What Is M. Night Shyamalan's Knock At The Cabin Adapted From?
The trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's "Knock at the Cabin" was recently released by Universal Pictures. The preview sees a couple, Andrew (Jonathan Groff) and Eric (Ben Aldridge), arrive at a cabin in the woods for a vacation with their young daughter Wen (Kristen Cui). Their serene getaway doesn't last long, however, as Wen soon sees a mysterious man in the woods walking toward them. Next, the family tries to keep out the four intruders who are attempting to break into their cabin, but are ultimately unsuccessful. The intruders — Leonard (Dave Bautista), Redmond (Rupert Grint), Sabrina (Abby Quinn), and Adriane (Nikki Amuka-Bird) — tie up Andrew and Eric. Leonard tells them, "Your family has been chosen to make a horrible decision. If you fail to choose, the world will end."
Horror fans are likely itching to see "Knock at the Cabin" — which opens in theaters on February 3, 2023 — seeing as the premise is so intriguing. Like Shyamalan's most recent endeavor, 2021's "Old," this upcoming film is also based on pre-existing source material (rather than being an original story, such as the filmmaker's "The Sixth Sense" or "Signs," for example).
So, what is "Knock at the Cabin" adapted from?
Knock at the Cabin is adapted from a Paul Tremblay book
M. Night Shyamalan's "Knock at the Cabin" is adapted from Paul Tremblay's 2018's horror novel "The Cabin at the End of the World." According to Goodreads, the novel is quite similar to what the movie seems to be about based on what we've seen from the trailer. In the book, Andrew and Eric, along with their daughter Wen, are excited for their isolated stay in the woods — only for it to be terrifyingly interrupted by Leonard and the rest of the intruders, who tell the family that the fate of the world is in their hands.
In a July 2022 interview with CNBC, Tremblay revealed that he had to keep quiet about the fact that one of his books was the source material for Shyamalan's new film — even after rumors about the premise became public knowledge in March (via Bloody Disgusting).
On keeping the secret, Tremblay said, "I honestly spent a chunk of my 2022 spring quelling internet rumors and putting out Twitter fires connecting the book and movie. It reached a point in early June where that became impossible, however, with all the information out there, including the IMDb page. I have been doing my part to be respectful of movie marketing desires and certainly wouldn't dream of spoiling anything." He added that there will be minor changes here and there, as is natural with adaptations, so his fans will still be surprised when they watch.
Tremblay wasn't initially optimistic that the film would actually get made
As CNBC notes, "The Cabin at the End of the World" is the first of Paul Tremblay's books to be adapted — despite the fact that another of his novels, "A Head Full of Ghosts," has been in development since 2015 when Focus Feature won an auction for the rights (via Deadline). Thus, he was skeptical that the film would actually make it to theaters, even after M. Night Shyamalan's name was attached (originally as a producer, then as screenwriter and director).
Tremblay said to CNBC, "Of course, it was thrilling to hear that he was interested as I've enjoyed a number of his movies. At the time, though, given my prior experience with the ups and downs and the waiting game of development, I'd heard lots of exciting names attached to or interested in my prior novels and then things inevitably would fall apart."
But once the process moved forward and the film eventually entered production, Tremblay's view changed. The author said, "I then moved from cautious optimism to real-time excited." Further, Tremblay noted that, while he didn't have any say in the screenplay, he got to visit the set and was impressed with the work of both Shyamalan and the actors.
"Knock at the Cabin" will premiere in theaters on February 3, 2023.