‘Knock at the Cabin’: Why M. Night Shyamalan Withholds the Goriest Parts of His Movies From Horror Fans
M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most renowned directors in the horror genre, having created classics like The Sixth Sense and The Village. His films often feature suspenseful and often unexpected plot twists, creating a unique tension and anticipation as the story slowly unfolds. But what is more interesting is why the Knock at the Cabin writer/director withholds the goriest parts of his movies from horror fans.
M. Night Shyamalan is an Oscar-nominated horror director
Shyamalan’s films have been some of the most popular and beloved horror/thriller films of all time. His 1999 film The Sixth Sense, which stars Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, was a blockbuster that earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He followed it up with a string of other successful films, including Signs and The Village, that showcased his unique style of suspense and atmosphere.
His latest project, Knock at the Cabin, is set to be another hit, and is already garnering rave reviews. The movie follows a family vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods. When armed strangers make their way in and hold them, hostage, the family must make a difficult decision. The cast of the film includes an impressive array of talent, including Rupert Grint, Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Ben Aldridge.
Why M. Night Shyamalan avoids putting too much gore in his movies
Shyamalan often uses subtle horror elements, rather than relying on cheap scares, to build a tone that goes beyond shock and horror. And by withholding the goriest parts of his movies from horror fans, Shyamalan can create a sense of mystery, suspense, and dread that draws viewers in and keeps them guessing.
But according to the director, there is a more specific reason behind the lack of brutal violence in his films. For him, it’s all about making a movie for the audience, and that includes people who may be sensitive to seeing gore on screen.
“I found this on so many of my movies, but especially with [Knock at the Cabin],” Shyamalan explained to CBR. “Because the audience is so broad for my movies, the 13-year-old boys are like, `More blood,` and the older women are like, ‘I’m not bringing Stephanie to this movie. She couldn’t handle it!’ You have to find a balance between the two groups.”
Some scenes in Shyamalan’s horror projects do feature violent moments. But the filmmaker tries to keep them off-screen and incorporate them in other ways.
“I found the art of keeping things incomplete is the most powerful way to conjure the most resonant and visceral moment by not showing it,” Shyamalan said “Ironically, I’m tricking the 13-year-old boys into thinking that they saw what they saw by the sound effects or the expressions of the other characters. The older groups still feel the impact of it but don’t feel that I crossed a line into where it’s trauma in a wrong way.”
The ‘Knock at the Cabin’ director reveals how he gets his child actors to get into character
Shyamalan is known for writing child characters into his horror movies. And they often tell a large part of his stories.
After working with Haley Joel Osment for The Sixth Sense, and Abigail Breslin in Signs, he’s directing newcomer Kristin Cui in Knock at the Cabin. In his chat with CBR, Shyamalan detailed how he got the 9-year-old to get into character.
“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,” he recalled. “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,'” Shyamalan added. “And that took a long time.”
Knock at the Cabin is playing in theaters nationwide.
