Knock at the Cabin

 

Knock at the Cabin is a suspense thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan; starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Ben Aldridge. The film is based on the novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. The film follows a family who is taken hostage by four armed strangers at a remote cabin in the woods. The strangers demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse.

The plot was engaging and kept me guessing what would happen next. However, there were some gaps in the story that made it not as believable. The themes of family, sacrifice, and faith were prevalent throughout. Additionally, the twist at the end was different from the book, but it still wrapped up appropriately.

The film is categorized as a horror, but it did not deliver on the scares that one might expect. The cinematography was not as suspenseful as it could have been, and the R rating was a bit confusing because the director pans away from all the worst parts. As a result, a lot is left up to the interpretation of the viewer.

I appreciated the diversity of the casting however the character development in the film was lacking. The characters were not very well-formed, which made it hard to connect with them and care about their fates. As a result, the film did not have the same emotional impact that it could have had.

In the end, Knock at the Cabin was a typical M. Night Shyamalan film. For those that are fans of the director, you might enjoy it. For me, I came away thinking it wasn’t a complete waste of time but I was glad I didn't pay to see it in theatres and it was not one I would recommend to others.