It is an interesting time for fans of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. The first trailer for his surprising new thriller set to hit theaters on Valentine’s Day arrived last week and, before that he also launched his own YouTube channel to give him a chance to get closer to his fans — a move that has many calling this his biggest “twist” yet. But while there are some interesting things to look forward to, there’s one thing on the horizon that isn’t necessarily good news. Shyamalan’s underrated apocalyptic thriller is about to leave Peacock in just a few days.
Released in 2023, Knock at the Cabin is arguably one of Shyamalan’s best movies. Based on Paul G. Tremblay’s novel The Cabin at the End of the World, the film stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint and follows a family on vacation in a remote cabin when a group of four strangers suddenly arrive, holding the family hostage, and asking them to do something truly horrific claiming it will save the world. The film performed well at theaters and earned positive critical reviews but still seems to fly a little under the radar for both Shyamalan and horror fans. It’s currently streaming on Peacock but is slated to leave the platform on September 24th.
While Knock at the Cabin is technically horror, the fear elements of the film come less from classic horror elements and from a much deeper place. In the broad sense, the film asks the question of what you’re willing to do to protect your family, even if that includes an unfathomable sacrifice. The intruders who hold the family of Andrew (Aldridge), Eric (Groff), and Wen (Cui) hostage come bearing news of an impending apocalypse that will only be stopped if they sacrifice one of their own. When the family refuses, the intruders sacrifice one of their own, seeming to kickstart catastrophes around the world. Ultimately the family is left with the difficult choice of first, whether they believe what the intruders have told them and second, if they do, how far are they willing to go to stop it.
All of the performances in Knock at the Cabin are well done, but the real standout is Bautista. He plays one of the intruders, Leonard, and despite his physically imposing presences is calm, restrained, but very focused and dedicated to the missing that he can the others claim to have been sent on. There’s something about that juxtaposition between a terrifying figure how is that calm and collected — and at times seemingly genuinely pained by everything that has to happen — that makes the tension in the film greater and the story much more interesting. It’s a surprisingly serious role and Bautista does very well with it with a steadiness that makes the actual violence in the film (of which there is plenty) all the more horrifying.
The film may not be the first that comes to mind when many think of Shyamalan, but it is without question a great watch and one that if you haven’t already seen it you should correct that before it leaves Peacock. Oh, and if you’ve already read the book, don’t worry: the movie differs from the film in a big enough way that makes the movie very much its own work and still just as good.
