Don’t Knock Twice (2016) Review
Successful sculptor Jess (Katee Sackhoff) has proven to be not as successful in her personal life, especially when it comes to her troubled teenage daughter Chloe (Lucy Boynton). After a failed custody case the two remain estranged but not for long. Chloe and her boyfriend Danny (Jordan Bolger) make the mistake of tapping on the door of witch Mary Aminov (Ania Marson).
Urban legend has it that death awaits those folk foolish enough to knock twice on the witch’s door and soon after the dare Danny goes missing. When the spirit makes a beeline for Chloe she flees her pokey abode seeking refuge with her mother and husband Ben (Richard Mylan) but it’s not long before the demon catches up with her.
Movie cliche dictates that dysfunctional relationships can only reconcile when facing challenges together and that’s exactly what happens here as mother and daughter overcome their differences when the entity comes a-knocking. It’s a well-worn path and one this critic has grown tired of travelling. Thrown into the mix are Jess’ model Tira (Pooneh Hajimohammadi) and Detective Boardman (Nick Moran), who throw a couple of curveballs into the narrative but otherwise this is a muddled mess.
Hopes were high for Don’t Knock Twice, the latest film from director Caradog W. James. James’ previous film, 2013’s The Machine, had form, the story was well told and there’s an unpleasant surprise for a lead character, and for us the viewer, that has the desired effect. Don’t Knock Twice is that one thing that The Machine could not be accused of. It’s derivative. From the core dsyfunctional mother/daughter relationship to ‘scares’ that feel cribbed from Lights Out and The Grudge the ingredients are hardly fresh. Even the film’s promotional poster lacks originality, looking very similar to that for 1986’s comedy-horror flick House.
Writers Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler are so keen to keep their cards close to their chest that by choosing not to reveal little clues or titbits along the way they end up killing their own story. Their telling reduces Don’t Knock Twice to a sorry muddle that finds its form too late wrapping it’s random ideas up in a far too hasty conclusion. Don’t Knock Twice is one of those films where a character can be hoisted up into the air by something unseen, flung with force into a full cabinet and still get up and move about without an injury a moment later. There’s a good idea lurking at the core, what a shame it didn’t have the writing behind it to let it breathe fully.
