It was supposed to be his greatest achievement.
When The Village arrived in theatres 15 years ago in the summer of 2004, M. Night Shyamalan was riding a singular wave of success. After three hit films in a row with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs, Shyamalan was set to continue his hot streak with The Village, a brand new thriller about a 19th century settlement terrorized by monsters lurking in the woods. While it made a handsome profit at the box office, it was widely considered the director’s first failure, vilified for being short on scares and its supposedly unsatisfying final twist. Critics were confused. Audiences felt betrayed. Where was the thrilling horror film they were promised?
Source: IGN.com Reevaluating Shyamalan’s The Village 15 Years Later