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| (imdb.com) |
The movie follows an artist who's now-grown reenters her life after she gave her up years ago because of addiction. Then, when a childhood game of knocking on a condemned home takes a turn for the spooky, things get even more complicated for the already tense relationship. Don't Knock Twice stars Katee Sackhoff (Longmire) as Jess, the recovered mother to daughter Chloe, played by Lucy Boynton (Sing Street). It also features Nick Moran as a Detective (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Jordan Bolger (iBoy) as Chloe's friend at the home, Javier Botet (Mama) as Jess' new husband and Pooneh Hajimohammadi (The Machine) as a spiritual mother who commissions Jess to sculpt her.
The
biggest issue with Don't Knock Twice is its storytelling. Disjointed and
at times confusing, Don't Knock Twice feels ADD. It's got all of the
makings of a good plot and mythology but unfolds less like a napkin at a dinner
party and more like a towel thrown out a window. Attempts to be "twisty
and turny" aren't solid enough to withhold criticism. The mythology
behind the witch's story is murky at best, even when it's suggested that it's
clearly written out, it's obvious it needed more concrete effort. Don't
Knock Twice feels like a good story, but then ruins it by dropping
everything they build on to go in different directions, mostly at a loss
to the viewer. It's like that company struggling to make a name for itself, but
never sticks too hard into a new idea out of its lack of immediate success.
It's a choppy movie that needs longer scenes and more flow, not random
insertions like the one where Chloe levitates and almost gets sucked through
some sort of door portal.
Don't
Knock Twice does offer a few moments of fear, but these are spread
thin and weakened by poorly timed scares and diffused tension. Scenes -
like those in Chloe's friend Danny's apartment or the scene
where Jess following the sound of cries through her house - begin terrifying
but offer little to capture that fear once she stumbles on the witch. This seems
to be a reoccurring and preluding theme throughout the whole movie in every
aspect. A lot of Don't Knock Twice is spent building to a
"moment" only for that moment to be nonexistent or tossed to the side
of the road.
The
acting is the best part of the Don't Knock Twice. Both Sackhoff and
Boynton meet above level expectations for this indie horror movie. Sackoff's
strong features lend a hand to her determined and headstrong attitude and
extrapolate her expressions well. Boynton also does a good job as the
struggling daughter coping with a lot of trauma and difficulties.
Don't
Knock Twice isn't great. If I was 12 and this was the late 90s,
maybe the jutted plot and broken CGI would be more acceptable, but in 2017 and
at the age of 22, these inefficiencies are hard to ignore. Don't Knock Twice
is fine if all you're doing is casually watching it on a Tuesday afternoon with
nothing else to do. It's spooky, but never scary; it's got above average acting
that never reaches too high; and its plot is interesting, but never compelling.
The fact of the matter is, Don't Knock Twice is like that first car you
buy on Craigslist; you'll get where you wanted to go but the ride won't be
comfortable and also the radio doesn't work. I give the movie 5 knocks out of
10.
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