M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin vs. Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods: A Comparison

Two movies, one idea

M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin and Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods are mystery-driven thrillers that hide big reveals behind familiar horror genres. But the movies reach deeper similarities: both protagonists are told they have to die to prevent the apocalypse by questionably trustworthy individuals. These movies make us question our beliefs of sacrificing oneself to save people who are complete strangers.

A deep dive into each movie

The Cabin in the Woods stands nicely on its own as a meta-commentary on horror movies, a goof on the genre, while explaining some of horror cinema’s biggest nonsense. At every step, the sacrifices are monitored and manipulated, and the victims are killed to suit the demands of the evil gods. But when the survivors decide to let the whole world fall apart, they’re mostly just resisting their tormentors’ self-serving cruelty. The aim is to fight back against the cowards who sent them to die in the first place.

Knock at the Cabin suggests the importance of faith in the face of the unknown, where the family members are taken hostage by strangers who tell them that the apocalypse is coming, unless one member of the family dies at the hands of another in a ritual sacrifice. The question hangs in the air: would you kill someone you love to save countless other people?

How they complement each other

Both Cabin movies make a perfect double feature with complementary concepts. Cabin in the Woods puts a face on the torments the characters are facing – actively chosen to lie to the victims and cover-up the reason for their deaths. When the survivors decide to let the whole world fall apart, they are fighting back against the cowards who sent them to die in the first place. They ultimately realize that the bad guys aren’t the evil gods – they’re the people feeding them.

When compared to Cabin in the Woods, Knock at the Cabin has ambiguous and nihilistic overtones that can leave the audience in a confused state. Consequently, the set-up is open-ended, leaving the surviving characters on an ambiguous note. By contrast, Cabin in the Woods dials into the specifics of the scenario and places the characters in a world that’s cruel and vampiric compared to Knock at the Cabin.

Their conclusions

The outcomes depicted in both movies are vastly different. Cabin in the Woods has a snide and grim view, and its version of uplift is punk rock defiance of the cosmos, which suggests “you ain’t the boss of me.” But Knock at the Cabin is a study of faith and belief, which makes the movie’s protagonist a hero who’s willing to die for the people he loves.

In conclusion, the two movies are different in their approach and outlook but make the perfect double feature. It’s fascinating to watch the characters of both movies vividly and differentially respond to the same potentially apocalyptic situation. As we watch, we realize that the characters from Cabin in the Woods have a clear direction and energy to question the system, which the characters in Knock at the Cabin lack.

Credit: https://www.polygon.com/23652009/knock-cabin-in-the-woods-endings

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