Knock Knock Review: Lame Home Invasion Movie

With the name of Eli Roth in the opening credits, you already have an idea of where this movie may go – titillating gory fun that may leave you with a dose of remorse. Knock Knock though is different from his usual work.

The first half of the film proves to be decent enough as the picture of the perfect household is threatened by two random strangers.

The movie keeps you guessing on what’s the intention of the young openly sexual girls. The cast – Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, and Ana de Armas – turn in committed performances even though the movie eventually takes some ridiculous turns that you would normally see in a Nicholas Cage flick. The sex scene is restrained and oddly tasteful for a Roth movie.

The second half is when the movie finally kicks into gear, shattering the perfect image of the upper crust family who would only exist in stock photos. Unfortunately, Eli Roth fans and other viewers will be treated to a badly written and executed kinky home invasion movie.

Knock Knock suddenly shifts into a cat and mouse game devoid of any suspense because the movie can’t build up tension. This eventually turns into a torture game by annoying bratty teenagers whose modes of punishment are childish at best, such as trashing Evan’s place and drawing dicks on his wife’s sculptures. It’s unconvincing because they’re out of nowhere bat shit crazy behavior is driven by convenience.

Knock Knock does have an interesting premise – two young girls who bait and hook philandering husbands before administrating twisted social justice – but doesn’t have the needed script and film direction to pull it off.

It tries to sell itself as a campy twisted movie with these deranged avenging angels, but because of its repetitive plot, completely unbelievable villains, and stereotypes – men are pigs! women are crazy! – Knock Knock is a lame joke with an anticlimactic punchline.

The only thing worth noting here is that as it reaches Wicker Man’s level of camp, Keanu Reeves’s excuse for adultery – IT WAS FREE PIZZA! – will now achieve cult canonization similar to – NOT THE BEES!