Don't Knock Twice (2017)

American sculptor Jess (Katee Sackhoff) tries to reconnect with her estranged daughter Chloe (Lucy Boynton) in Britain but she rejects her after a 9 years absence. Chloe and her friend Danny visit a nearby abandoned house. Former occupant Mary committed suicide after supposedly killing Chloe's friend Michael. The rule is to knock twice. Once to wake up from her bed and twice to raise her from the dead. They both knock and ditch. Danny gets haunted by a demonic spirit and is killed. Chloe is next.This is derivative of so many other horrors and it's inferior in many ways. There is nothing new and not much of it is done well. The characters are sculpted poorly. It's hard to feel for the relationship when there is so little invested. The characters have no depth. The movie takes us to a haunted house but we don't get to go in right away. Honestly, there's an easy road to a solid indie horror. It's a simple haunted house horror if the two young people go inside. Jess can then come to Chloe's rescue. It shouldn't be that hard but the movie is intend on making it that hard. It becomes a confusing road to travel which wraps up with an explanation. I guess the plot works but it's not compelling as it unfolds. As an aside, there is a lack of specificity to the setting which is needed. That's where more background on American Jess would help with the British setting. This is a lot of nothing and I wanted good things for Starbuck.

"Once to wake her from her bed. Twice to raise her from the dead. If you knock her door, she still hears it. Sooner or later she comes knockin' for you."The movie "Don't knock twice" should be a must watch for the mischiefs who like to play "Ding Dong Ditch". Maybe this frightening legend will make them think twice the next time before they do that again. Nowadays, a horror film has to be fairly original to get noticed, because you can't keep up with the number of releases. The "Ding Dong Ditch" trick is an interesting approach. And at the same time there's the dramatic part about the shaky relationship between a mother and daughter. Apparently, the haunting witch doesn't only scares those brats but she's also good in patching up a bad mother-daughter relationship.All hell breaks loose after Chloe (Lucy Boynton) receives a visit from her mother Jess (Katee Sackhoff) in the orphanage, where she was placed years ago. And this because of her mother's persistent addiction which made her unable to care for her daughter. It's not surprising that this confrontation goes terribly wrong, after which her daughter takes off with her boyfriend. They end up at the house of Mary Aminov, an old woman who commited suicide because she was fed up with the banging on her front door. And she planned to visit those who torment her again in the future, as an evil spirit. And what a surprise. The two carefree teenagers, who know the legend but don't really believe in it, knock on the door. And before you know it, you'll jump up when that ugly witch sneaks out of some dark corner, after which Chloe's friend suddenly disappears. That would seem an appropriate time for Chloe to knock on her mother's door (with no consequences). And this is the beginning of a joint venture to find a solution to get rid of the curse that rests on Chloe.Even though this movie contains a bunch of horror clichés that have been used in several films already, I thought it was scary and creepy enough. There are parts that remind you of the innumerable films about a possessed house with creepy sounds, threatening shadows and dark corners. There's the diabolical spirit that controls the lights in a corridor (the same way as in "Lights out"), makes blood appear in cups of soup and creates hallucinations. And the creature that came out of the shadows immediately reminded me of the nasty demon in "Mama". No wonder, because it was the same person, Javier Botet, who gave shape to this lugubrious, frightening creature.Some may think that the two completely different storylines used in this film, don't really fit together. Personally, I thought it was a successful experiment. Bringing in an unsolved murder case, felt a bit too forced. And if that's not enough, you'll be surprised in the end. "Don't knock twice" effortlessly exceeds the average. It's scarier and creepier than you would think. And the protagonists played in an excellent way. Maybe the emotional part was a bit exaggerated. But the fear they showed at certain moments, just seemed real. For Katee Sackhoff no problem, because she already had to go up against a supernatural phenomena in "Oculus". And the unknown Lucy Boynton (whom I didn't recognize from "Murder on the Orient Express") produced quite some decibels while screaming. Well, this movie won't win a prize for originality. But are planning a horror movie night? This'll fit perfectly.

I wanted to like this I really did. I watched the trailer and thought to myself that this had potential, this is the one that will turn the tide.Alas I was wrong.Starring Battlestar Galactica's own Katee Sackhoff this highly clichéd standard Hollywood formula horror takes an interesting concept and neuters it.It granted does get under your skin a bit and isn't scare free but as for originality, as for competence, as for entertainment not so much.It tells the tale of an urban legend where if you knock twice on the door of an abandoned house then the witch who once resided within will come after you.What comes next is a blend of several movies including Lights Out (2016) but it just fails to bring anything new to the table.Again I wanted to like this but simply couldn't, I've seen it all before and done considerably better.The Good: Neat concept Creepy in places The Bad: Failed vision Whole thing feels stale Things I Learnt From This Movie: Hollywood is really pushing this crappy protagonist thing on us, I'm expecting a heroic rapist any movie now.If your daughter plunges into a hole in front of you don't follow........that would be silly

I have to admit that, although I gratuitously have it a 7-star rating, this movie is far from original. Some stuff is quite predictable, though the ending is at the very least more refreshing than what you see in your typical horror flick. I liked the camera work and the photography, and the actors were quite good too, though I feel they could have done better at times.