Is Knock at the Cabin based on a true story, book, or both?

Knock at the Cabin poster
Source: Universal Pictures

Have any of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies been based on a true story? That I know of, no. Thankfully. And luckily that appears to be the case with his forthcoming Knock at the Cabin too. It’s due in theaters on Feb. 3, 2023.

Slash Film wrote that it’s “loosely based on Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World.”

The book’s synopsis and lines from the trailer make the similarity evident. Specifically, part of the book copy reads: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”

Which is very similar to a part of the trailer where one of the characters says, “Your family has been chosen to make a horrible decision. If you fail to choose, the world will end.”

No pressure or anything. Unless it’s just the psychotic ramblings of a madman. Then, either way, the family’s screwed.

Anyway, so the book is fiction, or as it’s described on Amazon, “…a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.” That’s a relief.

But the release date is another thing we might be grateful for. We’ll see. At least I was grateful it didn’t have a January release date. Not that horror movies released in January are as jinxed as I once thought they were. But more often than not they are stinkers.

Of course, that doesn’t mean horror movies released in other months of the year are guaranteed winners either. Whether it’s a big summer release or around Halloween, there have been plenty of horror movies that didn’t meet expectations.

And even though I always get excited when a new M. Night Shyamalan movie is announced, and I’ve enjoyed most of them, I’m still waiting for him to deliver another Signs or Sixth Sense. Knock at the Cabin looks promising. Guess we’ll find out if it’s one of his better ones or not early next year.

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Knock at the Cabin Trailer

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What’s your favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie? Or if you’re a fan of Paul Tremblay, what’s your favorite book of his?

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6 Comments

  1. I loved Sixth Sense. And I don’t care that everyone else figured it out before I did!

  2. Author

    Wait, what? Lots of people figured it out beforehand? I had no idea. I’m with you…the end surprised me, which is why I think I liked that movie so much. It’s not often that a movie has a surprise I didn’t see coming. lol

  3. Didn’t you love “OLD” Courteny? I sure did. I love how his movies & shows always surprise me. He is very clever at keeping you guessing what’s really going on. Have you seen his series “Servant” on Apple TV? I especially love watching him develop his story over numerous episodes and several seasons.

  4. Author

    Ahhhhh!!! You saw Old too, Misty?! FINALLY! Someone else who did…AND who thought it was good too! Even my husband liked it! He doesn’t like most scary ones, but the mystery of that beach just sucked him in and he wanted to see where it was going and how it would end. It was really a good cerebral film.

    And NO! I keep meaning to subscribe to Apple TV and that series is one of the reasons why I want to. I’m hoping this winter to finally sign up and have a bingefest. SO glad you mentioned Servant because I’ve been curious but haven’t heard many people talk about it. (I’ve been other sites write about it, but I want an opinion from a viewer like me. lol)

  5. Courtney, You’re so lucky your husband will at least give a movie a chance. My husband won’t even be in the same room when I am watching anything paranormal or scary (to him) in any way! So I have to watch everything alone.
    Yes, I loved “Old”! It kept me guessing until the end. it was so well done.

    I had heard about “Servant” so I signed up for AppleTV just to watch & I love it. I binge watched the seasons & can’t wait until the new & final season starts. It is so well done & so imaginative as well. It keeps you on the edge of your seat.

    Have you seen “Evil” on Paramount+? It’s also available to stream on Prime Video. I signed up for Paramount+ just to watch it & it was so worth it. It is an amazing, inventive & imaginative show that you will definitely love.

    Thanks for the heads up about Hell House. I will definitely check it out..

  6. Author

    LOL! He humors me and will go to theaters to see some if I really, really, really want to see them (like I did this summer with Nope and The Black Phone). Old was a fluke. I just started streaming it when it came out on HBO MAx (I think that’s where we watched from) and it caught his interest too.

    There are MANY nights, however, I come to bed (he’s already asleep) and turn something scary on. He wakes up, takes one look, flops on his belly cussing me out as he covers his head with his pillow trying to block it out. LOL

    So, yes, sometimes he gives movies a chance, but not always willingly…. lol

    If Evil is a series that was on CBS, I have seen the first few episodes of that and really liked it, but haven’t watched more. Another one to put on my watch list! Thanks.

    Thanks so much for the great exchange of info and scary movie/tv note trading! lol

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