‘Old’ knows how to bring dread

Posted on July 30, 2021

By MARK VIOLA

M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most polarizing directors working today. He’s made some of my favorite movies of all time, including “Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” He’s also made some of my least favorites, such as “The Last Airbender” and “The Happening.”

Since 2015, he’s been on a mostly positive streak, with the small horror flick “The Visit” and the incredible “Split,” while his most recent until now, “Glass,” was not as good as I hoped it would be.

All of that is to say, going into his newest movie, “Old,” I honestly had no idea what to expect. It could be a masterpiece. It could be a disaster. The truth is somewhere in between, although overall, it is a solid thriller.

“Old” is not a horror film in the sense that there are things that will make you jump in your seat, but when Shyamalan is on his game, he is really good at playing with the lizard brain in all of us that houses our fundamental fears and dreads.

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