(OSV News) – It may be the end of the world as we know it in "Knock at the Cabin" (Universal). But, unlike R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, no one in this offbeat but effective thriller feels fine. Neither will any viewer who comes to the film without the mature discernment needed to sort through its ethically complex content.

The difficulties raised on that score are at least somewhat mitigated, however, by the degree to which the movie departs, from its premise onward, from anything resembling everyday life. Instead, working from Paul Tremblay's bestseller "The Cabin at the End of the World," director and co-writer M. Night Shyamalan takes us, quite promptly, to the Twilight Zone.

Vacationing couple Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) find the country idyll they've been sharing with their adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) at the remote dwelling of the title more than rudely interrupted when they're taken hostage by a quartet of intruders. But this, it soon turns out, is no ordinary home invasion.

As the group's leader, hulking but seemingly gentle Leonard (Dave Bautista), explains, all four of the interlopers have had matching visions of the impending apocalypse. It's also been revealed to them that this cataclysm can only be averted if one of their captives is selected by the others to be killed in sacrifice.

As the initially incredulous adult duo try to protect themselves and Wen, TV news bulletins confront them with mounting evidence of worldwide disasters unfolding in rapid succession. They discover as well that they're captors are neither habitual criminals nor cultists. Leonard, for example, is a teacher and coach. Could the strangers, in fact, be telling the truth?

Shyamalan builds up the emotional tension, partly through the use of intense close-ups. He also elicits forceful performances that help make the fantastic nature of his main characters' quandary more believable.

As will already be apparent, however, the revelations mentioned in the script Shyamalan penned with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman diverge significantly from Biblical prophecy. And, of course, the behavior undertaken in response to them would in any normal circumstances be deeply immoral.

With all that going on, the narrative's endorsement of the central relationship feels fleeting. But it's also distinct.

Surveying all these taxing elements, it's clear that the fitting audience for this eccentric yarn is a scanty one. It certainly does not include youngsters or those grown-ups in search of a mild diversion.

The film contains discreetly handled but harsh violence with some gore, suicide, a benign view of homosexual acts, a few profanities, several milder oaths, frequent rough language and about a half-dozen crude terms. The OSV News classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - - John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News- - -CAPSULE REVIEW"Knock at the Cabin" (Universal)Offbeat but effective thriller in which a quartet of intruders (led by Dave Bautista) take a vacationing same-sex couple (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) and their young adopted daughter (Kristen Cui) hostage for what turns out to be a bizarre reason. All the members of the group, they explain, have had matching visions of the impending apocalypse, a cataclysm that can only be averted if one of their captives is selected by the others to be killed in sacrifice. Working from a bestseller by Paul Tremblay, director and co-writer M. Night Shyamalan builds up the emotional tension as the initially incredulous prisoners confront mounting evidence of worldwide disasters unfolding in rapid succession. He also elicits forceful performances that help make the fantastic nature of his main characters' quandary more believable. But the divergence of the revelations mentioned in the script from Biblical prophecy, behavior that would in any normal circumstances be deeply immoral as well as the narrative's fleeting but distinct endorsement of the central relationship all combine to make the fitting audience for this eccentric yarn a scanty one. Discreetly handled but harsh violence with some gore, suicide, a benign view of homosexual acts, a few profanities, several milder oaths, frequent rough language, about a half-dozen crude terms. The OSV News classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.- - -CLASSIFICATION"Knock at the Cabin" (Universal) – OSV News classification, L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. Motion Picture Association rating, R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.