Knock at the Cabin appears in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, the movie presented positive visuals.
Overall definition seemed good. A few slightly soft spots emerged but the majority of the movie provided appealing accuracy.
Jagged edges and moiré effects didn’t mar the presentation, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.
In terms of palette, Cabin went with a genre typical mix of teal and amber, with some dull green represented in forest shots. Within stylistic choices, the hues seemed well-depicted.
Blacks were dark and dense, and shadows gave us good clarity. I felt pleased with this transfer.
As for the Dolby Atmos audio, it offered a mostly typical horror/thriller soundscape. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, this meant a fair amount of creepy atmosphere and occasional “jolt moments”. Apocalypse-related material also created engulfing information.
Along with good stereo music, the soundfield was able to open things up in a satisfying manner that embellished the story. We got a nice sense of various elements along with a useful sense of the spooky bits, some of which worked really well.
Audio quality was largely good. Music appeared full and rich, while effects demonstrated nice clarity and accuracy.
Speech was natural and distinctive throughout the film. Low-end felt warm and deep. The mix used the speakers well and created a fine sense of the tale.
A smattering of extras appear here, and we get four featurettes. Choosing Wisely 23 minutes, 47 seconds and provides comments from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, producer Ashwin Rajan, costume designer Caroline Duncan, and actors Rupert Grint, Nikki Amika-Bird, Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Abby Quinn, and Ben Aldridge.
“Wisely” examines the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, and Shyamalan’s impact on the production. A handful of worthwhile notes emerge, but most of “Wisely” just offers happy talk.
Tools of the Apocalypse spans five minutes, three seconds and involves Shyamalan, Duncan, Grint, Quinn, production designer Naaman Marshall and property master Robbie Duncan.
With “Tools”, we look at costumes and props. While brief, the show brings some good information.
Next comes Drawing a Picture, a three-minute, 36-second reel with notes from Bautista, Groff, Shyamalan, Marshall, Duncan, and storyboard artist Brick Mason.
“Picture” looks at planning, preparation and storyboards. Here we find some insights but most of the reel just praises Shyamalan.
Kristen Cui Shines a Light lasts three minutes, 46 seconds and brings info from Groff, Aldridge, Shyamalan, actor Kristen Cui
As expected, “Light” tells us about the work of the movie’s child actor. A few decent thoughts emerge.
Four Deleted Scenes occupy a total of five minutes, 35 seconds. Two show more Andrew/Eric backstory, and a third lets us see a little of the happy family pre-invasion.
Finally, we get a little more exposition from Leonard. None seem important – and I’m glad we lost the one that asked us to swallow 37-year-old Groff as a college student.
Finally, we get Chowblaster Infomercial – Extended. It goes for one minute, 10 seconds and shows the TV ad glimpsed in the movie. It’s fun in an “Easter egg” way.
Like many M. Night Shyamalan films, Knock at the Cabin comes with an intriguing premise. Also like many M. Night Shyamalan films, this one revolves too much around plot twists and gimmicks and too little on strong characters and narrative development. The Blu-ray boasts solid picture and audio but bonus materials seem mediocre. This turns into a disappointing flick.