The Happening (2008 film)

2023-02-22T20:28:16Z

68.32.86.68: robot: Creating/updating articles

{{short description|2008 film by M. Night Shyamalan}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Happening
| image = Happening poster.jpg
| alt = Poster for "The Happening" featuring a highway filled with abandoned vehicles.
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
| writer = M. Night Shyamalan
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* M. Night Shyamalan
* [[Sam Mercer]]
* [[Barry Mendel]]
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mark Wahlberg]]
* [[Zooey Deschanel]]
* [[John Leguizamo]]
* [[Betty Buckley]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Tak Fujimoto]]
| editing = [[Conrad Buff IV|Conrad Buff]]
| music = [[James Newton Howard]]
| studio = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dune Entertainment]]<ref name="bfi"/>
* [[UTV Motion Pictures]]<ref name="bfi"/>
* [[Spyglass Media Group|Spyglass Entertainment]]<ref name="bfi"/>
* [[Blinding Edge Pictures]]<ref name="bfi"/>
}}
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members//catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=64659|title=The Happening|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=March 25, 2017|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]}}</ref>
| released = {{Film date|2008|06|10|New York City|2008|06|13|United States}}
| runtime = 90 minutes<ref name="bfi">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-happening-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtodm3nzc4|title=The Happening|website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|access-date=October 18, 2021|archive-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109165900/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-happening-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtodm3nzc4|url-status=live}}</ref>
| country = {{Plainlist|
* United States
* India
}}
| language = English
| budget = $48–60 million{{efn|''[[Box Office Mojo]]'' lists the film's budget at $48 million.<ref name="BOM">{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=0949731|title=The Happening|access-date=October 18, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When the film was in pre-production, the budget was reported to be $57 million.<ref name="WahlbergCast">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2007/scene/markets-festivals/wahlberg-to-star-in-shyamalan-film-2-1117962103/|title=Wahlberg to star in Shyamalan film|date=March 29, 2007|first=Michael|last=Fleming|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=October 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-date=August 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821094000/https://variety.com/2007/scene/markets-festivals/wahlberg-to-star-in-shyamalan-film-2-1117962103/}}</ref> In 2021, ''[[Forbes]]'' said the film had a budget of $60 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2021/07/25/old-m-night-shyamalan-weekend-box-office/|title=Box Office: 'Old' Proves That M. Night Shyamalan Remains A Bankable Horror Director|date=July 25, 2021|first=Scott|last=Mendelson|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=October 18, 2021|url-access=limited}}</ref>}}
| gross = $163.4 million<ref name="BOM"/>
}}

'''''The Happening''''' is a 2008 [[thriller film]] written, directed, and produced by [[M. Night Shyamalan]]. It stars [[Mark Wahlberg]], [[Zooey Deschanel]], [[John Leguizamo]], and [[Betty Buckley]] and revolves around an inexplicable natural disaster causing mass suicides. The film premiered in New York City on June 10, 2008, and was theatrically released in the United States by [[20th Century Fox]] on June 13. It was panned by critics and grossed $163 million worldwide.

==Plot==

In [[New York City]]'s [[Central Park]], people begin committing [[mass suicide]]. The event is believed to be caused by a [[Bioterrorism|bio-terrorist]] attack using an airborne [[neurotoxin]]. The behavior quickly spreads across the [[Northeastern United States]]. High school science teacher Elliot Moore and his wife Alma are convinced by Elliot's [[mathematician]] colleague Julian to accompany him and his daughter Jess on a train out of [[Philadelphia]]. During the trip, the group learns that [[Boston]] and Philadelphia have been affected. The train loses all radio contact and stops at a small town. When Julian learns that his wife has left Boston for [[Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton]], he decides to look for her and entrusts Jess to the Moores. However, Julian arrives to find Princeton has been affected, causing the driver in the car he is riding in to ram into a tree. He survives but commits suicide by slitting his wrist with a glass shard.

