When it comes to some of the most famous horror directors of all time, one that always comes to mind is M. Night Shyamalan. While the director has surely worked in other genres before, such as dabbling in the superhero/thriller genre with Unbreakable or even the fantasy realm with his infamous Avatar: The Last Airbender, Shyamalan has always been associated with his thrillers and horror films that have some crazy twists.
Now, 2023 is going to bring Shyamalan’s next big film, called Knock at the Cabin, his first feature-length film since 2021’s Old. But what is this film going to be about? Who is going to star in it? For all of your Knock at the Cabin questions, here are four quick things we know about the upcoming film.
Knock At The Cabin Will Release On February 3, 2023
While this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, Knock at the Cabin will not be on any 2022 movie schedule, as it is almost the end of the year. However, we aren’t going to be waiting long for this film to come out, as it’s confirmed to release on February 3, 2023, according to Variety.
That’s right, you can add this film to your 2023 movie schedule because we’re going to be getting it much sooner than we thought. It was announced in the fall of 2021, along with one of its lead stars, so it’s exciting (and also a little nerve-wracking) to see the film completed so quickly and coming out within the next few months.
Knock At The Cabin Is About A Home Invasion
I feel like when it comes to most M. Night Shyamalan films, you want to go into the movie knowing as little as possible. But, you at least want to know the logline of the film so you have an idea of what’s happening, and that’s what we’re here to give you.
The bare-bones basic premise of Knock at the Cabin centers around a certain type of home invasion. According to the information from Variety, the film follows a family who are on vacation at a cabin that is in the middle of the woods, two men and their little girl. But suddenly, their trip is turned upside down when they are taken hostage by four strangers who are armed – and now, they need to make a choice to save themselves from the apocalypse. The story follows the family’s survival.
This isn’t the first time that a home invasion has been used at the premise for a horror movie, as we’ve seen it time and time again with films like Scream, Knock Knock, heck even Jordan Peele’s film, Us, is a home invasion film, so it’s not a new concept. However, I have a feeling that Shyamalan will be able to turn this into something none of us are expecting.
The Film Stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, And More
Since the film is already set to come out, we already have an idea of who is going to be starring in it, and according to the Variety article above, the cast list is killer.
The first name that was announced was Dave Bautista, who has been making his rounds in Hollywood, appearing in franchises like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as Dune, but now he’s going to be in a horror film. Shyamalan actually spoke about the reason why he cast Bautista in this role as one of the villains in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying that the wrestler-turned-actor was just the first person he thought about for the part after seeing him in Blade Runner 2049.
I was really taken by what Denis [Villeneuve] and Dave [Bautista] did in that scene in Blade Runner [2049]. He was still in a way that was powerful. There’s a type of stillness where you’re not doing nothing; you’re doing everything and you’re still. Every cell in your body will do what it’s supposed to do if you’re thinking something correctly. And Dave was embodying all of this philosophy in that scene…I didn’t know who he was at that time, and he stuck in my head. So when this script came, I was like, ‘There seems to be one guy who can play this giant human being and do the stillness.’ So I asked Dave.
I have a feeling that Bautista will kill it in a lead role like this, so I am so excited to see him. But he isn’t the only star that is set to appear in Knock at the Cabin.
Alongside Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint are also set to star. There are some newcomers to this list, such as Kristen Cui, but several of these stars have already appeared in so many amazing films and TV shows in Hollywood.
You may know Rupert Grint from the Harry Potter franchise, but he’s actually worked with Shyamalan in the past on his Apple TV+ series, Servant, and has also worked in horror again as part of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities cast, so this isn’t his first time in the thriller/horror genre.
Groff was originally a part of the Hamilton cast, but he’s also been in so many films and TV shows like Glee (where he had some sick covers), Mindhunter, Looking and more, as well as movies like Frozen. Aldridge has been in shows like Pennyworth and the Amazon Prime series Fleabag, and Abby Quinn played a role in 2019’s Little Women. Truly, this film is looking to be awesome.
M. Night Shyamalan Is Writing, Directing, And Producing Knock At The Cabin
This shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, as M. Night Shyamalan tends to always write, direct, and produce most of his films, and Knock at the Cabin is no different, according to the Variety article from before.
Also working alongside Shyamalan in the producing department are people who have worked behind the scenes with him at other times, like Marc Bienstock, who joined him on both the James McAvoy-lead film, Split, and its sequel, Glass, as well as Ashwin Rajan, who worked with him on Servant as well as Glass.
The Chilling Trailer Gives Away More Clues About The Plot
Like I said, nine times out of ten, you want to go into an M. Night Shyamalan film with as little information as possible – but if you’re like me and you just can’t wait to see this movie, at least you can check out the trailer down below, which just might give you some more hints and clues about what the plot could really be about.
M. Night Shyamalan either makes some of the creepiest and eeriest thrillers of all time (looking at you, Split), or he doesn't. But, hopefully, we’ll see Knock at the Cabin fall on the positive side. I just have a good feeling about it.
