Rupert Grint Admits Why Knock At The Cabin Was Sort Of The Worst Project For Him: 'It Does Entangle Both Of My Fears'

Rupert Grint terrified in M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest box office horror movie hit, Knock at the Cabin, contains a simple but terrifying premise: if strangers broke into your home and forced you to choose between your loved ones and the rest of the world, what would you do? A bone-chilling Sophie’s choice that one of the movie’s actors, Harry Potter alum Rupert Grint, says made the filmmaking experience one of the worst projects for him because it encompasses two of his biggest fears: the apocalypse and home invasions.

Costars Rupert Grint and Ben Aldridge appeared on the British television program, This Morning to discuss their latest M. Night thriller. Grint gushed about his time working with The Sixth Sense director (a reunion for the pair) but says the movie was quite stressful due to his own personal fears, and chiefly, his fear of home invasion. When asked, the actor confirmed to the hosts:

Yes, this does kind of entangle both of my fears. Quite stressful. Mainly the kind of home invasion is quite raw. [Jokes] I’m fine with the apocalypse, that’s easy.

Who can blame the actor? There is no shortage of apocalypse and home invasion films and television shows, and I’d wager that is primarily because it’s a fear many of us share.

The Moonwalkers star might have had a stressful time on the set of Knock at the Cabin due to the nature of the subject matter at hand; however, he had nothing but positive things to say about his director. Grint went as far as describing Shyamalan as being a genius in the realm of psychological thrillers. He continued: 

We go way back… we shot a tv series for Apple. So I got to know him quite well. He’s a lovely guy in real life. He’s very lighthearted. I think in this genre, he’s just amazing. He’s so good at finding the fear… I kind of know exactly what he wants, and we are very much in sync that way. He’s great, I love working with him.

It would seem that audiences and critics agree with Grint because Knock at the Cabin became M. Night’s fourth movie in a row to hit number one at the box office. An impressive achievement for any filmmaker, but maybe even more so for Shyamalan, who at one point in time had become somewhat of a Hollywood punching bag after such box office bombs as The Last Air Bender and After Earth. Perceived failures aside, we cannot forget we are talking about the man who wrote and directed The Sixth Sense and Signs (which shares a spiritual connection to Knock). The director has some bangers in his filmography–see our ranking of all his movies.

Do you share the fear of the apocalypse and home invasions with actor Rupert Grint? Well, there is still time for you to be scared out of your wits by catching Knock at the Cabin, now playing in theaters. For all other movie and entertainment news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend and make sure to check out our list of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next cinema-going experience. 

Ryan LaBee
Writer

Ryan graduated from Missouri State University with a BA in English/Creative Writing. An expert in all things horror, Ryan enjoys covering a wide variety of topics. He's also a lifelong comic book fan and an avid watcher of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.