There’s a popular saying that goes, “Nice guys finish last,” and that’s certainly the case for Keanu Reeves’ character in Eli Roth’s latest thriller, Knock Knock, which finds the veteran actor fighting off a pair of crazed women after a sultry night of fun that comes at a hefty price. Unlike most of his previous films, Roth subtly goes for the jugular with Knock Knock, building to a finale brimming with surreal tension and a wickedly dark sense of humor that left me both cringing and laughing.
In his first "Dad Role," Reeves stars in Knock Knock as Evan Webber, a likable and mostly happy husband and father who has been left home alone for the weekend to wrap up a looming architect project for work. One night, there’s a knock at his door from a pair of nymphets in the form of Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas), who are lost and in need of some assistance. Evan tries to do the right thing and help the girls out, but after a bit of innocent flirting goes much (MUCH) further than that, he soon realizes his infidelity and lies are about to cost him everyone and everything he loves as his new friends decide they don’t want to leave until they’ve had some fun at Evan’s expense.
After helming films like Cabin Fever, Hostel or even The Green Inferno, Roth has become well-known amongst genre fans as a director who is always ready to assault your eyeballs with unforgettable gore and wildly evocative imagery. And while as a horror lover I have always appreciated that guy, I do think that with Knock Knock, Roth shows promise as a filmmaker who can also take an introspective approach to telling horrific stories, something I had been waiting to see from him for some time now. The film still has Roth’s nasty sense of humor to it—from the saccharine-sweet family photos peppering the walls throughout Evan’s home to the film’s unforgiving aftermath, there’s certainly a lot of wicked humor at work in Knock Knock that does a nice job of playing against the more serious-minded themes going on in the story.
The performances in Knock Knock are mostly solid, with de Armas being the weak link in the trio of main cast members. Reeves, who is currently enjoying a career resurgence post-John Wick, plays Evan with an infectious affability that makes it hard not to like him despite his indiscretions, thus making his horrific downfall that much more compelling to watch. Izzo as the ringleader Genesis—who is as cunning as she is deadly—also turns a strong performance in Knock Knock and demonstrates some real range after her last excursion in terror, Roth’s The Green Inferno, which couldn’t be a bigger 180 for the up-and-coming actress. I also found her character’s wardrobe choices throughout the film utterly fascinating as well, as they came to visually represent where Genesis was mentally at that given time in Knock Knock and to me, it was a thoughtful touch.
What’s interesting to me is that after its Sundance premiere, there was a lot of talk about how Knock Knock suffers from some misogynistic overtones, which I understand but don’t necessarily agree with. The story never once tries to make Evan into a victim—sure, he’s abused horribly and as the audience to his torture, we’re left feeling excruciatingly uncomfortable, but the script from Roth and co-writers Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amoedo never once makes apologies for Evan’s actions. The bottom line is that he messed up and therefore he’s responsible for everything he has coming to him (even if some of Genesis’ and Bel’s punishments are truly extreme responses). In the end, we see that while he may have suffered and will continue to pay for his actions, his family are the true victims here—a justifiable response to the act of infidelity. Evan’s a victim, just not an innocent one and Knock Knock never once asks for our forgiveness of the character.
Utilizing a much more intimate story and approach than we saw in his last film, Roth does an admirable job with Knock Knock despite some of its minor contrivances and a second act that feels a bit sluggish. His almost absurdist approach to the horrors he explores in this psychological thriller proves that while Roth still wants to shock audiences with his provocatively twisted story, he doesn’t necessarily rely on gore to get the job done here, instead creating a palpable sense of tension from the moment the girls show up. It’s a completely different film for both its director and star, which is why Knock Knock truly is one of the more unforgettable movies I’ve seen this year; it’s ballsy, unflinching and shows some growth from Roth as a storyteller. I’d like to see more films like Knock Knock from him in the future.
Movie Rating: 3.5/5
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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