It takes a ‘Village’ to raise a howl

One of the few Hollywood directors to qualify as a franchise unto himself, M. Night Shyamalan is at the point where he doesn’t need big stars to open a movie. He’s the star.

The man who made “Signs” and “The Sixth Sense” returns this week with “The Village,” another spook show of the “Twilight Zone” variety. The big publicity stunt for this film was a so-called documentary special that aired on the Sci-fi channel recently, which revealed a dark secret about the director’s past.

After the broadcast, the network admitted that the show was a hoax and that Shyamalan was involved in the making of it. I liked the old-fashioned showmanship of the stunt, I must say. This guy has a touch of P.T. Barnum about him.

“The Village” is set in a hamlet surrounded by ominous woods. From the clothes and manners of the inhabitants, it appears to be sometime in the 19th century.

Villagers are convinced that the woods are inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures, “those we do not speak of,” who can only be pacified if the villagers never leave the town. Torches are lighted around the perimeter of the village, and guards sit in a watchtower.

A council of elders makes the decisions, and forbids the young people to stray (or to allow the color red, for some reason). Elders include William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.

Weaver’s taciturn son, played by Joaquin Phoenix, expresses curiosity about the woods, and what may lie beyond. But he gets distracted by his affection for a blind girl, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. She’s the revelation of the movie. Daughter of director Ron Howard, she’s an extraordinary actress.

Nothing more need be said about plot, since part of the fun of watching a Shyamalan picture is attempting to figure out what’s really going on. Suffice it to say he’s ditched the black-comic tone of “Signs” and gone for a solemn approach, with far fewer “gotchas” and more mood.

I can never shake the sense that Shyamalan’s big twists are intrinsically silly, and the big one here is easily guessed (although I wish I hadn’t). But he has one gift that makes him a valuable director, and that’s his understanding that the camera tells the story in movies. He sets the hook with a series of early, wordless scenes, and he can make your skin prickle just be advancing the camera toward an otherwise innocent-looking field of grass. If only more directors understood this.

The cast also includes “Pianist” Oscar-winner Adrien Brody as the village idiot, Brendan Gleeson and Cherry Jones as elders, and Jane Greer as the sister of Howard’s character. All look properly serious.

“The Village” doesn’t really hold together, but it has a handful of remarkable moments. And the overall idea might be an allegory for the age of terror – the impulse to wall oneself off from the dangerous world outside.

The whole movie is too allegorical – not quite “lived in” enough. But at least Shyamalan is trying these crazy ideas. This guy is fun even when he’s not on his game.