Elliot, Alma, and Jess hitch a ride with a [[Plant nursery|nurseryman]] and his wife. The nurseryman theorizes that plant life has developed a defense mechanism against humans consisting of an airborne toxin that stimulates neurotransmitters and causes humans to kill themselves. The group is later joined by other survivors coming from various directions, and the small crowd chooses to avoid roads and populated areas. When the larger part of the group is affected by the toxin, Elliot suggests the nurseryman was right and that the plants are targeting only large groups of people. He splits their group into smaller pockets and they walk along. The trio ends up with a pair of teenage boys, Josh and Jared, who are later shot and killed by the armed residents of a barricaded house.

Elliot, Alma and Jess wander the countryside and come upon the home of Mrs. Jones, an eccentric and paranoid elder. Jones initially agrees to house the group for the night but is suspicious of them having bad intentions; the next morning, she decides to expel them. In a fury, she leaves the house alone and is affected by the toxin. The shaken Elliot realizes that the plants are now targeting individuals. Left with no option when Mrs. Jones strikes her head into several windows, the trio chooses to die and embraces in the yard only to find themselves unaffected by the toxin. The outbreak has abated as quickly as it began.

Three months later, Elliot and Alma have adjusted to their new life with Jess as their adopted daughter. Alma learns she is pregnant and surprises Elliot with the news. On television, an expert compares the natural event to a [[red tide]] and warns that the epidemic may have only been a harbinger of an impending global disaster. In [[Paris]]'s [[Jardin du Luxembourg|Luxembourg Garden]]s, people begin committing mass suicide.

==Cast==
* [[Mark Wahlberg]] as Elliot Moore
* [[Zooey Deschanel]] as Alma Moore, Elliot's wife
* [[John Leguizamo]] as Julian
* [[Betty Buckley]] as Mrs. Jones
* [[Ashlyn Sanchez]] as Jess, Julian's daughter later Elliot & Alma's adoptive daughter
* [[Frank Collison]] as nursery owner
* [[Victoria Clark]] as nursery owner
* [[Spencer Breslin]] as Josh
* [[Robert Bailey, Jr.]] as Jared
* [[Jeremy Strong (actor)|Jeremy Strong]] as Private Auster
* [[M. Night Shyamalan]] as Joey (voice only)

==Production==
[[File:M. Night Shyamalan 2008 - still 40580 crop.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Shyamalan in a 2008 press conference for the film]]

Following the critical and commercial failure of ''[[Lady in the Water]]'' (2006), [[M. Night Shyamalan]] struggled to sell his next [[spec script]] entitled "The Green Effect". By January 2007, it was reported that several studios had received the screenplay, but none expressed interest enough to purchase it. As a result, Shyamalan began taking notes and collecting ideas from meetings before returning home to Philadelphia to rewrite his script.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/news/shyamalan-re-working-green-1117958169/|title=Shyamalan re-working 'Green'|date=January 28, 2007|first=Michael|last=Fleming|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=October 18, 2021}}</ref> In March 2007, the film was purchased as ''The Happening'' by [[20th Century Fox]], [[Mark Wahlberg]] joined the cast, and a theatrical release date was set for June 13, 2008.<ref name="Announcement">{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Fleming | url=https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/fox-lands-shyamalan-movie-2-1117960659/ | title=Fox lands Shyamalan movie | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=March 6, 2007 | access-date=March 22, 2007 | archive-date=August 21, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821094132/https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/fox-lands-shyamalan-movie-2-1117960659/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WahlbergCast" /> The film is Shyamalan's first R-rated project, which he produced alongside [[Sam Mercer]] and [[Barry Mendel]]. The India-based company [[UTV Motion Pictures]] also financed half of the film's budget.<ref name="Announcement" /><ref name="WahlbergCast" /> On March 15, 2007, Shyamalan described ''The Happening'' as a 1960s paranoia film similar to ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'' and ''[[Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSSP1831220070315 |author=Reuters Staff |title=Shyamalan to find form with new apocalyptic thriller |access-date=August 20, 2009 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=March 15, 2007 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128070227/https://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSSP1831220070315 |url-status=live }}</ref> Production began in August 2007 in Philadelphia, with filming taking place on [[Walnut Street (Philadelphia)|Walnut Street]], in [[Rittenhouse Square Park]], in [[Masterman High School]], on South Smedley Street, and at the 'G' Lodge in [[Phoenixville, Pennsylvania|Phoenixville]].<ref name="WahlbergCast" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/article/PV/20070822/tmp01/308229991|first=Dennis J.|last=Wright|date=August 22, 2007|work=The Phoenix Reporter & Item|title=Shyamalan filming at 'G' Lodge|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-date=May 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512121821/http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/article/PV/20070822/TMP01/308229991|url-status=live}}</ref> During post-production, the film score was recorded at the Sony Scoring Stage and composed by [[James Newton Howard]] in his sixth collaboration with Shyamalan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scoringsessions.com/2008/03/15/james-newton-howard-scores-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening|title=James Newton Howard scores M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Happening''|date=March 15, 2008|first=Dan|last=Goldwasser|website=ScoringSessions|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>

