Warning: There are some minor spoilers ahead. There are some bits of the plot that really need to be addressed when discussing some aspects of the film which I'll be talking about, but I'll try not to give the whole plot away!
Right, so let’s start with a brief synopsis: Jess is an American sculptor (and recovering drug addict), who, after finding success in her career, moves back to the U.K. with her wealthy banker husband to try and reconnect with her estranged teenaged daughter who has unknowingly attracted the attention of a child-eating witch.
It’s set supposedly in London, and at a large estate in the English countryside (which I suspect is in Wales, but I could be wrong, and in any case, is a gorgeous location).
This film is a perfect example of something that could be really good in theory, but goes wrong when executed.
Although based on an interesting horror-mythology premise, and backed up by genuinely scary creature design and spooky imagery, Don’t knock twice is let down by choppy editing and a sketchy storyline.
Going into the movie, I had a slightly higher expectation than I would with other free-to-stream horror flick, partly because of Katee Sackhoff starring and partly because of some comparisons I read that likened it to The Babadook.
Katee didn’t let me down on the acting front, but the film never really seemed to come together.
I have to say, it delivered some lovely atmospheric visuals throughout the 93-minute runtime. The country location was perfect, and the house they chose really gave you a sense of isolation and an underlying insidious, creepy tension, especially in the church-like art studio.
It also didn’t fail in delivering some actual genuine scares. The entire movie had me feeling quite jumpy, and the witch (who actually reminds me of the main antagonist in Lights Out), although possibly a bit clichéd, still absolutely scared me. Honestly, I wish they had featured her more often.
Where the movie falls apart though, is the storyline itself.
It bases its premise off an urban legend, which in and of itself, is quite interesting, but the problem is that it fails to stick to it. The further into the movie I got, the harder the plot became to follow. One minute the creature is from a door forest, another the next she’s actually an old lady getting revenge, then she’s back to being the door witch.
One minute the detective is decent, the next he’s dodgy and staring weirdly at an old house, then he’s back to being decent again, ect. I think you get my point.
The sad thing is that I would be willing to put up with that, if not for badly put together and edited ending. (A couple spoilers coming)
Some things just made absolutely no sense.
Why did the weirdo detective go and stare at the witch’s house for seemingly no reason? How come Jess’s daughter Chloe just magically happened to knock on the door just after Tira starts trying to set Jess up to take on the curse? Did she know that Chloe would do that? Also, why did Tira kill Jess’s husband? Were they having an affair? Oh, and if the Detective Boardman was such a great person, why did Chloe leave him to die? How did Tira get the curse?
(Spoilers over)
The questions go on and on. There was just too much left to the imagination to set up an even remotely satisfying ending.
Oh, and the acting was a bit bland at moments too. If it weren’t for Katee’s convincing performance, I don’t think there would be much to miss on that front.
Overall though, I’m not sad I watched it.
I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a horror film on the weekend and are willing to overlook some obvious inconsistencies for the sake of a decent scare.
Guest Author: Izzie McKenzie
I share thoughts, roundups, reviews, and tutorials for fans like you, based on awesome films/shows, books, and more.
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