Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan is known for, among other things, the ability to land a good twist. If anyone had a reason to question that claim, it looks like there’s one less excuse to doubt that the man behind The Sixth Sense, and most recently the very divisive film Old, can shock an audience. That’s especially true at this moment, as Shyamalan has surprised us all by dropping the trailer for his entry into the 2023 new movie releases, Knock at the Cabin.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by author Paul G. Tremblay, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest starts off looking rather idyllic. Fathers Andrew (Jonathan Groff) and Eric (Ben Aldridge) are taking their young daughter Wen (Kristen Cui, in her first film role) on a trip to a cabin in the woods. Knock at the Cabin doesn’t take long to deal some threatening cards, as the mysterious Leonard (Dave Bautista) goes from kindly to quietly menacing.
His reason seems valid though: Leonard and his group of fellow disciples have a quest. They’re trying to prevent the apocalypse, which somehow involves holding Knock at the Cabin’s central family captive, and forcing them to make what he calls “a horrible decision.” It’s pretty much said in the tagline for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, which you can see on the poster that was released alongside this trailer.
An even larger surprise than seeing this first footage to Knock at the Cabin is, perhaps, how quickly it came to be. Shyamalan started filming this past April, with production wrapping only a couple months later in June. Then again, the man behind The Village isn’t known to be a person who waits too long to get back to work.
It also helps that M. Night Shyamalan noted Knock at the Cabin is one continuous take, or at least it’s supposed to play that way. That sort of enterprise could lead to a quicker editing process, which would nail the concept in place. A whole continuous stream of events, with Dave Bautista and Servant star Rupert Grint threatening a family into a terrible choice. That’s not anxiety inducing at all.
With lightning fast pacing, Unbreakable's writer/director has brought what looks like another tension filled movie to life. How this one will land with the world is anyone's guess, but Knock at the Cabin still seems to be hiding quite a bit of its story and twists up its sleeve. Which is perfect, because it wouldn't be an M. Night Shyamalan movie without some unexpected developments, and the fallout that washes over a crowd glued to the screen when it does.
Knock at the Cabin locks its audience into this horrific nightmare scenario, only in theaters, on February 3, 2023. However, you can still take a look at the film offerings still left in the list of upcoming movies in 2022. Or, if you haven't caught M. Night Shyamalan's previous film Old, anyone with an HBO Max subscription can do so, at the time of this writing.
