M. Night Shyamalan rips off Nickelodeon!!

[J.R.]

Does anyone remember the Nickelodeon series "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?"?
It was about these kids at a campfire telling scary stories. It was usually mediocre and just ripped off real horror movies. I guess the logic was that kids under 12 had never seen R-rated movies. Ha! Anyway, I remember an episode that aired somewhere around '93 or '94 that was about a guy who gets hit by a train when his car stalls on the tracks. He survives but his life is different. His family and friends don't notice him.  A weird ghost girl is haunting him. In the end he finds out he was dead all along and the girl was trying to bring him to the other side. When I saw The Sixth Sense this episode came immediately to mind. And the script got an oscar nomination for best original screenplay! I can't say if Shyamalan really did see this and rip it off, but it seems a tad suspect...

[Abby]

I was just remarking how many Tales From The Darkside/Monsters episodes were "adapted" into mainstream movies without credit. Ah well -- it apparently happens all the time.

[Cullen]

Not to be a pest, but the comparison is apples and oranges.  You could easily say that "Sixth Sense" is a rip off of "Jacob's Ladder".  There was also a episode in the original "Tales from the Crypt" movie about a  man who doesn't realize he's dead.  The tale's as old as the hills.

Plus, 6thS isn't about Willis's character.  It's about the kid, coming to terms with his gift.   Willis being dead was just a perk... or... something...

Gimmick.  A twist in the tail, as it were.  That's what I meant.

Simular, but not a rip-off.  Trust me.

[Scott Davis]

What's even funnier is that you go 2 different films mixed up!

6th Sense -  Dead Guy
Unbreakable - Can't be killed

And "Are you afraid of the Dark" is a canadian tv show. Just to state another fact.

[Rev. Darkstar]

Hell I could say that Jacobs Ladder,6th Sense and the episode of AYAOTD is a rip off of Carnival of Souls, so ner ner...ne..ner ner..

[BoyScoutKevin]

Yeah, I think I remember that episode, and I think it was one of my favorites. As Rev. Darkstar and Scott have pointed out both "6th Sense" and "Are You Afraid  of the Dark?" are not the first nor are they likely to be the last to deal with the theme of the dead not knowing they are dead. "Carnival of Souls" has also dealt with that subject, as have episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and "NIght Gallery."      
As for "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" I'll put in a plug for that show. Another one of my favorite episodes (don't remember the title)  was the one where the dead from the shipwreck came back to reclaim something they felt was theirs. Of course, I don't remember whether this was before or after John Carpenter's "The Fog." Enjoy!