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Director M. Night Shyamalan on the twists and turns of 'Knock at the Cabin'
A vacation at a remote cabin in the woods turns into a nightmare for a young girl and her parents in the new thriller 'Knock at the Cabin.' The film is the latest from director M. Night Shyamalan, and Paul Milliken got the chance to sit down with the filmmaker to learn more about the project.
ATLANTA - Set essentially in one room and featuring a small ensemble cast, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller "Knock at the Cabin" might strike some as a modern-day episode of "The Twilight Zone." And that’s a comparison the filmmaker embraces.
"I think ’Twilight Zone’ taught me the power of economy," says Shyamalan. "For budget reasons, Rod Serling had to use his mind to tell stories about bigger things than they could afford. And that created a kind of timeless way to hear these big stories."
"Knock at the Cabin," which hits theaters today from Universal Pictures, finds a family of three cornered in a vacation rental, up against four terrifying strangers and one horrible ultimatum: one of the family members must be sacrificed in order to save humanity.
"It’s very unnerving when the storyteller’s not showing you the thing that you’re worried about," says the filmmaker of his inspirations in making the taut, claustrophobic thriller. "It creates this kind of painting of the mind of the bigger things that they’re talking about."
"Knock at the Cabin" features an all-star cast, including Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Rupert Grint. To hear more from the filmmaker — including his thoughts on Atlanta — click the video player in this article.