First Knock at the Cabin Trailer Might Feature the Strongest Shyamalan Cast Ever

If there’s one constant to the career of divisive director M. Night Shyamalan, it’s that the man never really rests when he currently has opportunities to write, produce or direct more films—if you give him that opportunity, he tends to start working immediately. It’s a credit to the guy, who clearly loves making stories for the screen. And Knock at the Cabin looks like it has a chance to be one of his more disturbing stories.

Like last film Old, Knock at the Cabin sees Shyamalan adapting an existing work. One gets a sense, though, that he might be a bit more faithful here than he was to the French graphic novel source material of Old, considering that Knock at the Cabin is an adaptation of Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Cabin at the End of the World by literary horror star Paul G. Tremblay. Also potentially encouraging is the fact that Shyamalan has two co-writers listed for the screenplay in the form of Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, who one can only hope might rein in some of his more absurd impulses.

The thing that immediately stands out on seeing the first trailer below, however, is just how impressive a little cast this is for what is essentially a one-location horror film. Casting the hulking Dave Bautista as the huge but seemingly gentle antagonist “Leonard” is an A+ move, as is the presence of Mindhunter star Jonathan Groff as one half of a gay couple held hostage. And is that Harry Potter icon Rupert Grint, back in a major Hollywood feature? Welcome back! As the official synopsis puts it, meanwhile:

While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.

Knock at the Cabin feels like it could be a perfect Halloween season release, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer, as the current release date is pegged for Feb. 3, 2023. Check out the effective first trailer below.