==Release==

===Box office===
The marketing campaign for ''The Happening'' was noted for its "aggressive" tactics and "great visuals" that successfully intrigued audiences. According to ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'', the film was negatively targeted by several media outlets that began rooting for the film's failure, including ''[[USA Today]]'', while also branding Shyamalan as "the hopelessly arrogant has-been". In its opening weekend, the film grossed $30.5 million, including $13 million on its first day and $10.2 million on its second, exceeding expectations and placing third at the box office.<ref name="OpeningWeekend">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2008/06/new-hulk-165m-friday-the-happening-125m-6058/|title=Summer Box Office Just Keeps Surprising! Bad Buzzed Pair Of Movies Out-Perform: 'Hulk' $54M Weekend, 'Happening' $30M|date=June 13, 2008|first=Nikki|last=Finke|author-link=Nikki Finke|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=October 18, 2021}}</ref> Outside the United States and Canada, the film made $32.1 million across 88 international markets in its first three days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/happening-beats-hulk-overseas-1117987501/|title='Happening' beats 'Hulk' overseas|date=June 15, 2008|first=Dave|last=McNary|author-link=Dave McNary|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=October 18, 2021}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|18|4|186}} The website's critical consensus reads, "''The Happening'' begins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle."<ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=The Happening|id=10007985-happening|type=m|access-date=October 18, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> {{MC film|1=34|2=38}}<ref>{{cite Metacritic|id=the-happening|type=movie|title=The Happening|access-date=October 18, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "D" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="OpeningWeekend" />

