The Happening is the 117th episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell and Andy Signore. It parodies the 2008 psychological horror film The Happening. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It was published on September 8, 2015, to coincide with the theatrical release of the film The Visit. It is 4 minutes 51 seconds long. It has been viewed over 4.5 million times. With an approval rating on 98.9%, it is one of the highest-rated Honest Trailers of all time.
Watch Honest Trailers - The Happening on YouTube
"A film about a thing... that happens, then stops happening. It's even dumber than it sounds." ~ Honest Trailers - The Happening
Script[]
From M. Night Shyamalan...oh, boy, this should be good...comes one of the best laugh-out-loud comedies of 2008 that was...supposed to be a horror movie?
Mrs. Jones: Plan on murdering me in my sleep.
Elliot: What? No.
Wow, that didn't happen.
The Happening
You loved The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, you liked parts of Signs, The Village and Lady in the Water made you say "Uh-oh", but before the violent car crash that was The Last Airbender, there was The Happening, a film about a thing...that happens (shows clips of various characters saying "happening"), then stops happening.
Elliot: Nothing happened.
It's even dumber than it sounds.
Mark Wahlberg delivers a Donnie Wahlberg-level performance as Elliot Moore, a science teacher with one facial expression who's so inquisitive, he phrases everything like a question.
Elliot: The toxin? The toxin is affecting them?
Together, along with his dead-eyed wife (Alma Moore) and this silent dead-eyed girl (Jess), they'll run from the least scary monster in film history: gently rustling leaves. (shows clips of leaves and grass blowing in the wind) Wow, they actually found trees more boring than the Ents.
Experience the first movie since Groundhog Day to make suicide look kinda hilarious, as trees begin to emit a toxin that makes us kill ourselves in the most convoluted ways possible, in this non-mystery non-thriller that spoils itself in the first act…
Nursery Owner: It's the plants.
…leaving you with plenty of time for awkward dialogue...
Elliot: Why are you giving me one useless piece of information at a time?
Alma: We can't just stand here as uninvolved observers!
Elliot: In a second, okay? Just give me a second!
...awkward pauses...
Man: We are gonna die here.
(people murmur quietly)
Second Man: Whatever this is...
...and not much else. Hey, what's your take on hot dogs, random person?
Nursery Owner: You know, hot dogs get a bad rap. They've got a cool shape, they've got protein. You like hot dogs, don't you?
(Alma shakes her head)
Good to know.
So prepare for a viewing experience that feels like The Walking Dead minus zombies plus a wind machine, full of complete non sequiturs…
Elliot: We're perfectly normal. Oh, black water, keep on rolling.
…and jarring shifts in tone...
Julian (calmly): That's all, we're all gonna be fine.
Alma: I got her, Julian.
Julian (seriously): Don't take my daughter's hand unless you mean it.
Mrs. Jones (pleasantly): Who's chasing? (Elliot raises his hand) I knew that, I knew that.
(she slaps Jess's hand away from a plate of cookies)
...as you wait for the inevitable Shyamalan twist ending, that never comes. The twist is, there is no twist. The trees did it. Then it ends.
Elliot: The event must've ended before I went out there.
Ugh.
Starring Grass, Ferns, Bushes, Leaves, Plastic Trees, Oaks, Elms...uh, I'm not sure what kind of tree that is.
Teen Boy: I think it's a maple.
...oh, thank you...Maples, and A Mannequin (Zooey Deschanel as Alma Moore). (Alma stares at Elliot without moving) Uh, hello? Are you okay?
Honest title for The Happening - What the F***Is Happening?. Title design by Robert Holtby.
What the F*** Is Happening?
Elliot: You should be more interested in science, Jake. You know why?
(Jake shakes his head)
Elliot: Because your face is perfect.
Okay, seriously, what's up with this movie?
Elliot: Hey, guys? (students turn toward him as they leave) Nothing.
Why would you keep that scene in the movie?!
Mrs. Jones: Why are you eyeing my lemon drink?
Who calls it a "lemon drink"?! It's lemonade!!
Mrs. Jones: I suppose the kind thing for me to do is to offer you supper.
What the hell is happening right now?! You meet a strange lady who's talking crazy to you, and you don't say a word to her? Then you just join her for dinner?
Elliot: What? No.
Viewer's Comments[]
The comment pays tribute to the American film director, writer, producer, and actor, Wes Craven, who died on August 30, 2015 at age 76. Craven was well-known for his pioneering work in the genre of horror films, mainly A Nightmare on Elm Street.
In Honor of Wes Craven Say: Every town has an Elm Street - Kevin Vindel-Castillo
Say: I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy. (Please! To remember Wes craven) - nick najarian
Say, What's your favorite scary movie?, as a tribute to Wes Craven. - Jose Mena-Garcia
Say, "The first monster you have to scare the audience is with yourself." in honor of Wes Craven. - DeviousPredator Productions
please say, in honor of Wes Craven...One, two, Freddy's coming to you - selina kyle
Say "thanks for the nightmares" for Wes Craven - Johnny Appleseed
Trivia[]
- Screen Junkies have produced Honest Trailers for several other M. Night Shyamalan films including After Earth, The Last Airbender, Unbreakable, Split and Glass. See list of Honest Trailers for more.
- Screen Junkies also made an Honest Trailer for the horror film Bird Box, which was compared to this film because of its similar depiction of mass suicide.
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - The Happening has a 98.9% approval rating from YouTube viewers, making it one of the highest-rated Honest Trailers of all time. Time wrote, "as usual, the Honest Trailer takes a searingly frank look at the movie." EW appreciated Screen Junkies for satirically portraying the film as a comedy, writing "as the Honest Trailer treatment showcases, The Happening may have been one of the funniest movies of ’08, but its story of a happening happening until it’s not happening was actually meant to be scary." IndieWire said the Honest Trailer reminds viewers how ridiculous the film is. Geeks of Doom wrote that the Honest Trailer does a good job of "mocking everything that was so wonderfully bad, calling it the funniest movie of 08 – the acting, the dialogue, the terrible line reads, Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel‘s facial expressions." Geeks of Doom also remarked that the end comments that paid tribute to Wes Craven were "a classy touch."
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - The Happening
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
Title design by Robert Holtby
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Episode Written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell and Andy Signore
Edited by Anthony Falleroni and Dan Murrell
External links []
- WATCH: The honest trailer for The Happening is brutally brilliant - JOE article
- WHEN TREES ATTACK IN HONEST TRAILER FOR THE HAPPENING - Nerdist article
- ‘The Happening’ Honest Trailer: One of the Best Comedies of 2008 - Slash Film article
- Watch the Honest Trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening - Time article
- The Happening honest trailer - EW article
- Honest Trailer: ‘The Happening’ (Video) - Geeks of Doom article
- Watch: Honest Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan’s Scary Shrubs Movie ‘The Happening’ - IndieWire article
- WATCH: THE HAPPENING HONEST TRAILER - Cosmic Book news Article