Knock at the Cabin’s ending has one of the best twists of M. Night Shyamalan

Few things in movies over the past two decades are synonymous with M. Night Shyamalan and twisted endings. Even as the director moved away from the film-shaking, earth-shaking twists that shaped his early films like The sixth Sense, UnbrokenAnd Villagehe absolutely can’t resist some eleventh hour turns in movies like 2016 Detached or 2021 Old. But in his latest film, Type at the cabinShyamalan found one of his smartest and best turns by taking on his own fame.

[Ed. note: End spoilers ahead for Knock at the Cabin.]

What is Knock at the Cabin about?

Type at the cabin adaptation of Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel, The tent at the end of the world. The book and movie both tell the story of a couple and their young daughter vacationing in a country rental house, until four people from a doomsday cult break in and claim that A family must sacrifice one member or the world will end. The longer it takes a family to decide who must die, the more tragedies will happen on Earth, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and plagues. Or at least that’s what cult members claim.

While it’s natural to be a little skeptical of claims like these, Shyamalan’s movie version intelligently sided with the members of the cult, never making them look silly or silly. too ridiculous (thanks in large part to his stellar performance, the best of his career Guardians of the Galaxy And Army of the dead star Dave Bautista). Their seriousness and deadly conviction lend credence to their claims, and most importantly, fuel the family’s suspicions—especially the anger that comes from the fiery Andrew (Ben Aldridge) — seems more erroneous than four armed freaks who declare the world will disappear. end.

Image: Universal Image

How does Knock at the Cabin end?

But Shyamalan, in another brilliant decision, does not let the audience witness these apocalyptic events firsthand. Instead, he let us flip through them through cable news broadcasts, sometimes live and sometimes pre-recorded. Likewise, he omits any flashbacks of the images the cult members say they’ve seen, and lets them reveal the fact that they originally met on an internet forum. . All of this gives the cult members and their message an air of suspicion that makes the film uncomfortably tense and confusing.

By making the apocalypse seem so obvious within reach, Shyamalan uses his own fame against viewers, challenging audiences to predict a twist of “everything is fake” that they can’t. think they see from a mile away. Then the expected turning point never came. In fact, there is no twist. The film’s finale arrives with a violent rainless thunderstorm that threatens to burn down the entire Earth, just as the cultists have said. And we discovered that the real world To be will end, except that Eric (Jonathan Groff) actually saves everyone by choosing to sacrifice himself. It’s exactly the heartfelt and earnest movie about the love and sacrifice that it seems the whole time.

Image: Universal Image

Is Knock at the Cabin any good?

Like many of Shyamalan’s other films, Type at the cabin would be particularly divisive because of that ending. By working towards the idea of ​​a fake twist for the entire film, then never creating a twist, he keeps the ending from having a final feel – having the feeling right up to the very last moments that another emotional shoe remains.

For some, that lack of ending might just represent the characters’ lingering grief over what they’ve lost, even if that loss prevents the apocalypse. For others, it may turn out to be unsatisfactory, because of how many questions remain unanswered at the end. But no matter where you fall on that spectrum, Type at the cabin still has the kind of ending that feels weird, intriguing, and ambiguous that only Shyamalan and his 20+ year reputation for ultimate twists can earn.

Does Knock at the Cabin have a post-credits scene?

Are not. The final moment between Wen and Eric concludes the film, giving viewers more time to discuss what they just watched and what it meant.