FILM · 2008 · USA
The Happening
32 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (32)
- #001
The film was shot entirely in sequence.
- #002
Throughout the film, the voice of "Joey" calls Alma several times. The audience never sees him and never learns his fate.
- #003
M. Night Shyamalan wrote the screenplay with Mark Wahlberg in mind for the lead role.
- #004
The DVD also includes a deleted scene of a piano recital (recorded on a cell phone video) that suddenly turns tragic, as well as extended, more frightening versions of the lion attack and the porch shooting scenes.
- #005
Unlike much of the cast, Zooey Deschanel says it is one of her favorite productions and, because it drew strong inspiration from films such as The Birds (1963), people did not know how to appreciate the "natural terror" concept used in the production.
- #006
In a deleted scene, Elliot and Alma argue and then make up. The scene was intended to be the film's trailer. The producers removed it so that viewers could learn about the couple's problems as the narrative progressed. The scene appears on the DVD.
- #007
Plants have developed certain defenses. When a plant loses its leaves to deer, it releases a pheromone to "warn" other plants to produce less tasty leaves.
- #008
(At about the 53rd minute) At one point Elliot mentions that primitive bacteria in Australia killed fishermen. Pyrethrins are a neurotoxin obtained from Chrysanthemum plants, particularly those native to Australia. The toxin is commonly found in organic insecticides. Pyrethrins are highly toxic to bees.
- #009
The photo of Alma's parents that they give to Jess is a real-life photograph of Julian's Ashlyn Sanchez with her real-life mother, Charity Renee Sanchez.
- #010
It is M. Night Shyamalan's first R-rated film.
- #011
Audience apathy is a real psychological phenomenon with a strong theoretical and evidential basis.
- #012
As of January 2019, at a total runtime of 91 minutes, it is the shortest film of M. Night Shyamalan's career.
- #013
The film's lead female character, Alma, was written for actress Amy Adams, with the intention that Alma alone would convey a sense of peace and calm amid the film's confusion and ambiguity, but Adams turned the role down because no financial agreement could be reached.
- #014
At the end, Jess is wearing an Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) backpack. The Last Airbender (2010) was M. Night Shyamalan's next film.
- #015
According to M. Night Shyamalan, 85% of the film takes place outdoors.
- #016
Among the students' hypotheses about the disappearance of the bees are global warming and atomic, biological or chemical contamination. The nuclear and greenhouse gas "plants" symbolizing these theories literally face off in Filbert, Pennsylvania.
- #017
(At about the 32nd minute) The exact answer to Julian's math riddle about a month averaging 30 days is $10,737,418.23. (The answer is not $10,737,418.24, because Julian asks for the sum of the amounts for all the days, and every amount except the first day's is an even number: $0.01. The total must therefore be an odd number of cents.) Also, when the month in question is 31 days, then $10,737,418.24 would be the amount on the 31st day, and the next total for 31 days would be $21,474,836.47.
- #018
Kristen Connolly turned down this film and claims she hates it. When asked about the film, she refuses to talk about it.
- #019
It was shot in 44 days, with filming beginning on August 6, 2007, exactly eight years after The Sixth Sense (1999) was released in theaters.
- #020
The word "happen" and its variations are spoken 25 times throughout the film.
- #021
The Happening is the highest-grossing film to receive a "D" from CinemaScore, surpassing Jeepers Creepers (2001).
- #022
At around 1 hour 21 minutes, when Elliot drops Jess off at the bus near the end, they are standing in front of the same city housing complex used in Rocky (1976).
- #023
Most mood rings are blue for "relaxed" or "lovable." Orange (as seen just before the peak) tends to be associated with a "daring" or "adventurous" feeling. Yellow, as Elliott sees in Jess, typically means "surprised" or "nervous." Purple is sometimes interpreted as "passionate" or "cool."
- #024
This film was the second collaboration between Frank Collison and M. Night Shyamalan, after they had previously worked together on The Village (2004).
- #025
Until recently, this was M. Night Shyamalan's only R-rated film. As of 1/2/2023, Knock at the Cabin (2023), which premiered on 2/3/2023, is his second.
- #026
The Happening was Jeremy Strong's first film.
- #027
Frank Collison, who plays the nursery owner in the film, played "Victor" in The Village (2004).
- #028
The film's cast includes three Oscar nominees: Mark Wahlberg, Jeremy Strong and M. Night Shyamalan.
- #029
M. Night Shyamalan had previously worked with Mark Wahlberg's brother Donnie on The Sixth Sense (1999).
- #030
Zooey Deschanel's character is named Alma. In real life, Mark Wahlberg's mother is named Alma.
- #031
Jeremy Strong (Private Auster) and Alan Ruck (Principal) later appeared together in HBO's Succession (2018).
- #032
At around 1 hour 23 minutes, right after Alma reads the result of the pregnancy test, the camera moves in close on her face. Looked at closely, her left eye appears heart-shaped. Zooming in reveals that a light from above is reflecting off her eye and giving it a heart-shaped appearance. If you zoom in on her other eye, it also appears heart-shaped, but you can also see the light above it.
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