The Happening
A science teacher and his companions flee a spreading wave of inexplicable suicides that may represent nature's retaliation against humanity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- paranoid
- foreboding
- disturbing
- late night horror viewing
- disaster movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the promising environmental-apocalypse premise was undermined by incoherent writing, weak suspense, and unconvincing characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Elliot and other characters formulate competing theories about the mass behavioral crisis without obtaining a definitive explanation.
The disappearance of bees and the spreading phenomenon frame nature as an incomprehensible force responding to human disruption.
The film stages suicides, flight, and survival panic with unusually stilted dialogue and an intentionally heightened B-movie register.
Central Park, city streets, roadside locations, and an isolated house become sites of inexplicable threat.
Films like The Happening, and why
The Crazies
shares an environmental apocalypse premise, paranoid thriller atmosphere, and ordinary people confronting an inexplicable biological threat
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
shares science fiction horror, escalating societal panic, and a mysterious force turning public spaces into sites of terror
The Mist
shares ecological catastrophe, supernatural ambiguity, and a deliberately heightened blend of dread and dark absurdity
Bird Box
shares a disaster-thriller structure, inexplicable mass behavior, and apocalyptic anxiety centered on nature's retaliation
Movie Details
- Director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Release Date
- 2008-06-11
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 5.4 / 10 (4113)
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg
- Zooey Deschanel
- John Leguizamo
- Ashlyn Sanchez
- Betty Buckley
- Spencer Breslin
- Robert Bailey Jr.
- Frank Collison
- Jeremy Strong
- Alan Ruck
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Happening about?
- A science teacher and his companions flee a spreading wave of inexplicable suicides that may represent nature's retaliation against humanity.
- What is The Happening like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Happening as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Happening violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Happening as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Happening?
- Critics broadly agreed that the promising environmental-apocalypse premise was undermined by incoherent writing, weak suspense, and unconvincing characterization.
- Which films are like The Happening?
- Films with a similar feel include The Crazies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Mist, and Bird Box.
- How long is The Happening?
- The Happening runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Happening?
- In United States, The Happening streams on Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium Plus.