Some critics enjoyed it. Glenn Whipp said, "Tamping down the self-seriousness in favor of some horrific silliness, M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Happening'' plays as a genuinely enjoyable B-movie for anyone inclined (or able) to see it that way".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2008/06/12/the-happening-offers-horrific-silliness-b-movie-style/|date=June 12, 2008|author=Orange County Register|title=Shyamalan 'The Happening' offers horrific silliness, B-movie style|access-date=December 24, 2008|work=[[Orange County Register]]|archive-date=October 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012001619/http://www.ocregister.com/2008/06/12/the-happening-offers-horrific-silliness-b-movie-style/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kirk Honeycutt of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' said the film lacked "cinematic intrigue and nail-biting tension" and that "the central menace ... does not pan out as any kind of Friday night entertainment".<ref name=HR-review>{{cite web |first=Kirk |last=Honeycutt |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/happening-125207 |title=Film Review: The Happening |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=June 10, 2008 |access-date=June 13, 2008 |archive-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309140432/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/happening-125207 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''’s Justin Chang felt that it "covers territory already over-tilled by countless disaster epics and zombie movies, offering little in the way of suspense, visceral kicks or narrative vitality to warrant the retread".<ref>{{cite news| url= https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/the-happening-2-1200521811/| title= The Happening| first= Justin| last= Chang| work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| date= June 10, 2008| access-date= June 14, 2008| archive-date= March 13, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160313132701/http://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/the-happening-2-1200521811/| url-status= live}}</ref> [[Mick LaSalle]] wrote in his ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' review that he considered the film entertaining but not scary. He commented, too, on Shyamalan's writing, opining that, "instead of letting his idea breathe and develop and see where it might go, he jumps all over it and prematurely shapes it into a story".<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/12/DDS5117GQK.DTL&type=movies| title= Movie review: Urban flight in 'The Happening'| first= Mick| last= LaSalle| work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]]| date= June 13, 2008| access-date= June 14, 2008| archive-date= June 16, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080616163344/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2008%2F06%2F12%2FDDS5117GQK.DTL&type=movies| url-status= live}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] said the film had neither "a sense of atmosphere" nor "strong character development"; he called its environmental message "way-too-obvious and strident," gave it one and a half stars out of a possible four, and concluded his review by saying, "''The Happening'' is a movie to walk out of, sleep through, or—best of all—not to bother with."<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=1040| title= Happening, The (United States, 2008)| first= James| last= Berardinelli| work= ReelViews| date= June 13, 2008| access-date= December 4, 2014| archive-date= December 9, 2014| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141209090247/http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=1040| url-status= live}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''’s [[Richard Corliss]] saw the film as a "dispiriting indication that writer-director M. Night Shyamalan has lost the touch".<ref>{{cite magazine | url= http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1813911,00.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080613152736/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1813911,00.html | url-status= dead | archive-date= June 13, 2008 | title= Shyamalan's Lost Sense | first= Richard |last=Corliss | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date= June 12, 2008 | access-date= June 14, 2008}}</ref> The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''{{'}}s [[Michael Phillips (critic)|Michael Phillips]] thought the film had a workable premise, but found the characters to be "gasbags or forgetful".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-06-13/features/0806110947_1_shyamalan-suicide-true | title= What if they gave an apocalypse and no one cared? | first= Michael | last= Phillips | work= [[Chicago Tribune]] | date= June 13, 2008 | access-date= January 2, 2014 | archive-date= January 2, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193607/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-06-13/features/0806110947_1_shyamalan-suicide-true | url-status= live }}</ref> [[Joe Morgenstern]] of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' said that the film was a "woeful clunker of a paranoid thriller" and highlighted its "befuddling infelicities, insistent banalities, shambling pace and pervasive ineptitude".<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121331008196869571 | title= Efficient 'Hulk' Hits Limits Of Marvel Source | first= Joe | last= Morgenstern | work= [[The Wall Street Journal]] | date= June 13, 2008 | access-date= June 14, 2008 | archive-date= July 5, 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150705044709/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121331008196869571 | url-status= live }}</ref>

