If you’re in the mood for something that’s not too challenging but still quite provocative, Knock At The Cabin is a great choice. It’s nothing next to The Sixth Sense but it’s probably Shyamalan’s most efficient film of late. It knows how bizarre its premise is and how to execute it well, without falling to the hysterical depths of The Happening or After Earth.

During a holiday in a remote cabin, a same-sex couple and their daughter are held hostage by four armed strangers. They demand that one of the three sacrifices their life to prevent the apocalypse. A great debate ensues as the trio tries to determine whether there is any truth in their captors’ motivations.

The Characters

Knock At The Cabin’s cast is a good mix of characters who come across as normal, everyday people and characters who you can tell Shyamalan had a hand in writing. If you’ve seen his films you know what I’m talking about, the ones with their own unique traits and eccentricities.

The parents for example, Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff), are millennial thirty-somethings who have good jobs with good income and a child who they both adore. Being a gay couple of course means they’ve dealt with adversity and ostracization from the public and even their own parents. While they themselves may have felt odd in many situations throughout their lives, in the narrative they’re actually the most grounded and most average people in the cast. They’re just a couple of guys trying to protect their kid.

Speaking of who, Wen (Kristen Cui) is an eccentric seven-year-old girl with an interest in collecting grasshoppers. Eric and Andrew adopted her when she was born. As a baby she had a cleft palate, which was repaired but left a slight scar beneath her nose. She’s not so weird that she feels unnatural like the kids in Signs. She might be on the Autistic spectrum but that’s never brought up, she’s just very energetic and enthusiastic about whatever she’s doing.

Eric, Andrew and Wen create a very convincing family, one you can relate to and grow to love. Hence when the invaders storm their cabin and demand a sacrifice, you’re worried.

The four attackers are led by Leonard (Dave Batista), a massive hulk of man with a good intellect and a great sense of empathy. He is very understanding of the trio’s reaction to what he’s proposing but also has an unshakable faith in what he believes needs to be done.

The other three invaders are more aggressive. We learn of their lives and backgrounds, see how terrified they are of the approaching apocalypse and the effects it’ll have on them and their families. They’re not as approachable as Leonard but they’re understandably stressed.

The quartet’s bizarre prophecies and rituals contrast well with Eric and Andrew’s grounded, down to earth reactions. You get the weird Shyamalan ideas from the attackers and some well written humanity from the couple.

This is great to see after Old because despite that film’s strengths, its Achilles’ heel was its characters and their laughable dialogue.

The Plot

Knock At The Cabin reminded me of the last two Cloverfield films, 10 Cloverfield Lane and The Cloverfield Paradox, with a bit of Cabin In The Woods. All four films deal with big ideas on a small scale. The tension of the story isn’t in seeing the big ideas but experiencing the personal ramifications of them.

Knock At The Cabin is, at its heart, a thriller. Most of the film isn’t really about the apocalypse but finding out whether it’s happening at all. Eric and Andrew spend a lot of the film unconvinced of the quartet’s story, it takes them a long time to even consider that what their captors are saying maybe true.

Evidence for both sides are planted throughout the plot.  At one point you’ll believe the invaders’ upcoming apocalypse, at another you’ll side with the parents’ scepticism.

With the exception of a few flashbacks, the entirety of the film takes place inside the cabin. The TV in the living room is our only window to the outside world. In many ways, the secluded location is the perfect environment for both sides of the debate to achieve equal believability. This results in a sequence of arguments and refutes that are very tense and tremendously entertaining.

The only issue I have is the film’s world building. How the invaders learnt of the apocalypse is very vague, as are their rituals. I assume this is deliberate for atmospheric purposes but by the end of the film, there’s no indication of who or what informed these people of the apocalypse and why a sacrifice in this one cabin is the only way to stop it.

I think Knock At The Cabin could be a turning point in Shyamalan’s career. It seems to achieve something his films have struggled with since The Sixth Sense, a balance of Twilight Zone-weirdness and good characters that feel like real people. Perhaps the fact that his last two films have source material (Old is based on a comic, this is based on a novel) is a contributing factor. It’s evident that Shyamalan isn’t the strongest writer but he’s a great director, especially when given a good story to adapt.

If Old left you with mixed feelings I recommend Knock At The Cabin, it’s a less embarrassing and more involving experience. It won’t disappoint.

I give Knock At The Cabin a solid 7 out of 10.