The channel said Shyamalan wanted the documentary stopped

The channel said it was part of a "guerrilla marketing campaign" that had gone too far.

The channel began a documentary about the Sixth Sense director last year, but reported it had collapsed because he was unhappy with personal questions.

But the feud was a hoax, and the special was made with Shyamalan's help.

The 'mockumentary' had been planned to coincide with the release of the director's latest film, The Village.

In a statement, the Sci Fi Channel said the director, who wrote and directed Unbreakable and Signs, had tried to shut down production of the documentary because of a "disturbing expose".

The documentary said the drowning of a boy in a lake near the film-maker's Philadelphia home when he was a child had been a catalyst for Shyamalan's writing.

'Fictional special'

Documentary makers Nathaniel Kahn and Callum Greene said Shyamalan's "cooperation dried up", but announced they would contine to work on the three-hour film.

Last week Sci Fi Channel president Bonnie Hammer admitted the documentary contained no "buried secret".

"We created a fictional special that was part-fact and part-fiction, and Night was part of the creation from the beginning," Ms Hammer said.

At one stage in the documentary, actor Adrien Brody, who stars in The Village, is asked about his role but says he is banned from giving any details.

When asked whether he has long hair or short hair in the film, he refuses to answer.

It prompted critics who had been sent a half-hour tape of the show to wonder if it was a spoof.

The Sci Fi Channel's new owners, NBC, said it was not impressed with the stunt.

"This marketing strategy is not consistent with our policy at NBC," a spokeswoman said.