KnockKnock (2015)

Directed by: Eli Roth | 99 minutes | drama, horror, thriller | Actors: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, Dan Baily, Megan Baily, Colleen Camp, Antonio Quercia, Otto

A secluded villa in the Hollywood hills. Evan, 40, is home alone, wife and children away for the weekend. Outside it is pouring rain. Then there is a knock on the door. Two young soaked girls stand at the door, one more attractive than the other. Genesis and Bell (that’s their name) are lost and ask for help. Evan invites them inside. But are the girls really as innocent as they look?

Anyone familiar with the home invasion movie type (‘Cabin in the Woods’, ‘The Strangers’, etc. etc.) knows what will happen next. The girls actually turn out to be bloodthirsty psychopaths, blood is splashing around and limbs are flying around your ears. Sadism, gore and gallons of blood.

But none of that in ‘Knock Knock’. Even though the girls are anything but good and they also have slightly insane tendencies, it never gets as predictable as the majority of comparable thrillers. ‘Knock Knock’ is therefore rather a fresh, slightly satirical take on the home invasion genre. The girls will always be girls, no devilish grins and flashing knives here. Sadistic games, that are more reminiscent of ‘Funny Games’ than of a Hollywood thriller. The difference is also that the girls do not choose their victim Evan just like that, but for a reason.

That doesn’t mean it’s all equally strong. The story has little progression and there are events that are somewhat out of tune with the rest. But it is exciting and sexy and remarkably often also funny. With an outstanding Ana de Armas as the cheerful Bell, who sees the joke in everything and doesn’t understand what poor Evan is so worried about.

‘Knock Knock’ is certainly not for everyone. It’s not a true genre film, but it’s not a parody either. It’s more like a bubblegum variant of ‘Funny Games’ or ‘Hard Candy’, without coming close to those movies in quality. ‘Knock Knock’ is the kind of movie that can best be classified under the heading guilty pleasure. Witty, exciting and sexy. But also a little wrong.