Jenn Arias ‘24
Staff Writer
ariasjri@lakeforest.edu
Dave Bautista breaks the mold of his typecast, larger-than-life role in an unexpected part in 2023’s newest horror film, “Knock at the Cabin.” Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Bautista gives a moving performance as Leonard, who has “the most important job in the history of the world.”
Based on the 2018 horror novel, “Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay, “Knock at the Cabin” brings suspense and effective cinematography to depict the onset of the end of the world.
Leonard and a group of ragtag associates are called into action when they begin to have visions of the apocalypse. Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), a nurse, Adriane (Abby Quinn), a line cook, and Redmond (Rupert Grint), employed by the gas company, leave their regular lives to join Leonard, a second-grade teacher, to travel to a cabin in Pennsylvania.
Fearful of intruders, the family inside, 7-year-old Wen (Kristen Cui) and her fathers Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) bar windows and doors against the strangers to no avail. Once inside, the group informs the tied-up fathers that they were chosen to orchestrate the prevention of the apocalypse—by choosing one of the three to die.
If they fail to choose one of them to be sacrificed, the world will end. The three of them will be forced to wander the dead planet long enough for the air supply to run out.
The visions experienced by the strangers depict what will happen if they don’t choose. Every answer “no” results in a plague set loose on humanity until the Earth and its inhabitants are completely destroyed.
From then on, a riveting dilemma is presented. The first question on the table is whether they should believe these trespassers who wield strange medieval-like weapons that they call “tools.” Are they simply losing their minds? Are they just making it up to try to scare them? Is this some sick sort of hate crime for a family that has some experience defending their relationship?
If they choose to believe them, the result is even more horrifying. The question then shifts morally to a question of what are they willing to give up for their love?
A rollercoaster of emotion follows Shyamalan’s use of flashbacks showing simple scenes in the family’s life that made them a family. They stick together through hardship and hilarity only to be confronted with the biggest obstacle to their happiness. The artful use of extreme angle shots point out what is important and, in the end, what is at stake.
When this becomes a choice between a selfless, yet crippling sacrifice or preserving the true love of this complete set of three, the real question is, is mankind worth saving? And at what expense?
A nail-biting series of events leaves you wondering about your own choices. What could you give up for the good of humanity? Could you be the decider in the ultimate game of life or death?
Catch “Knock at the Cabin” in theaters or streaming exclusively on Peacock.