[[Stephen King]] liked the film, stating: "Of Fox's two summer creepshows [the other being ''[[The X-Files: I Want to Believe]]''], give the edge to ''The Happening'', partly because M. Night Shyamalan really understands fear, partly because this time he's completely let himself go (hence the R rating), and partly because after ''[[Lady in the Water]]'' he had something to prove".<ref>{{cite magazine | url= https://ew.com/article/2008/07/07/stephen-king-why-hollywood-cant-do-horror/ | title= Horror Movies: Why Big Studio Releases Are Rare to Scare | first= Stephen | last= King | magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date= July 11, 2008 | access-date= January 3, 2009 | archive-date= March 9, 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150309231152/http://www.ew.com/article/2008/07/07/stephen-king-why-hollywood-cant-do-horror | url-status= live }}</ref> Critic [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', awarding the movie three stars, found it "oddly touching": "It is no doubt too thoughtful for the summer action season, but I appreciate the quietly realistic way Shyamalan finds to tell a story about the possible death of man".<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-happening-2008 | title= The Happening | first= Roger | last= Ebert | work= RogerEbert.com | date= June 12, 2008 | access-date= June 14, 2008 | archive-date= April 24, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130424083946/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-happening-2008 | url-status= live }}</ref> William Arnold of the ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' called it "something different—and a pleasant surprise" among that summer's major Hollywood releases, and approved of its taking "the less-is-best approach."<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/movies/article/The-Happening-relies-on-suspense-not-special-1276382.php | title= 'The Happening' relies on suspense, not special effects | first= William | last= Arnold | work= [[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] | date= June 12, 2008 | access-date= December 4, 2014 | archive-date= December 7, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141207133923/http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/movies/article/The-Happening-relies-on-suspense-not-special-1276382.php | url-status= live }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]''’ [[Manohla Dargis]] praised Wahlberg's lead performance, adding that the film "turns out to be a divertingly goofy thriller with an animistic bent, moments of shivery and twitchy suspense".<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/movies/13happ.html?_r=0 | title= Something Lethal Lurks in the Rustling Trees | first= Manohla | last= Dargis | work= [[The New York Times]] | date= June 13, 2008 | access-date= January 2, 2014 | archive-date= March 25, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140325065355/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/movies/13happ.html?_r=0 | url-status= live }}</ref> Philipa Hawker of ''[[The Age]]'' gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, commenting on "the mood of the film: a tantalizing, sometimes frustrating parable about the menaces that human beings might face from unexpected quarters," drawing special attention to "the sound of the breeze and the sight of it ruffling the trees or blowing across the grass — an image of tension that calls to mind [[Michelangelo Antonioni|Antonioni]]'s ''[[Blowup]]''".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-happening-20080612-ge75py.html |first=Philippa |last=Hawker |title=The Happening |work=[[The Age]] |date=June 12, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2011 |archive-date=August 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821093933/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-happening-20080612-ge75py.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Richard Roeper]] of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' said, "It almost dares you to roll your eyes or laugh at certain scenes that are supposed to be deadly serious. But, you know what, I appreciated this creatively offbeat, daring sci-fi mind-trip".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.richardroeper.com/reviews/thehappening.aspx | title= The Happening (2008; rated R) | first= Richard | last= Roeper | work= RichardRoeper.com | date= June 14, 2008 | access-date= January 2, 2014 | archive-date= April 6, 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140406072123/http://www.richardroeper.com/reviews/thehappening.aspx | url-status= live }}</ref> Reviewer Rumsey Taylor said that the film moves forward with "jack-in-the-box suspense, traipsing from one garish death to another in a parade of cartoonish terror," and noted how the film seemed like "[[Alfred Hitchcock]]’s ''[[The Birds (film)|The Birds]]'', only without the birds."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=Rumsey|title=The Happening|url=http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/thehappening/|website=Not Coming to a Theater Near You|access-date=June 6, 2017|date=August 28, 2013|archive-date=June 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630233234/http://notcoming.com/reviews/thehappening|url-status=live}}</ref>

''The Happening'' has also attracted academic attention. Joseph J. Foy, professor of politics and popular culture, describes Shyamalan's film as an expression of "post-environmentalism" in which traditional paradigmatic politics are replaced with a call for the world to "embrace a revolutionary reevaluation of wealth and prosperity not in terms of monetary net worth or material possessions, but in terms of overall well-being". Foy praises the highly complex narrative in which Shyamalan weaves contemporary environmental challenges with hard science and social theory to create a "nightmarish future that... may advance the type of dialogue that can truly change the cultural conversation".<ref>{{cite book | first= Joseph J. | last= Foy | chapter= It Came From Planet Earth: Eco-Horror and the Politics of Postenvironmentalism in M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Happening'' | page= 182 | title= Homer Simpson Marches on Washington: Dissent through American Popular Culture | editor-first1= Timothy M. | editor-last1= Dale | editor-first2= Joseph J. | editor-last2= Foy | publisher= University Press of Kentucky | year= 2010 | isbn= 9780813125800 | chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iLsDCCDctL0C&pg=PA188 | access-date= January 2, 2014 | archive-date= October 18, 2021 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211018115518/https://books.google.com/books?id=iLsDCCDctL0C&pg=PA188 | url-status= live }}</ref>

=== Responses of cast and crew ===
On June 7, 2008, days before the first few reviews for the film came online, Shyamalan told the ''[[New York Daily News]]'': "We're making an excellent [[B movie]], that's our goal".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/shyamalan-back-terror-firma-article-1.294256|title=Shyamalan back on terror firma|access-date=July 26, 2020|work=[[New York Daily News]]|first=Ethan|last=Sacks|date=June 7, 2008|archive-date=July 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726124528/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/shyamalan-back-terror-firma-article-1.294256|url-status=live}}</ref>

