The Happening (2008 film)
| The Happening | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | M. Night Shyamalan |
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| Written by | M. Night Shyamalan |
| Starring | |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Tak Fujimoto |
| Edited by | Conrad Buff |
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Production
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States India |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $48 million |
| Box office | $163.4 million |
The Happening is a 2008 American supernatural science fiction thriller film written, co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, and Betty Buckley. The film follows a man, his wife, his best friend and his friend's daughter as they try to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster.
The film was advertised as being Shyamalan's first R-rated film; it received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $163 million worldwide.
In New York City's Central Park, people begin committing mass suicide. Initially believed to be caused by a bio-terrorist attack using an airborne neurotoxin, the behavior quickly spreads across the northeastern United States. Elliot Moore, a high school science teacher in Philadelphia, hears about the attacks and decides to go to Harrisburg by train with his wife, Alma. They are accompanied by his friend Julian and Julian's eight-year-old daughter Jess. Julian's wife is stuck in Philadelphia but is expected to meet them in Harrisburg. The train loses all radio contact en route and stops at a small town. They receive word that Philadelphia has been attacked by the toxin and Julian's wife was not able to get on the train to Harrisburg, instead taking a bus to Princeton. Julian decides to go look for her, leaving his daughter with the Moores while he hitches a ride. However, when they get to Princeton, it has already been hit by the toxin. Succumbing to it, the driver runs the car into a tree and Julian commits suicide.
Elliot, Alma, and Jess hitch a ride with a nurseryman and his wife. The nurseryman believes that plants are responsible, as they can release chemicals to defend themselves from threats. The group are joined by other survivors and split into two groups, with Elliot, Alma, and Jess in the smaller group. When the larger group is affected by the toxin, Elliot realizes that the plants are targeting only large groups of people. He splits their group into smaller pockets and they walk along, arriving at a model home. Two other groups arrive on the property, triggering a neurotoxin attack, signaled by what appears to be wind blowing through the vegetation. The next house they come upon is sealed, its residents trying to protect themselves from the toxin. Elliot's attempts to reason with them are deemed unsuccessful when the residents shoot Josh and Jared, two teenage boys whom Elliot had earlier befriended.
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