M. Night Shyamalan Reveals Which of His Films He Thinks Is the Best

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has offered audiences a variety of compelling experiences over the years, exploring ghosts, aliens, and various other intense subjects, but in his mind, he considers his latest film, Knock at the Cabin, to be the best movie that he's made. Shyamalan himself notes that this answer sounds like he's merely trying to drum up good buzz for the experience, but with the film being inspired by Paul G. Tremblay's novel The Cabin at the End of the World, he clearly has to credit the source material with the themes it crafted and he was happy to bring to life. Knock at the Cabin lands in theaters on February 3rd.

"It's going to sound like a PR answer, but Knock at the Cabin has so much of what I love in it," Shyamalan shared with The Hollywood Reporter about his best film. "It's the way the pieces work together, and sometimes, you just have to leave it to the film gods."

Throughout his career, Shyamalan has offered audiences both well-received and disappointing films, with projects like The Sixth Sense sitting at 86% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes and Signs sitting at 75%, while Lady in the Water and The Happening scored 25% and 17%, respectively. While he was happy to share thoughts on his best film, he also pointed out the lessons he's learned from projects considered to be disappointing. 

"Lady in the Water and The Happening are so much a part of me," Shyamalan admitted. "I love being wicked and getting a rise out of you, [but] being goofy is a part of who I am, as is being earnest. So Lady in the Water was very close to who I am as a person. One thing I let go of on that movie was the idea of, 'How will they sell the movie?' Now I tell this story to every filmmaker I work with. I also told it to my daughter [Ishana Night Shyamalan], who's about to make her first movie. I'll say, 'The marketeers are the first people to tell your story. They begin the story. That's part of the art form. So you have to start thinking about that as you're making the movie.' And on Lady, I didn't do that. I just made something that I loved. It was the least seen of all my movies, but to this day, when people come up to me about that movie, they speak with religion about it."

Knock at the Cabin lands in theaters on February 3rd.

What do you think is Shyamalan's best film? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!