Wahlberg offered his own opinion of ''The Happening'' in 2010, saying that [[Amy Adams]], who was in consideration for the role of Alma Moore, had "dodged the bullet" by not starring in the film. He said, "It was a really bad movie... F**k it. It is what it is... You can’t blame me for not wanting to try to play a science teacher. At least I wasn’t playing a cop or a crook."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Mark Wahlberg admits 'The Happening' was terrible. What? No!|url=https://www.ew.com/movies/2010/11/22/the-happening-mark-wahlberg-admits-bad/|first=Kate|last=Ward|date=November 22, 2010|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=August 20, 2018|archive-date=August 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821160413/https://www.ew.com/movies/2010/11/22/the-happening-mark-wahlberg-admits-bad/|url-status=live}}</ref> About Wahlberg's reaction, Shyamalan said he is fine with his opinion: "Since that would be the only case of that happening — no. But really, no. It’s totally his call. However he wants to interpret it."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/m-night-shyamalan-in-conversation.html|title = M. Night Shyamalan on His Failures, His Successes, and Glass|date = January 7, 2019|access-date = February 12, 2019|archive-date = February 3, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190203061822/https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/m-night-shyamalan-in-conversation.html|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2019, Shyamalan said that he took some responsibility for the way the movie turned out: "I think it's a consistent kind of farce humor. You know, like ''[[The Blob]]''. The campy, 1958 debut of actor [[Steve McQueen]], featuring a mysterious, growing amoeba that takes over a small Pennsylvania town. The key to ''The Blob'' is that it just never takes itself that seriously. I think I was inconsistent. That's why they couldn't see it."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2465167/m-night-shyamalan-is-fine-with-mark-wahlberg-criticizing-the-happening|title=M. Night Shyamalan Is Fine With Mark Wahlberg Criticizing The Happening|date=January 15, 2019|website=CINEMABLEND|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213010128/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2465167/m-night-shyamalan-is-fine-with-mark-wahlberg-criticizing-the-happening|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, Deschanel also defend the movie: “The director, M. Night Shyamalan – Night – had a strong vision and we were all trying to do what he wanted. I trusted him, because he’s a great filmmaker. I didn’t know until I saw the film, but I think he was going for a stylized horror, like ‘The Birds,’ and maybe people didn’t get that.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simpson |first=Dave |date=2022-07-21 |title=Zooey Deschanel: ‘Manic pixie dream girl? I’m not a girl. I’m a woman’ |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jul/21/zooey-deschanel-manic-pixie-dream-girl-im-not-a-girl-im-a-woman |access-date=2023-02-15 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== Awards ===
The film was nominated for four [[Golden Raspberry Award]]s: [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture|Worst Picture]], [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor|Worst Actor]] for Mark Wahlberg (also for ''[[Max Payne (film)|Max Payne]]''), [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director|Worst Director]], and [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay|Worst Screenplay]] for M. Night Shyamalan.<ref>{{cite web|date=August 24, 2011|title=Paris' NOTTIE, Myers' GURU, Shyamalan's THE HAPPENING, DISASTER MOVIE and Uwe Boll Rank Among 2008 RAZZIE® Worsts|url=http://www.razzies.com/history/29thNoms.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306102223/http://www.razzies.com/history/29thNoms.asp|archive-date=March 6, 2012|access-date=August 20, 2018|work=[[Golden Raspberry Award|Razzie Awards]]}}</ref> The film was also nominated for [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]] at the [[Saturn Awards]] but lost to ''[[Hellboy II: The Golden Army]]''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

