Review of Knock Knock (2015) by Lauralee B — 16 Nov 2015

Who's There?

Home alone for the weekend, a devoted husband and father gets an unexpected visit from two beautiful young girls needing help. But what seems like a harmless encounter quickly spirals out of control once he finds himself seduced into their twisted violent games.

Inspired by the infamous 1977 exploitation flick Death Game, Eli Roth returns to the scene as co-writer and director, taking a modernized stab at the classic home invasion subgenre. But was his 8-year directing hiatus worth the wait? Well... I'd like to think so! Knock Knock may not feature Roth's signature gore, but most audiences are sure to be disgusted all the same from his strange erotic approach to the psychological thriller. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see such a mature and sophisticated direction coming from this controversial horror director. Some of his die-hard fans will probably feel differently about this change of style, but you have to respect his willingness to try something new. Gore just for the sake of gore, or as they say to create "shock value," has never really impressed me, and this is why I have never been too keen on most of his earlier films. But Knock Knock succeeds in ways his directorial debut Cabin Fever or the god-awful Hostel: Part II didn't by delivering genuine suspense through convincing characters. This is the same clever style he once carried through the original Hostel, minus the excessive bloodshed, of course.

As Ana De Armas previously stated in an interview, it's really interesting to see a story that involves characters that all think they're the victims, regardless of their actions. Knock Knock definitely cuts against the grain in this way by challenging us to question the morality of who's truly innocent. This quickly skews any certainties one may have towards the characters, which eventually leads to an intriguing ethical dilemma. Obviously the actors themselves played a big part in the fierce tension brought to the screen through their exceptional performances. Hilariously enough, one reviewer stated that Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas' acting made them want to knit their eyelids shut. All right buddy... Let's maybe take a chill pill and turn it down a notch. I've watched my share of dull movies and Knock Knock is far from one of them. Sure, the film might fall victim to a few minor plot holes, but none came close to distracting from the genuine suspense these characters create. The two lead femme fatales, far from conventional, offered some truly convincing over-the top performances through their psychotic actions and dark campy undertones. Keanu Reeves also delivers what may just be the best performance of his career as the easy-going family man who's forced to deal with a very destructive situation. Providing an impressive range of emotional depth that perfectly contrasts with the sociopathic personalities of the two young sexual vixens.

More importantly, the film manages to shed some interesting light on social media and its disturbingly adverse potential. Most people wouldn't think twice about putting themselves online, but are completely oblivious to the lack of privacy of sites like Facebook. It's so easy to get sucked into socializing digitally in today's age, and I think we've gotten so used to it that most have forgotten how easily its power could be abused. Like it or not, we now live in a time where our personal business can be exposed to the entire world in a matter of seconds. In the wrong hands, this could easily become our worst nightmare. Roth resourcefully uses this nightmare to the film's advantage, creating a disturbingly brilliant form of social commentary that underlines this slick seductive thriller.