Trivia: At the ranger's office when the security guard was stealing the medical supplies, you see a cameo of M. Night Shamalayan in the reflection of the glass.
Trivia: When the floor is torn up and Noah has escaped, there are bird feathers everywhere. Next scene when Noah is in the hole and there are bird feathers everywhere as well. Toward the beginning of the movie when Ivy, Noah, and Lucius are at the resting rock, Noah pulls berries out of his pocket. Attached to the berries momentarily are feathers, they fall to the ground almost unnoticeable. I believe that possibly MNS wanted to give the hint that Noah already had access to the monster costume. It is also possible that Noah picked them up in the woods when he found the berries. I am leaning toward the first explanation.
Trivia: M. Night Shyamalan likes to use red in his movies as a symbol of something of significance (see trivia for Sixth Sense and the color red). Here it signified "a bad color" for the people of the village, and they needed to hide this color from one who should not be spoken of, i.e. the "monster."
Trivia: The MPAA gave the film an "R" rating due to a single sound effect, which was later removed and the movie then went back down to a PG-13 rating.
Answer: As covered towards the end of the film, the elders met at a support group for the families of victims of violent crime (if you listen to the voiceovers, they all talk about how a loved one was murdered, and the photo shows them all standing in front of a consolation centre). At the end of the voiceovers, you hear Mr. Walker talk about how he "has an idea" if they are willing to hear him out. Presumably, this idea is to separate from society as they end up doing. It is assumed that all of the adults in the village are there by choice. As for the children and young adults, they were likely born there, or moved there when they were too young to remember the outside world. Given the clothes and surroundings in the picture of the group, and the fact that the guard at the end is reading a 2004 newspaper, we can assume they have been in the village for at least 20-30 years. The end of the film does a very good job of tying up loose ends. The newspaper and radio reports in the guard shack reinforce the idea of the violent society they are escaping. The conversation between the guards establishes that a wealthy benefactor is both paying them to protect a "wildlife preserve," as well as ensuring the government does not allow flights over the village, which would spoil the illusion. The fact that Walker mentions that his murdered father was an excellent and wealthy businessman, coupled with the fact that the area surrounding the village is called *Walker* Wildlife Preserve, leads us to believe that his inheritance is financing their secret. All in all, it's a tidy bit of storytelling.
Gabbo