Acclaimed Indian American film director-writer-producer Manoj Night Shyamalan says he loves to keep the audiences in uncomfortable suspense.

Shyamalan, the director of blockbusters like "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable" and "Signs", has churned out a new film - Touchstone Pictures' "The Village".

With the new movie, Shyamalan explores how fear can affect a community.

The film shows how the elders of a town have made a choice to live in an isolated village. Cutting themselves off from the rest of the world, their fear of the creatures and evils that may exist beyond their borders motivates them to stay inside their village with their loved ones.

"Fear doesn't necessarily need to be something we are afraid of. Sometimes it just lets our imaginations run wild. I hope, through 'The Village', audiences are able to explore a world of fear and how, even in the midst of chaos, you can find a way to cope," Shyamalan said in a press note.

"In our contemporary world I often ask myself how far would I go to protect my children? Would I move to a farm in the middle of nowhere and live like the people of 'The Village?'

"We like to believe we would, but how many of us have? What sacrifices are we truly making to better our situation?"

The process of storytelling has always been the most important thing about filmmaking for Shyamalan. He says cinema audiences are starved for a challenge and so he enjoys giving them what they want through uncomfortable suspense.

Shyamalan captures the attention of the filmgoer by holding back information until just the right moment.

"When I write, I gravitate towards having a streamline of suspense. I like to surprise people and that just feels natural. At the same time I try and give humanity to my stories. Hopefully, audiences leave with something to think about that is worthwhile."

"'The Village' is different from my previous films. I think it is me growing up and evolving as a filmmaker. I wanted to write about innocence.

"'The Village' is set in the late 19th century, after the civil war and before industrialisation, when it was a simpler life. When it wasn't about money or greed. People spoke without sarcasm and you could hear the truth and sincerity in their voices," says Shyamalan.

Shyamalan continues making films in and around his home in a Philadelphia suburb. "I've kind of fallen in love with the simple life. Life can get so crazy. You forget what is important and you begin to fixate."

Writing "The Village" was a long process for Shyamalan.

"I keep this book of story ideas that I am constantly adding to. Details of "The Village" characters kept presenting themselves and before I knew it, organically, one sentence turned into two, three, four pages, and overtime grew into a full length screenplay."

"It was new for me to include elements of romance in my writing along with the unknown supernatural elements that audiences have enjoyed in my past films. This movie is ultimately about the power of what love can do to create things, and what it can overcome," says Shyamalan.