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Monday, June 29, 2015

Darkmatters Review: Knock Knock


Knock Knock (18)

Dir. Eli Roth

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Sex ‘n violence…”

“Sex ‘n violence who?”

“Sex ‘n violence and nail biting tension!”

Meet Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves), he’s a happily married architect who has it all… Nice house, talented wife, two cute kids and decent job. But Evan’s world is about to be turned upside down when two beautiful young girls, arrive on his doorstep late one night, drenched, and in need of using a phone due to their being lost.

"Ah poor lost girls in need of help..?"

Evan’s wife Karen (Ignacia Allamand), has taken the kids away to their beach house and he’s a nice guy so he agrees to help the stranded young women who go by the names ‘Genesis’ (Lorenza Izzo – Director Eli Roth’s wife) and ‘Bel’ (Ana de Armas).

Knock Knock is an unashamedly old-fashioned exploitation flick that jumps in with a seedy seduction scenario, which then sets up a horrific aftermath of escalating repercussions.

"All work an no play make Keanu a dull boy"

Director Eli ‘Hostel’ Roth has form for effectively nasty cinematic tales and Knock Knock cranks up some very uncomfortable ‘what if’ situations both for Evan and the viewers. If you’re easily offended or freaked out this really isn’t the film for you, as it gets pretty full on with steamy sex and grim violence.

Keanu makes for an interestingly tormented protagonist, a man who can’t resist what he refers to as ‘free pizza delivered to his door’ but gets much much more than he bargained for.

"you like my Joker make up?"

The grisly scenario that unfolds certainly builds up some edge-of-your-seat tension that will probably be differently received by males and female viewers. Throw in nifty use of social media for maximum cultural relevance and whilst the premise for the film might look like a sexed up riff on home invasion horrors like Funny Games, there is much to make you think about here.

The sexy / scary duo of Genesis and Bel are potentially iconic new cinematic horror threats – it will be interesting to see if audiences make this viable for a potential sequel. It’s a testament to the skill of the actresses to be able to switch from coy and innocent to brutal and psychotic in seconds.

"let's play a game..."

Knock Knock is a frightening, wild thrill ride – which if you have the stomach for it’s justifiably ‘18 rated’ action will leave you breathless and disturbed in equal measure. Modern horror hasn’t felt this fresh for a while.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - Be careful out there
)

Awesomeness öööö – some unforgettable moments

Laughs öö – darkly funny in places

Horror öööö – tense and violent

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - just say 'no'

Recommended Hashtags: #KnockShock

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