''The Happening'' came in eighth in a 2010 poll by ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine of "50 Worst Movies of All Time",<ref>{{cite web|date=February 5, 2010|title=The 50 Worst Movies Ever: 8. ''The Happening''|url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-worst-movies-ever/default.asp?film=8|access-date=May 5, 2014|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|archive-date=July 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727155050/http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-worst-movies-ever/default.asp?film=8|url-status=live}}</ref> and first in a 2012 poll by ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' magazine of "50 Worst Sci-fi & Fantasy Movies That Had No Excuse".<ref>{{cite web|last=Golder|first=Dave|date=June 18, 2012|title=50 Worst Sci-fi & Fantasy Movies|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/50-worst-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-that-had-no-excuse/|access-date=February 27, 2014|work=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|archive-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412124516/http://www.gamesradar.com/50-worst-sci-fi-fantasy-movies-that-had-no-excuse/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Re-evaluation as a B-movie ===
In 2016, [[Ignatiy Vishnevetsky]] of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said that it was "Patterned on the B movies of the early atomic age, the best of which could be sophisticated in everything except premise and acting, the movie swaps out radiation for climate change, but otherwise keeps to the template, complete with an ending in which a man in a suit explains everything that happened, but not really." He further stated "Sometimes, it mimics the goofiness of authentic ’50s B movies; this is one of those cases where the miscasting—namely, Mark Wahlberg as a Philadelphia science teacher who looks and talks like a football coach who’s been forced to sub sex ed—seems at least partly intentional. And yet, even with its non sequitur references to food (tiramisu, hot dogs, “lemon drink,” etc.) and its winks of self-parody (e.g., Wahlberg talking to a plastic plant), ''The Happening'' is a movie that a lot of people presume is trying and failing to be taken seriously. And maybe it is." He further summarized that "... in ''The Happening'', everything is premised on the assumption that life is meaningless—a deep anxiety that informs the movie’s abstracted scare scenarios, but is also hidden behind camp. It’s not incoherent, but it’s often hard to read. It’s a genuine curio, not entirely successful, and if you subscribe to the old auteurist line of movies being both expressions and entertainment objects, it’s both too self-consciously silly and too personal to dismiss." <ref>{{cite web |title=Was The Happening supposed to be taken seriously? |first=Ignatiy |last=Vishnevetsky |date=January 1, 2016 |website=The A.V. Club |url=https://film.avclub.com/was-the-happening-supposed-to-be-taken-seriously-1798243486 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206065123/https://film.avclub.com/was-the-happening-supposed-to-be-taken-seriously-1798243486 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On its 10th year anniversary, Jeff Spry of [[Syfy]] said that M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Happening'' is a better B movie 10 years later. He summarized that "''The Happening'' contains some genuinely moving sequences, gruesome slaughter, a few intimate moments that truly resonate, and some laugh-out-loud scenes that defy explanation (see: a confused man is being eaten by hungry lions). While it's overacted in many spots and completely bonkers in others, it's a fascinating mix of eco-didacticism, post 9/11 trauma, spaced-out Zooey Deschanel, Cabbage Patch doll jokes, mood rings, math riddles, hot dog love, and silly, unsophisticated screenwriting based on shaky pseudo-science."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/rewatch-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening-is-a-better-b-movie-10-years-later|title=Rewatch: M. Night Shyamalan's the Happening is a better B-movie 10 years later|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=December 15, 2020|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127050129/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/rewatch-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening-is-a-better-b-movie-10-years-later|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, Craig Lines of ''[[Den of Geek]]'' said that "Just about every aspect of ''The Happening'' is a defiance of expectation. It uses the tropes of classic disaster/survival B-Movies (Shyamalan clearly knows his classics) but inverts them. The pacing of the film, for example, moves in reverse. It starts off quite fraught and slows down further and further as it goes on. By the time it reaches its (anti)climax, it’s become almost motionless with fewer words, longer takes, extended periods of stillness and silence; a vastness you can almost feel." He summarized that "The script here is so carefully constructed, so multi-layered and so rhythmic it’s almost poetry. The fact that much of the dialogue was deemed simply ridiculous by audiences saddens me because every word feels so perfectly in place."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shyamalans-the-happening-deserves-another-chance/|title = Shyamalan's the Happening Deserves Another Chance|date = May 25, 2018|access-date = December 15, 2020|archive-date = November 12, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032648/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shyamalans-the-happening-deserves-another-chance/|url-status = live}}</ref>

