When psychological horror films are in discussion, it's hard not to bring the blockbuster and mind-bending releases like The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), and Split (2016), all of which are under the belt of, M. Night Shyamalan. The Academy-Award-nominated director rose to prominence for his distinctive approach to filmmaking, with his creative movies that combine modern supernatural themes and twisted conclusions.
With a screenplay that Shyamalan co-wrote alongside Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, Knock at the Cabin is an apocalyptic psychological horror film revolving around a family of three held hostage by four strangers in a secluded cabin with sinister motives. The film is an adaptation of the acclaimed horror novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. The novel won the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award for Novel in 2019. Fans can currently watch two trailers for Knock at the Cabin to get a sense of the intriguing premise and gorgeous cast.
Related:‘Knock at the Cabin’ Review: M. Night Shyamalan Reminds Us Why We Liked Him in the First Place
Dave Bautista as Leonard
With both successful careers in wrestling and acting, Dave Bautista is now set to widen his filmography with the upcoming film Knock at the Cabin. After playing Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe including in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Dave Bautista gained fame as an actor. He also starred in a villainous role as Glossu Rabban in the 2021 film Dune and will reprise this role in the upcoming sequel Dune: Part Two. Bautista's filmography also includes Spectre where he played the villainous henchman Hinx, Blade Runner 2049 where he had a brief role as the rogue replicant Sapper Morton, Army of the Dead where he played the lead role of Scott Ward, and most recently he played Duke Cody, a loudmouthed streamer, in Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Knock at the Cabin will mark his first film of 2023. Other projects Bautista has lined up for 2023 include the aforementioned Dune: Part Two, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the fantasy action film In the Lost Lands.
In Knock at the Cabin, Bautista will play Leonard, a towering, enigmatic young man who offers the three members of the family the opportunity to make a willing sacrifice. Leonard portrays himself as someone who wants to do good for humanity, but his methods of accomplishing his objectives make him more of a villain. His charisma leads him to quickly win over Wen, the adopted daughter of Andrew and Eric. But soon enough, the family is abducted by him and his team, who then instruct the family that one of them must be killed to avert the end of the world. The descriptions of Leonard in the novel perfectly match Bautista's physique and demeanor, although in the book he's supposedly in his twenties, nonetheless, Bautista seems like the natural fit.
Rupert Grint as Redmond
Rupert Grint is set to play the role of a crass and unsophisticated man who has a mysterious connection to Andrew and Eric's past. Redmond enters the story alongside Leonard's other two acquaintances with awful, crudely put-together weapons fashioned from garden tools and long rods in the style of the Middle Ages. It's safe to say that he has an odd first impression. All four invaders in Knock at the Cabin are distinct and disastrous characters experiencing some sort of shared delusions. Thus, their persona is psychologically twisted.
Grint rose to fame for his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise acting in all eight films. This isn't Grint's first collaboration with Shyamalan as he is also part of the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant, which is currently in its fourth and final season. Grint also earned the 2021 Hollywood Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama, for his outstanding performance in Servant. Fans are eager to watch Grint explore a complicated character like Redmond, given his revered experience in the thriller and horror genres.
Nikki Amuka-Bird as Sabrina
Nikki Amuka-Bird's acting career is driven by strong characters. The excellent Nigerian-born British actress started her acting career in 1999 with the British medical drama series Holby City. Nikki has previously collaborated with M. Night Shyamalan in the 2021 movie Old as Patricia Carmichael. She also famously starred in the 2022 romantic drama film Persuasion, alongside Dakota Johnson and Henry Golding. She also played Rav Mulcair in the HBO series Avenue 5. In her second film with Shyamalan, Nikki will play the role of the short sturdy woman named Adriane who enters the scene clutching a pick with a chain and a mallet head, as a part of Leonard's team.
The trailer gives off her role as a helpless, horror-stricken woman who is haunted with the vision of the world ending and feels forced to cause harm to the sweet family of three. Whether she does justice to Sabrina from the original novel is yet to be discovered, but fans are optimistic about her role.
Abby Quinn as Adriane
Abby Quinn, a relatively fresh face is chosen for the role of the nurse Sabrina, who is the fourth and final invader who keeps the family hostage. Adriane has a child named Charlie, and she became a part of Leonard's group because she believes her son will die if the sacrifice is not carried out. Her persona is similar to that of an emotional, helpless mother who, like her predecessors, cannot foresee the impending end of the world. In portraying the invaders in an emotional light, Shyamalan brilliantly blurs the line between who is right and who is wrong in the film.
Quinn started her acting career in 2012 by appearing in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her film credits include sh*thouse, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Landline, Torn Hearts, and Little Women. Abby was also a part of the main cast of the 2019 revival of Mad About You playing the role of Mabel Buchman and has guest-starred in hit series such as Black Mirror (in the episode "Arkangel") and Better Call Saul. Knock at the Cabin looks to be the biggest role of Quinn's career to date.
Jonathan Groff as Eric
Knock at the Cabin showcases the dilemma and struggle of a gay couple when they are presented with a choice to sacrifice one of themselves in return for the safety of humanity. The couple, with their adopted daughter Wen, go for a vacation in the woods when they are faced with this terrible situation. Jonathan Groff will play the role of Eric, who appears a lot more emotional than Andrew. However, the two stand as equals in their love for their daughter and each other. They resist making the choice to sacrifice one of themselves even though it might mean that humanity will perish. The two love each other deeply and cannot sacrifice their sweet family of three no matter what. Eric becomes the key to the big twist that happens in the trailer when he "sees something in the light” that changes his view of the situation. He starts to convince Andrew that the fate of everyone in the world is in their hands, almost believing what the invaders tell the family.
Groff made his screen debut in the 2009 Ang Lee film Taking Woodstock. He also voices the roles of Kristoff and Sven the Reindeer in Disney's mega-successful Frozen franchise. On television, Groff has starred in popular series such as Mindhunter, Looking, Glee, and Lost Ollie. He also played King George in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway sensation Hamilton.
Related:New 'Knock at the Cabin' Clip Shows a Family Forced to Make an Impossible Choice
Ben Aldridge as Andrew
Ben Aldridge will play Eric's husband and Wen's second dad, Andrew. His character is the stronger of the two dads who refuse to believe any of the 'nonsense' of the four invaders. He is a resilient character keen on saving his family and keeping his daughter safe. He leaves the cabin despite all the warnings from the invaders.
Ben is best known for his portrayals of Thomas Wayne in the crime drama series Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler, Arsehole Guy in the dramedy series Fleabag, and DI Matthew Venn in the drama The Long Call. He last appeared as Kit Cowan in the romantic drama Spoiler Alert in 2022.
Kristen Cui as Wen
Featured prominently in the film's marketing, Kristen Cui plays the important role of Andrew and Eric's adopted daughter named Wen. The novel starts with Wen catching grasshoppers outside the cabin in the woods as she is approached by Leonard. The trailer also recreates the scene, asserting Wen as an intelligent child who flees when she sees Leonard's three other friends approaching and warns her dads of their presence. While being held hostage, she again manages to flee the cabin but is caught again.
The role of Wen is somewhat central to the novel and Kristen is seen bringing the character to life effortlessly in the trailer. She is the driving force behind her dad's will to survive as they love each other and their family unconditionally. Knock at the Cabin will mark Kristen's acting debut.
