Why a bedtime story for children became a notorious Hollywood cinematic disaster

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When M. Night Shyamalan turned a personal bedtime story into a 2006 feature film, the result was a critical and financial failure. Critics lambasted the director for casting himself as a world-saving visionary, sparking a debate about artistic self-indulgence that overshadowed the film's complex, mystical narrative of apartment-dwelling water nymphs.

The film centers on Cleveland Heep, a Philadelphia apartment superintendent who discovers Story, a water nymph or 'Narf,' in his building's pool. She is fleeing a wolf-like creature called a Scrunt to return to her 'blue world.' To survive, she requires a team of humans—a Guardian, a Symbolist, a Guild, and a Healer—to help her navigate a prophecy involving a writer whose future work will inspire a great leader.

Production was marked by tension. Shyamalan famously broke ties with Disney after executive Nina Jacobson failed to grasp the story's vision, leading him to claim the studio no longer valued individualism. He secured financing from Warner Bros. instead, building elaborate sets at a warehouse site in Levittown, Pennsylvania. Despite the ambition, the film grossed only about $72.785 million against a $70 million budget, making it a financial disappointment.

Reviews were overwhelmingly negative, with the film holding a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics frequently attacked Shyamalan’s decision to cast himself as a messianic writer and his inclusion of an arrogant film critic character who meets a violent end. While some, like Wesley Morris, noted the film was well-made and acted, others like Michael Medved labeled it a 'flamboyant cinematic disaster.' It ultimately earned Shyamalan two Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor.

Despite the backlash, the project remains a unique artifact of Shyamalan's career. It spawned a companion children's book and was the subject of an insider chronicle, The Man Who Heard Voices, by Michael Bamberger. Interestingly, the film found a niche audience, even ranking in the top ten films of 2006 by the influential magazine Cahiers du cinéma, proving that even a widely panned work can provoke polarized, passionate debate.

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