Horror adheres to trends, tropes, and cliches so religiously it’s like the genre’s own way of archiving its history. The ’80s saw franchise slashers, the ’90s saw a rise in indie horror, the ’00s with found footage, and then the late 2010s and early 2020s with a bizarre one: scary old people. Yes, it is absolutely a trope set to define the modern era.
One of the first films to really kickstart the creepy old people trope was M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit, and it has now returned to spooking streaming audiences as the director sees his latest cinematic release. His new thriller A Knock at the Cabin is currently in cinemas, so it must be the perfect time to relive this 2015 release.
Somehow returning to the top ten charts in 20 countries thanks to its availability on HBO Max, you may remember the film for some of its rather laughable moments. The film follows a brother and sister who travel to visit their estranged grandparents, with hints that not all is well in the house of grandma. The Visit is shot with both conventional techniques, as well as the occasional use of found footage.
The really interesting thing, again, is how it brought the scary old people trope back from the brink following a 20-year absence. Since The Visit, the likes of Mia Goth’s X, Alex Garland’s Men, and fellow horror newcomers Hereditary and Barbarian have all thoroughly enjoyed their usage of the trope.
Like any other Shyamalan movie, it does also feature a fairly awful plot twist which seems to have been done solely because audiences would’ve expected it. Just like The Village, it’s turgid and does little to add to the film – perhaps even taking away from its overall quality.
Still, you wouldn’t want a Shyamalan movie without a dumb twist to slightly annoy you.
Published: Feb 15, 2023 12:11 am