M. Night Shyamalan Reveals Why ‘Boogie Shoes’ Was the Perfect Song for ‘Knock at the Cabin’
M. Night Shyamalan is best known for writing and directing horror films such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Split. But many of his movies also have something to say about family. 2023’s Knock at the Cabin certainly does, as its story hinges on a family thrust into a deadly situation. However, in a comedic twist, the movie highlights KC and The Sunshine Band’s iconic 1978 single “Boogie Shoes.”
‘Knock at the Cabin’ centers on a married couple with an adopted daughter
In Knock at the Cabin, Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge play a married couple named Eric and Andrew, who go on a vacation with their adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui). Cui makes her film debut in the movie, and Shyamalan was impressed the young actor prepared for her audition by herself. But in an interview with Comic Book Resources, Shyamalan shared a bit about what Cui brought to Knock at the Cabin.
“[Kristen Cui] is a very specific person, very unusual, and an extremely intelligent girl but also quirky. [I] love that when I meet a human being, that they’re their own invention. The process was primarily about ironically teaching her to let go of all of that and to learn the new craft of how to learn a character’s emotions. It was just constantly reminding her [of] the ethics of storytelling and acting. Rather than tricking her or her tricking us, I’m like, ‘We’re going to have to do this real way. You’re going to have to learn how to think like this child.’ And that took a long time.”
Prior to filming, the director had Groff, Aldridge, and Cui spend two weeks rehearsing and bonding to make their family dynamic feel authentic. But there was still the matter of finding the right song to highlight one particular moment in Knock at the Cabin.
How M. Night Shyamalan settled on KC and The Sunshine Band’s ‘Boogie Shoes’
Much of Knock at the Cabin puts its lead characters in a dangerous situation, but Shyamalan did know he wanted to have a glimpse at the family Eric, Andrew, and Wen have created. And what better way than to see them singing along to a song on the road?
“I knew that there was going to be a particular song that meant something to these three individuals deeply,” Shyamalan told IMDb. “And it should represent a little bit about them teaching the girl about joy and life and celebration. And it needed to be a little bit silly. I narrowed it down to two songs, and I played it for the three of them. When I played ‘Boogie Shoes,’ I just saw this kind of energy happen with the three of them.”
How M. Night Shyamalan found newcomer Kristen Cui
Remarkably, “Jump Around” by House of Pain was Shyamalan’s other choice for the scene. But it sounds like the director’s instinct led him to make the right decision. Likewise, Shyamalan’s experience with child actors led to the discovery of Cui. As he told JoBlo.com, that casting was part of a long, arduous process.
“This would be a case of trusting the film gods a little bit because you have to go ‘is there a little Asian girl out there that’s seven or eight years old that could be at the center of such a traumatic and beautiful story? And is there a giant in the world that could do monologues?” Do they even exist in the world, and can you find them in time to make this story? … Then this one girl did this really interesting audition, and I called her and I Zoomed with her. … And I said, ‘how did you prep for this audition?’ and she said, ‘I just did it.’ And I said, ‘you did it yourself?’ … Her instincts about the emotion, what was scaring her, and what was funny were dead-on.”
Shyamalan also notably led Haley Joel Osment to deliver an iconic and Oscar-nominated performance in 1999’s The Sixth Sense. And he subsequently worked with child stars in films such as Unbreakable, Signs, and Old.
