M. Night Shyamalan Teases Knock at the Cabin as a Genre-Bending Experience

When it comes to M. Night Shyamalan films, one of the only things fans can expect is the unexpected, as the final acts of such films typically feature surprising reveals, though in the case of the upcoming Knock at the Cabin, the filmmaker teased that the experience will deliver genre-bending elements. The first trailer for the film hinted at a seemingly straightforward experience, as a group of intruders antagonizes a family in the woods, but these recent remarks hint that there could be a lot more to the situation, not only from a narrative standpoint, but also a tonal perspective. Knock at the Cabin lands in theaters on February 3, 2023.

"I'm drawn to things that take genres and bend them in new ways, or change genres from what you thought you were watching," Shyamalan shared with Total Film, per GamesRadar. "The architectural twist is part of the fun of it. And as I'm morphing genres, I have to move up into more high-octane genres. If you cadence down, even if you do it really well, it has a certain reducing-of-stakes quality that the audience feels."

The new film is described, "While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost."

Shyamalan also addressed the discussions he had with the studio when it came to the film's trailer and how explicitly to lay out the plot for viewers.

"We talked a lot, Universal and I, about whether to say, at the end of the trailer, what is the thing that they have to do. And we came to the decision of saying no, we just have to get everyone to understand that the thing is not going to be good!" the filmmaker joked.

Knock at the Cabin stars Dave Bautista (Dune, Guardians of the Galaxy franchise), Tony award and Emmy nominee Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Mindhunter), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth, Fleabag), BAFTA nominee Nikki Amuka-Bird (Persuasion, Old), newcomer Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn (Little Women, Landline), and Rupert Grint (Servant, Harry Potter franchise). 

Knock at the Cabin lands in theaters on February 3, 2023.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!