M Night Shyamalan has always been at odds with his own legend. His 1999 breakout film, The Sixth Sense, revolved around a twist so sensational that it came to define him. Shyamalan is thought of now less as a director than a trickster; all that really matters to his audiences is how smoothly the rug is pulled out from under them. A relentless cycle of unmatchable hype builds and inevitable disappointment ensues.
With barely a twist to speak of (at least in the traditional sense), his latest film Knock at the Cabin feels like a repudiation of the past. It’s a (largely) single-location, narratively straightforward horror that unspools the tricky moral conundrum at its centre with inventive, Hitchcockian flair. Hopefully, Knock at the Cabin will serve as a reminder that Shyamalan should be celebrated as much for his craftsmanship as he is for his shock tactics.
