Neverknock (2017)

A better than average SyFy feature and worth taking a look at every Halloween season. Back in 1986, three teens dressed in their best Halloween gear knocked on the door a 59 Oakwood Lane only to be brutally murdered. The years go by and "trick-or-treaters" are all advised not to visit that address on Halloween night. The local urban legend grows and when a couple of new kids come to town, what else is there to do but go to knock on that door in hopes of a good scare. Instead of some short lived chills, the never knock warning proved to be legit. A hideous creature is unleashed and ready to instill your worst fear. Written and directed by Sheldon Wilson, this treat features tension, fear and a scary looking creature. Starring are: Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Jodelle Ferland, Klana Maderia, Varun Saranga, Lola Flanery and the Neverknock Creature played by Troy James.

This is a film on a far from original theme, even though it owes nothing to the "Halloween" franchise. In 1986, some kids knock on the door of a house at Halloween, something they are not supposed to do. They are murdered, and the first police officer on the scene - who reappears later in the film - sees something unreal.Fastforward 31 years, and it's Halloween again. This time, whatever was inside emerges to wreak its horrors on the wider world. Then our first responder rescues two of the damsels, telling them this sort of thing has been happening in other locations for a long time, going back to at least the 1940s. The key to the mystery is the door to the house. And this is where the film really begins to lose its way because this line of investigation is not developed, instead the guy is killed off.There is a bit more to it, the creature, daemon or whatever it is, feeds off fear, producing custom-made hallucinations for its victims, hallucinations that pack a punch or even burn. This could have been a decent film but it takes too much for granted, and the ending is utterly predictable.

Knowing it was a SYFY film I didn't go in expecting too much which helped with the disappointment some. The opening scene was interesting but when you get to the main characters of the story it all goes downhill quick, unless you like watching characters running around endlessly and annoyingly yelling for someone for about 30 minutes. I got so tired of hearing "Jenna, Jenna, Jenna, where are you?!" Basic horror troupes. Can't outrun the monster, no one calls for help, yada, yada, yada. Not even sure who actually lived and who didn't because the end never really shows for sure. I give it 2 stars. One for an interesting concept. Too bad the concept didn't play out well. The second is for Jodelle Ferland, although how she got roped into making this movie I'll never know.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2017 and written & directed by Sheldon Wilson, "Neverknock" concerns six teens that knock on a cursed house on Halloween. Unfortunately there's a demon linked to the entrance door and it only takes an itty bit of blood to trigger it, whereupon it preys on the fears of those present till they're dead.I expected to like this flick after seeing the trailer and promotion pics, but it didn't work for me. First, the good news: The filmmaking is just fine (cinematography, editing, etc.). The turning-to-Fall locations and Halloween setting are great, especially the haunting graveyard and the hay maze. The lumbering, misshapen demon-creature is excellent in a creepy, almost shocking, sort of way. I don't know if it's a guy in a costume or CGI or both, but it's effective.The no-name cast is decent and there are a few worthy females, but their presence is never properly highlighted (and I'm not talking about sleaze or nudity). The two most beautiful ones are the first to buy the farm (Kiriana Stanton in the prologue and, later, Eliana Jones, the 'cheerleader'). There's an eye-rolling insinuation of lesbianism regarding the two main girls (Dominique Provost-Chalkley & Jodelle Ferland), but it's so light it can be overlooked.As the first act progressed and segued into the second act I found myself becoming disengaged, which continued till the close. It was an overall feeling of "Meh" and pointed to problems in the script. SOMETHING needed done to perk the movie out of the doldrums beyond the attributes noted above. It's a shame because everything was here for a great TV-budget horror flick. SOME of it works, though, and I appreciated the positives despite my tedium.THE FILM RUNS about 90 minutes. There's no info on where it was shot, although it looks like the Northeast, e.g. Pennsylvania. Since it's a Canadian production, it might've been shot somewhere outside of Toronto or Montreal.GRADE: C-