Cue the loud, simultaneous groans of Shyamalan haters across the globe, similar to the cries of laughter that rang out once Mark Wahlberg discovered the evil menace plaguing The Happening. Yes, the news is true – M. Night Shyamalan has been directing a secret microbudget horror film right under our noses, as today the director teased Twitter followers with a production picture to prove his newest project. Of course, someone could have uncovered this news weeks ago and just didn’t care enough to report it, but hey, it’s a new movie by M. Night Shyamalama-ding-dong – there has to be some kind of, um, excitement?
Titled Sundowning, sites are beginning to speculate that M. Night’s most recent film will be a vampire thriller of sorts, but after some Sherlock Holmes detective work (Google), I uncovered the true meaning of yet another strange title by the mysterious director. As per the interwebs, sundowning is “a psychological phenomenon associated with increased confusion and restlessness in patients with some form of dementia.” It’s closely related to Alzheimer’s disease, and of course as the title suggests, occurs in the evening or as the sun is setting. From this explanation, I’m seeing more of a psychological horror film coming our way, possibly about geriatric murderers who only kill at night because of their advanced disease? I’ve never trusted senior citizens anyway…
We all know M. Night’s widely publicized downfall after being put on such a tremendous pedestal, which makes the whole microbudget route perfectly sensible. Would a major studio really want to invest in Shyamalan after The Village, and Lady In The Water, AND The Happening? Three strikes and you’re out buddy – but considering M. Night survived about five strikes total (six if you ask some movie fans), the microbudget option seems like his only choice. Maybe returning to indie filmmaking roots will pay off for our director though, getting away from the big budget mentality for something simpler?
Whether you like it or not, M. Night Shyamalan is back, and he’s staying under the radar to do what he loves – inevitably confuse his audiences and leave them frustrated. Sorry, I can’t help but not be fully excited for this one, as we have no information on cast, what the actual plot is (although I’d be hard pressed to argue my assumption*), and I mean, c’mon, The Last Airbender? Fine – I’ll be fair and hold all judgements until Sundowning becomes available to watch.
Check out the few pictures uploaded to Shyamalan’s Twitter:
On location on #Sundowning http://t.co/k3bgTl0PYl
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) February 25, 2014
Day 5 of the movie complete! http://t.co/FfqhSid9wq
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) February 25, 2014
Out in the cold with our Production Designer http://t.co/UeGj5BV1Fu
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) February 25, 2014
Alright, I need to know – what does everyone think about M. Night Shyamalan jumping back into action, even if it’s for a microbudget horror film? Can he atone for his past sins? Is this another project that’s already dead in the water?
*And no, I don’t mean the evil senior citizens part.
Published: Feb 26, 2014 04:20 pm