History Trivia / TheHappening

* StarDerailingRole: For Creator/ZooeyDeschanel, whose "it girl" status ended with this movie. While she would soon enjoy a CareerResurrection, it would come [[Series/NewGirl in television]].

* CreatorKiller: Creator/MNightShyamalan was already feeling it after ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' became his first bona fide failure since he became famous, but this film only made him that much more of a laughingstock. While the film was successful at the box office (unlike ''Lady in the Water''), Shyamalan briefly [[Film/TheLastAirbender left the]] [[Film/AfterEarth horror scene]] for a few years afterwards, so when he came back with ''Film/TheVisit'', he was able to market it on nostalgia for his earlier pictures and avoid the impact of ''The Happening'''s notoriety.

* VoiceOnlyCameo: Unlike most of his other cameos in his films, M. Night Shyamalan never appears in-person in this, but he provides the voice for the character of Joey, who is only heard from a phone

* CreatorKiller: Creator/MNightShyamalan was already feeling it after ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' became his first bona fide failure since he became famous, but this film only made him that much more of a laughingstock.

--->'''Wahlberg''': …Fucking ''trees'', man!
** WebVideo/ChrisStuckmann relayed an anecdote about when he attended a screening of ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which starred Creator/KristenConnolly, aka the friend of the knitting needle woman from the opening scene. When he asked about her experience on ''The Happening'', Stuckmann noted that Connolly's expression [[OhCrap turned sour]].

** WebVideo/ChrisStuckmann related an anecdote about when he attended a screening of ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which starred Creator/KristenConnolly, aka the friend of the knitting needle woman from the opening scene. When he asked about her experience on ''The Happening'', Stuckmann noted that Connolly's expression [[OhCrap turned sour]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Series/{{Succession}} Jeremy]] [[Film/TheGentlemen Strong]] has a supporting part as the soldier the protagonists run into and join forces with in the film's second half.

-->'''Wahlberg''': …Fucking ''trees'', man!

** WebVideo/ChrisStuckmann related an anecdote about when he attended a screening of ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which starred Kristen Connolly, aka the friend of the knitting needle woman from the opening scene. When he asked about her experience on ''The Happening'', Stuckmann noted that Connolly's expression [[OhCrap turned sour]].

** Creator/ChrisStuckmann related an anecdote about when he attended a screening of ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which starred Kristen Connolly, aka the friend of the knitting needle woman from the opening scene. When he asked about her experience on ''The Happening'', Stuckmann noted that Connolly's expression [[OhCrap turned sour]].

* OldShame:
** Creator/MarkWahlberg has admitted that this is one of the worst films he has ever done.
-->'''Wahlberg''': …Fucking ''trees'', man!
** Creator/ChrisStuckmann related an anecdote about when he attended a screening of ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which starred Kristen Connolly, aka the friend of the knitting needle woman from the opening scene. When he asked about her experience on ''The Happening'', Stuckmann noted that Connolly's expression [[OhCrap turned sour]].

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: There was another film called ''The Happening'' released in 1967, and most of the people who have seen it also find it terrible.[[note]]Ironically, the 1967 ''Happening'' is a comedy with a reputation for being unfunny, the opposite reason that the 2008 ''Happening'' is considered bad.[[/note]] If it's remembered at all now, it's for being the screen debut of Creator/FayeDunaway, and for its hit title song by Music/TheSupremes.

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: There was another film called ''The Happening'' released in 1967, and most of the people who have seen it also find it terrible.[[note]]Ironically, the 1967 ''Happening'' is a comedy with a reputation for being unfunny, the opposite reason that the 2008 ''Happening'' is considered bad.[[/note]] If it is now remembered at all, it's for the title track by Music/TheSupremes.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/AmyAdams was considered for the role of Alma.

* DeliberateFlawRetcon: [[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/26050/looking-back-at-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening This article]] argues that the film is actually a work of genius, the ‘flaws’ being deliberately worked in to subvert BMovie SciFiHorror tropes.

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: There was another film called ''The Happening'' released in 1967, and most of the people who have seen it also find it terrible.[[note]]Ironically, the 1967 ''Happening'' is a comedy with a reputation for being unfunny, the opposite reason that the 2008 ''Happening'' is considered bad.[[/note]] If it is now remembered at all, it’s for the title track by Music/TheSupremes.

* OldShame: Creator/MarkWahlberg has admitted that this is one of the worst films he has ever done.

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: There was another film called ''The Happening'' released in 1967, and most of the people who have seen it also find it terrible. If it is now remembered at all, it’s for the title track by Music/TheSupremes.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jeep driver [[spoiler:who crashes said Jeep into a tree under the influence of the neurotoxins and is launched through the windshield]] is Brian O'Halloran, AKA ''Film/{{Clerks}}''’ Dante Hicks. (Poor guy. He wasn’t even supposed to be there that day.)

* CreatorKiller: M. Night Shyamalan was already feeling it from the failure of ''Lady in the Water'', but this film only served to make him that much more of a laughingstock.
* DeliberateFlawRetcon: [[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/26050/looking-back-at-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening This article]] argues that the film is actually a work of genius, the "flaws" being deliberately worked in to subvert the tropes of the B-Movie horror genre.
* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jeep driver [[spoiler: who crashes said Jeep into a tree under the influence of the neurotoxins and is launched through the windshield]] is Dante Hicks in ''Film/{{Clerks}}''. (Poor guy. He wasn't even supposed to be there that day).
* NamesTheSame : There was another film called ''The Happening'' in 1967, and it is also widely considered to be one of the worst films ever. If it is now remembered at all, its for the title track by Music/TheSupremes.
* OldShame: Creator/MarkWahlberg admitted that this was one of the worst films he has ever done.
-->'''Wahlberg''': ....Fucking ''trees'', man!

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jeep driver [[spoiler: who crashes said Jeep into a tree under the influence of the neurotoxins and is launched through the windshield]] is Dante Hicks in ''{{Clerks}}''. (Poor guy. He wasn't even supposed to be there that day).
* OldShame: MarkWahlberg admitted that this was one of the worst films he has ever done.

* TheNamesTheSame : There was another film called The Happening in 1967, and it is also widely considered to be one of the worst films ever. If it is now remembered at all, its for the title track by The Supremes.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jeep driver [[spoiler: who crashes said Jeep into a tree under the influence of the neurotoxins and is launched through the windshield]] is Brian O'Halloran, who also played Dante Hicks in ''{{Clerks}}''. (Poor guy. He wasn't even supposed to be there that day).

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Jeep driver [[spoiler: who crashes said Jeep into a tree under the influence of the neurotoxins and is launched through the windshield]] is Brian O'Halloran, a.k.a. Dante Hicks in ''{{Clerks}}''.
** Poor guy. He wasn't even supposed to be there that day.