9 M. Night Shyamalan Movie Cameos That Made Us Groan Into Our Popcorn

This has got to be my favorite M. Night Shyamalan cameo . . . because he doesn't appear anywhere in the film at all! The Visit is one of the few films in which the director doesn't ever pop up. And frankly? In my opinion? That's the way it should be.

This is almost as good as not making any cameo at all. Almost. We only hear Shyamalan's voice as Joey in the film. Joey calls Alma a few times, and it seems that his dialogue mostly amounts to "Hello?"

Here's the thing: if you're going to put yourself in the film in a cameo role, it's gotta be unnoticeable. The second you pull focus, it's over. In The Village, Shyamalan is one of the rangers who is tasked with protecting the wildlife reserve in which the main cast lives. If he has any dialogue, I don't remember it. And I'm pretty sure he only appears in profile. Fine, I'll take it.

Shyamalan is definitely easy to notice in Unbreakable, but this cameo bothered me less than others. It doesn't totally yank me out of the moment. In one scene, David Dunn is doing his usual security guard patrol gig at the stadium, and he spots Shyamalan's character going to the bathroom, retrieving a bunch of drugs from a trash can, and stuffing them in his coat pocket. David finds him and frisks him, but there are no drugs to be found. The moment passes, no big deal.

OK, now we're moving into territory that's a bit more of an eyeroll. In The Sixth Sense, the director plays Dr. Hill, a psychiatrist who talks to young Cole (Haley Joel Osment) after that horrifying birthday party accident. I'll give him a pass on this one, since he's apparently paying homage to his parents, who are doctors. But, come on.

This is it folks, it's only getting cringier. In Split, Shyamalan plays some kind of tech whiz who is helping Dr. Fletcher spy on her patient, who we all know as Kevin Crumb aka "The Horde." He has a marked love for Hooters, so much so that he's willing to defend the establishment (and their wings). Whew.

Boy, does Shyamalan have a cameo in Glass! Fairly early on, we learn that David and his son are running a security goods shop together, and our fair director comes in to buy a security camera for his building, remarking on his "spooked tenants." David wants to "go for a walk" (aka fight crime), and his son keeps telling him not to. "Let the man go for a walk," Shyamalan's character says, "jeez."

I find this one especially cringe-y, especially because the cameo seems to be a wink at the final twist in the film, which involves security cameras. It's like a slap across the face.

When he inserts himself into Signs, Shyamalan makes himself a launching point for the main character's backstory. We learn that Rev. Graham Hess has lost his faith after someone struck his wife in a vehicular accident and killed her. Yep, you guessed it: that someone is Shyamalan. Cue an emotional scene in which the director reveals that he trapped an alien in his pantry, that they seem to dislike water, and that he's sorry he killed his wife. Let's just say the emotional scenes should be left to the professional actors.

Of all the Shyamalan appearances, his role in Lady in the Water has got to be the one that induces the most pained and embarrassed eyeroll. In this case, Shyamalan is actually more of a supporting character than a walk on role. In fact, he's listed seventh on the IMDB page. He plays Vick Ran, a writer. In the film, the literal "Lady in the Water" (Bryce Dallas Howard) is seeking a very special writer, the next messiah, someone who will bring about good change in the world. And that person is Vick.

I don't mean to dig in but seriously?! I don't even have words. Here's hoping he learns a lesson and takes a step back for the next one. (I doubt he will.) Sorry, M. Night Shyamalan, but at the end of the day, you're just breaking us out of the moment. It's too much.