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A review by grrr8_catsby
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Last month, I sat down in the movie theater to watch “Knock At The Cabin”, knowing nothing about it, nor what it was about. It was not until the credits rolled that I realized, hey, I think I have that book sitting on my bookshelf.
“Knock At The Cabin” bares a different name than A Cabin At The End Of The World, which feels appropriate, because the book and the movie vary greatly. To its credit, the first half of the movie is a faithful adaption, but ultimately, Hollywood gets creative.
Tone and tempo are the biggest detractors for A Cabin At The End Of The World. Gruesome passages are descriptive and visceral, while palpable tension hangs in the air. These moments repeatedly fail to blend with the rest of the story, which at times spiral to an excruciating crawl. While the movie does a great job of stoking the flames of disbelief, the book far excels. However, this is both a blessing and a curse, for the book ends with the sin of an ambiguous ending. I want answers, dammit. If I flip a coin, I want to hear “heads” or “tails”, not about the journey of the coin through the air.
“Knock At The Cabin” bares a different name than A Cabin At The End Of The World, which feels appropriate, because the book and the movie vary greatly. To its credit, the first half of the movie is a faithful adaption, but ultimately, Hollywood gets creative.
Tone and tempo are the biggest detractors for A Cabin At The End Of The World. Gruesome passages are descriptive and visceral, while palpable tension hangs in the air. These moments repeatedly fail to blend with the rest of the story, which at times spiral to an excruciating crawl. While the movie does a great job of stoking the flames of disbelief, the book far excels. However, this is both a blessing and a curse, for the book ends with the sin of an ambiguous ending. I want answers, dammit. If I flip a coin, I want to hear “heads” or “tails”, not about the journey of the coin through the air.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Homophobia