The Horror Show
Knock Knock
by Eli Roth
Based on the 1977 film Death Game, Knock Knock is the type of movie you just have to see since not only has Eli Roth recreated it, but Keanu Reeves is our main protagonist. But when the final credits start rolling, you might begin to wonder: was it worth the watch in the end?
Knock Knock seems to be the stereotypical home invasion horror movie - a rather bloated subgenre - but it’s Eli Roth’s talent that added a little bit of extra flavour to this particular film.
With that being said, Knock Knock is far from being a good movie, but also far from being a very bad one.
The story follows Evan, a middle-aged husband and father enjoying some alone time as his wife and kids are away on a trip. What seemed to be a relaxing weekend turned out to be a complete nightmare for Evan when Bell (Ana de Armas) and Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) - two gleeful and rather seductive young women - knocked on his door asking for help.
The attractive duo dragged Evan into a risky (and deadly) game, compromising his faithfulness to his wife, and ultimately the rather slow build-up led to a weird and unreasonably violent climax.
The main problem lies in the characters. Bell and Genesis, the two personas that invade Evan’s life and turn it into a bloody chaos, become so unbelievable that it’s hard to feel any sort of fear due to their actions or threats. Keanu Reeves has already proved his value as an actor, but his character, Evan, is a rather formulaic portrayal of the naive and unlikeable victim, carrying the burden of clichéd lines.
There’s drama-infused home invasion horror and there’s comedy-infused home invasion horror. Eli Roth’s Knock Knock is probably fit for the second category, but that doesn’t mean it delivers a successful or entertaining outcome. However, we still have Hostel and Green Inferno to be thankful for, so it’s not the end of the world!
Maria Kriva, HMS
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