M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable Trilogy Almost Included A Nod To Another Of His Films
2023 could already serve as a stellar year for horror filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. His Apple TV+ series, "The Servant," is scheduled to deliver its fourth and final season on January 13, 2023. We can likely expect some massive twists and a few satisfying answers for the story of couple Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell) in "The Servant." However, according to Shyamalan, we shouldn't hold our breath for a happy ending. Meanwhile, this year will also deliver a new film from Shyamalan, called "Knock at the Cabin." And if its terrifying premise of four strangers holding a family hostage with a horrible decision isn't enough to scare, then maybe its immersive VR experience will do the trick.
With Shyamalan exploring television and augmented reality to help tell stories, it's clear that the filmmaker isn't afraid of exploring new boundaries. But hardcore fans may already be hip to that fact because of Shyamalan's memorable "Unbreakable" film trilogy. Also known as the "Eastrail 177" Trilogy, the group of movies included "Unbreakable," "Split," and "Glass," and provided a more grounded approach to the superhero genre compared to the MCU or DCEU. The trilogy of films is all connected storywise. But according to Shyamalan, another one of his movies almost got a nod from the trilogy.
The Visit could have been cleverly linked to Glass
In 2015, M. Night Shyamalan released the found-footage horror movie, "The Visit," which centers on two children visiting their estranged grandparents for the weekend. However, the dramatic twist of "The Visit" is that grandparents Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) aren't really the kids' relatives. They're actually escapees from a psychiatric hospital who murdered the real grandparents. It's a scary premise for a movie. And it also could have received a mention in "Glass," which came out later in 2019. This reveal came up during Shyamalan's interview with The Hollywood Reporter when asked about linking his characters in a shared universe.
"If I was smart enough to have thought about it 20-some years ago, I would've done it, but I wasn't smart enough to think about it," Shyamalan told The Hollywood Reporter. "There was one tie-in that I almost did. It was in 'Glass' when they all got to the mental institution. I was going to tell a story about 'The Visit' and how two people escaped from that same hospital."
Hearing mention of Nana and Pop Pop escaping from Raven Hill Memorial in "Glass" could have been an incredible Easter egg. And in the world of "Unbreakable," it's believable that two escapees would have left and terrorized another family. In addition, when it comes to "The Visit," not only did it lose out on a tie-in, but it also could have been a different experience altogether. "The Visit," mixes comedy and horror elements, but there was almost an arthouse cut of the movie released instead that felt more like a psychological thriller. Instead, perhaps its missed link and unique cut exist in another universe.