that seems to blur the boundaries between myth and reality.
Together, the three films further illustrate Shyamalan’s recurring interest in isolated communities, mysterious environments, collective fear and the fragile realities people create to protect themselves.
The Complete Night Visions Lineup
| Film | Year | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| The Sixth Sense | 1999 | 107 min |
| Unbreakable | 2000 | 106 min |
| Signs | 2002 | 106 min |
| The Village | 2004 | 108 min |
| Lady in the Water | 2006 | 110 min |
| The Visit | 2015 | 94 min |
| Split | 2016 | 117 min |
| Glass | 2019 | 129 min |
| Old | 2021 | 108 min |
| Knock at the Cabin | 2023 | 100 min |
| Trap | 2024 | 105 min |
Plus the full Eastrail 177 Trilogy programming block, bringing the retrospective to the announced 12-feature celebration.
A Rare Opportunity for Shyamalan Fans
What makes Night Visions particularly exciting isn’t simply the chance to see these films projected theatrically. Having Shyamalan himself in attendance adds another dimension to the retrospective.
Audiences will be able to revisit some of his most celebrated films while hearing directly from the filmmaker about the ideas, influences and creative decisions behind them.
For horror and genre fans, it is also an opportunity to see how Shyamalan’s filmmaking has evolved from The Sixth Sense through Unbreakable, Signs, The Visit, Split, Glass, Old, Knock at the Cabin and Trap.
Whether audiences discovered Shyamalan through his supernatural thrillers, his unconventional superhero films or his more recent experiments with suspense, Night Visions: The Shock and Awe of M. Night Shyamalan offers a fascinating look at one of cinema’s most individualistic voices.
Beyond Fest — Night Visions: The Shock and Awe of M. Night Shyamalan
Retrospective: 12 features spanning 27 years
Presented by: MUBI
Programming partnership: American Cinematheque
Primary venue: Egyptian Theatre
Additional venue: Los Feliz 3
Filmmaker in attendance: M. Night Shyamalan
Dates: September 27–29, 2026
For fans of horror, psychological thrillers, supernatural cinema and bold genre filmmaking, this is a retrospective that deserves to be experienced on the big screen
