A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
some
The big question addressed is whether humanity is worth saving. Movie argues that while humans do terrible things and there are lies and deceptions and evil cults, there's also great beauty, great hope, and the power of love.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Eric and Andrew are examples of good parents -- at least for a little while, until their lives are interrupted.
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Diverse Representations
a lot
Main characters are a White gay couple (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) who have a young adopted daughter (Chinese American actor Kristen Cui) with a facial difference (her scar suggests a repaired cleft lip). The four intruders are played by Dave Bautista (who's half Filipino), Nikki Amuka-Bird (who's Black), and Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint (who are White). TV news commentators include many characters of color and women. Director/co-writer Shyamalan, who appears in one of his usual cameos, is Indian American. Leonard (Bautista) counters stereotypes often associated with large, muscular people by turning out to be gentle, thoughtful, and compassionate.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Killings and death. Blood seeps through white cloth. Bloody wounds. Character slits own neck, blood seeping through clothing. Guns and shooting. Menacing homemade weapons. Fighting, swinging weapons, punching. Character with bloody face. Character crashes to floor, has concussion. Hate crime: A man in a bar smashes a bottle over a gay man's head; bloody wounds. Person clubbed in knee. Man throws pebbles in woman's face. Scary news footage includes planes crashing, viruses, tsunami, flooding, etc. Building on fire. Dialogue: "My father used to beat the s--t out of me." Creepy, unsettling drawings during opening titles.
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Language
a lot
Several uses of "f--k" or "f---ing." Also "bulls--t," "horses--t," "bitch," "bastard," "ass," "goddamn," "oh Jesus God," "d--k," "crap."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
In flashback, characters have drinks in a bar (some have too many). A character says "I like beer."
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Knock at the Cabin is a horror-thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan about two dads (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) and their young daughter (Kristen Cui) who are asked by four intruders to execute one member of their family in order to save humanity. Based on a novel by Paul Tremblay, it's a suspenseful, economical, and even intimate film that wrestles with the question of what aspects of humanity are actually worth saving. Violence is intense: There are killings, bloody wounds, blood seeping through clothing, guns and shooting, a character slicing their own neck, fighting, bludgeoning with weapons, a hate crime, terrifying news footage, a concussion, and more. Language includes "f--k" and "f---ing," "bulls--t," "bitch," "bastard," "ass," and "goddamn." A flashback takes place in a bar, with some drinking and drunkenness. Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint co-star. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In KNOCK AT THE CABIN, Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and their daughter, Wen (Kristen Cui), are vacationing in a quiet cabin. While Wen is out collecting grasshoppers, she's approached by Leonard (Dave Bautista), who tells her that he wants to be her friend. Before long, three other people -- Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Ardiane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint) -- approach, all carrying strange-looking weapons. Wen and her dads lock themselves in the cabin, but soon, Leonard and the others force their way inside. Once Eric and Andrew are subdued and tied up, Leonard makes an unexpected request: The family must decide to kill one among them in order to save all of humanity. If not, the apocalypse is coming.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Knock at the Cabin's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What do you think you might do in this situation? Is humanity worth such an extraordinary sacrifice? Why, or why not?
What positive representations did you notice in the film? Are stereotypes used?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
If you've read the book the movie is based on, how does the film compare?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 3, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: May 9, 2023
- Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint
- Director: M. Night Shyamalan
- Inclusion Information: Asian actors, Gay actors
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence and language
- Last updated: May 10, 2024
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