M. Night Shyamalan's New Psychological Thriller Raved As One Of His Career Best In First Reactions

Published Sep 30, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering movies. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions and interviewing actors. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera

First reactions to M. Night Shyamalan's 2027 psychological thriller Remain are pouring in online following a surprise premiere of the movie at Beyond Fest, and if these responses are any indication, this movie will absolutely be one to watch in the coming year. In fact, despite Shyamalan's extensive career and many successful projects, already, some viewers are calling this his best to date—further confirmation of Shyamalan's earlier comments about positive test screenings of the film.

Remain is an interesting entry for Shyamalan, as it's billed primarily as a psychological thriller but seems to bring together numerous genres and elements, from romance and mystery to supernatural fantasy and drama. That's quite a bit to fit into one movie, although it may be in part due to the fact that Shyamalan has teamed up with author Nicholas Sparks, who is known for his decades of very successful romance novels (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, and myriad others). It can't hurt that Remain has a stacked cast, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor leading.

As first reactions roll in, that cast, many of whom have already had an appearance in the Remain trailer, along with the writing approach of both Shyamalan and Sparks, are high on the list of positives for many—although, perhaps surprisingly, based on the genre, many audience members are also singing the praises of the movie's humor and even "goofiness," adding yet another curious layer to what is clearly a complex, multi-prong film.

On X, user esunlightmoon wrote, "REMAIN!!! Might be a new classic Valentine’s Day crowd-pleaser. Some of Shyamalan's craziest camerawork. The VistaVision is a great choice—frames half the movie in picturesque romance and the other half like a thriller in a haunted castle. Very Hitchcock. Extremely ‘90s."

Critic Griffin Schiller similarly shared, "Remain is Shyamalan at his most earnest and sincere. Such a heartfelt and romantic throwback to his early work, bolstered by another sensation James Newton Howard score. Arguably his most achingly vulnerable since Signs. A beautiful film about openness, intimacy, self-love, and the denial of someone's ownership over your soul; about rekindling the spark within and fighting to live at every moment. Gyllenhaal is a perfect Shyamalan lead; subdued but soulful. Phoebe Dynevor is MAGNETIC balancing torment and tenderness with such charm and jubilance. Truly felt the classic Night magic with this one."

X user eventualforever was among those who identified Remain as one of Shyamalan's top works, saying, "Complete barn burner. My favorite Shyamalan this decade, formally electric and romantic and tragic and beautiful and mysterious and scary all in equal measure. Every ghost story is a love story. If you’re not in for his goofiness, you aren’t in for this, but thank god that I am."

Media personality accordingtoseth likewise said, "REMAIN is unlike anything M. Night Shyamalan has ever done. His funniest film yet, but also heartbreaking, heartwarming, scary, romantic, and just absolutely beautiful. The score pierces your soul, and Phoebe Dynevor and Jake Gyllenhaal are ELECTRIC together. Their romance feels real, the twists and turns kept me guessing, and at times it feels like an Agatha Christie novel brought to life. Call it recency bias, but man…I think this might be my favorite M. Night film. I’m utterly blown away."

Yet another rave review came from X user and critic kingofburbank2, who wrote, "REMAIN is M Night’s most polished film in some time. The VistaVision photography and INCREDIBLE score by James Newton Howard sell this earnest romance. FUNNY - Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent at selling the classic M Night awkwardness. Major chemistry with Dynevor."

Film critic Carlos Aguilar responded to the secret screening in kind, saying, "Watched a surprise screening of M. Night Shyamalan’s REMAIN at Beyond Fest. A really enjoyable, consistently funny ghost story. There’s, of course, no subtlety, but that’s part of the package with the peculiar blend of Shyamalan & Nicholas Sparks. Jake Gyllenhaal is wonderful."

A slightly more tempered reaction, X user bippburger wrote, "I was at the secret premiere of M. Night Shyamalan’s REMAIN — a delightfully pulpy ghost story that closes the clasp on several themes that pop up over the course of his career. Love, memory, faith, absolution, destiny. AMA."