On its 10th year anniversary, Chris Evangelista of ''[[Slashfilm]]'' noted that the film deserved to be recognized as a B-Movie classic. He said that "It’s time to embrace the movie for what it really is: an intentionally goofy, highly entertaining B-movie that should be celebrated for its own stupid charms rather than mercilessly mocked and scorned."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.slashfilm.com/the-happening-anniversary/|title = Celebrating the Happening Anniversary as a B Movie Classic|date = June 13, 2018|access-date = December 15, 2020|archive-date = December 5, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201205185818/https://www.slashfilm.com/the-happening-anniversary/|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2020, Lindsay Traves of ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' said that it was a deadpan comedy in disguise featuring numerous trope parodies and summarised that "''The Happening'' gave us a film that wasn’t about any real killer, but hinted it might be about nationalism, post 9/11 fears and American paranoia. Then it dared us to ask if we should take it seriously."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3612256/happening-m-night-shyamalans-greatest-twist-hiding-deadpan-comedy-plain-sight/|title = 'The Happening': Shyamalan's Greatest Twist Was Hiding a Deadpan Comedy in Plain Sight|date = April 10, 2020|access-date = December 15, 2020|archive-date = December 12, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201212074941/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3612256/happening-m-night-shyamalans-greatest-twist-hiding-deadpan-comedy-plain-sight/|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 2020, [[Scot Mendelson|Scott Mendelson]] of ''[[Forbes]]'' summarized that "''The Happening'' is unique unto itself, is rarely boring and has aged well in terms of being a bonkers/original premise delivered with a relatively straight-face (and just a hint of knowing camp). At its core, the Mark Wahlberg/Zooey Deschanel sci-fi chiller is essentially 'What if one of our more genuinely talented directors made a big-budget, R-rated Ed Wood movie?' Shyamalan is nothing if not sincere, and while he’s attempting a modern-day version of a 1950’s sci-fi warning movie, the film is absolutely invested in its mother nature is tired of humanity’s bullshit premise."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/03/20/emily-blunt-john-krasinski-a-quiet-place-part-2-6-terrifying-films-to-stream-instead/?sh=7fe8e87716b4|title=6 Terrifying Films to Stream Instead of 'A Quiet Place Part II'|website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=December 24, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018115526/https://buy.tinypass.com/checkout/template/cacheableShow?aid=Yj2fRrCPpu&templateId=OTMNB56G6EFU&templateVariantId=OTV23R7HJV5O3&offerId=fakeOfferId&experienceId=EX57PP5AWTFD&iframeId=offer_7c3cc2aa75864be609b6-0&displayMode=inline&pianoIdUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fauth.forbes.com%2Fid%2F&widget=template&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Home media===
As of August 2020, the DVD units sold have generated over US$22.4 million in revenue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Happening-The |title=The Happening (2008): Video 'Sales |work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-date=October 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006204019/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/HAPPN-DVD.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0949731|The Happening}}
* {{Allmovie title|94273|The Happening}}

{{M. Night Shyamalan}}
{{Blinding Edge Pictures}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Happening (2008 film), The}}
[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2008 horror films]]
[[Category:2000s disaster films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s horror thriller films]]
[[Category:2000s psychological horror films]]
[[Category:2008 psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:2000s science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American disaster films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American natural horror films]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian disaster films]]
[[Category:Indian horror thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:Indian supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Indian supernatural thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic films]]
[[Category:Environmental films]]
[[Category:Films about educators]]
[[Category:Films about families]]
[[Category:Films about plants]]
[[Category:Films about suicide]]
[[Category:Indian films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in Paris]]
[[Category:Films set in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in Paris]]
[[Category:Films shot in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Films about mind control]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:Blinding Edge Pictures films]]
[[Category:Dune Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Spyglass Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Films scored by James Newton Howard]]
[[Category:Films directed by M. Night Shyamalan]]
[[Category:Films produced by Barry Mendel]]
[[Category:Films produced by M. Night Shyamalan]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sam Mercer]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by M. Night Shyamalan]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

The Happening (2008 film)