As far as the 20th century was concerned, there was one director who stood out as someone whose lifelong ambition was to give his audiences thrills and chills, so much so that the title of master of suspense was bestowed upon him – Alfred Hitchcock.

Probably the closest director of this day and age subscribing to the same eerie philosophy is M. Night Shyamalan.

His latest film is yet another example of his body of work that promotes a premise that initially comes across as preposterous but with more time becomes ever more believable.

Taking a family vacation in an idyllic cabin in the woods are couple Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) with their young adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui).

All is going well until they receive four unwelcome visitors, lead by Leonard (Dave Bautista), who informs them that although they mean them no harm whatsoever, they come with a dilemma that only they can resolve. It appears they need the family to make a decision, a costly one at that, but if they don’t make the right choice, it will mean the end of the world as we know it.

It’s fair to say that Shyamalan’s output of late has struggled to compare with his earlier work. There’s no doubting the material has been intriguing, but much of it, like 2021’s Old for instance, has been let down by its execution overall, and sadly this film is no different.

So the hook here is that a family has to make a decision that no one should have to make. So far, so good. And much like his previous body of work, there’s once again a mystical element, but here it takes on biblical proportions. The crux of it is, for the audience as much as the family concerned, is whether to believe these visitors or not. But because it’s as black or white as that, there’s really no grey area, which makes it all too clear cut.

It’s a film then that feels like an elongated episode of the Twilight Zone, that struggles to maintain interest for the length of a whole feature. And although it may hook you initially, it doesn’t do nearly enough to keep you there.

Which is disappointing, especially as there are some fine performances, most notably from the excellent young talent that is Cui, and Bautista showing some real depth that belies his physical presence on screen.

It’s a film that suffers from something that his previous body of work rarely suffers from, and that’s being predictable. You expect a number of twists and turns along the way, so when they don’t come sadly, you can’t help but feel disappointed.

Knock at the Cabin is intriguing, initially at least, but simply doesn’t deliver in a way you would expect from a solid storyteller like Shyamalan. It’s a curious piece, but is in no shape or form the type of film you’ll lose any sleep over, which is what you kind of want from a Shyamalan film.