The Happening

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The Happening

R

2008

1h 31m

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

17%

Tomatometer

185 Reviews

24%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

An apocalyptic threat to humanity arrives out of the clear blue sky with a series of violent, inexplicable deaths spreading across the country. The cause of the terrifying phenomenon remains unknown, prompting science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and his colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) to try to elude the invisible killer in Pennsylvania's farmland. Soon it becomes clear that no one is safe.

Critics Consensus

The Happening begins with promise, but unfortunately descends into an incoherent and unconvincing trifle.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

For reasons still unknown, Shyamalan wrote the dialogue this stiffly, and instructed his performers to act like they'd never said words or interacted with each other before.

Jan 30, 2017

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

The Happening is his first hilariously awful film.

Rated: C

Apr 17, 2015

Full Review

Nigel Floyd

Time Out

At first, a great deal happens, then nothing much happens for quite some time, then something so underwhelming happens that one is left wondering, 'Did that really just happen?'

Rated: 2/5

Nov 16, 2011

Full Review

Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

In this film however, it just makes you wonder how someone that is capable of writing convincing human moments would decide to write the rest of the movie like everyone has a head injury.

Rated: 3/10

Sep 23, 2025

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

The handful of visually unsettling sequences fail to make up for the complete absurdity of the premise and performances.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 20, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The result is a promising idea realized with a laughable amount of hokum.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

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BDL B.

Awesome make you think concept. Definitely a watch. Love Mahky Mahk

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/18/25

Full Review

Paul S

I've heard how bad this movie is, and boy were the legends true. How anyone who worked on this and saw the finished project thought it would be a good idea to release it in theaters is beyond me. There was not a single redeemable performance in this movie, and the script was just plain terrible. Even though it was terrible, the line deliveries in the movie made me laugh (even though they shouldn't have), and the concept was definitely intriguing. This movie is better off skipped.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

Full Review

Leaburn O

A pretty average thriller made better by its brevity. Similar to The Leftovers TV series but not as good. There was a good build up of tension and very little pay off. Watched on DVD.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

Full Review

Luis G

Definitely an interesting movie to watch, quite entertaining to say the least!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

Full Review

Jakub S

Dziwny pomysł, dziwna, nierealna fabuła. Wykonanie wydaje się trochę denne. Nie wiem no nienajlepszy

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

Full Review

Trish D

Don’t waste your time. Horrible movie!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/25

Full Review

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M. Night Shyamalan

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Elliot Moore

Zooey Deschanel

Alma Moore

John Leguizamo

Julian

Betty Buckley

Mrs. Jones

Ashlyn Sanchez

Jess

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Synopsis

An apocalyptic threat to humanity arrives out of the clear blue sky with a series of violent, inexplicable deaths spreading across the country. The cause of the terrifying phenomenon remains unknown, prompting science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), his wife Alma (Zooey Deschanel) and his colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) to try to elude the invisible killer in Pennsylvania's farmland. Soon it becomes clear that no one is safe.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: M. Night Shyamalan, Sam Mercer, Barry Mendel
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Blinding Edge Pictures
Rating: R (Violent and Disturbing Images)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 13, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.5M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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