Don't Knock Twice

A troubled teen is released into the custody of her estranged mother, but a demon from the past comes back to wreak deadly havoc.

Dramatic horror with a completely incoherent mythos, but an iron determination to ramp up the tension in every scene. The daughter's peril is introduced immediately with the urban myth key to the plot, then we switch to the mother's predicament, and nothing is normal or easy going - every scene infested with unsettling '80s synth. It ends with flash-back reminders of how the plot is supposed to make sense, culminating in a clumsy twist.

The mother is well played, with good emotion in her regret at being inadequate yet loving. The detective is poorly played, and there's hardly any point in the character of the husband. The initial feel is London soap opera, and at various points tributes to The Shining, Ju-On, and Time Bandits.

There's one interesting sequence in the photography, when the cliché of ghost passing in the background is repeated three times - otherwise it's ordinary. Bad judgment on the music, but it fits the story telling style of constant huffing and puffing to maintain interest.

Overall: meh.

The movie is marketed as a supernatural horror thriller yet is nearly totally devoid of horror. What is in abundance is creepiness - but that alone cannot carry a movie.

Underpinning the movie's plot are child abduction/ murders and on one level I will admit that this an effective mystery as we are left to wonder whether this is simply an organic serial killer or some demonic force at play.

Katee Sackhoff, whom I remember from the 24 TV series, provides a credible performance what with very little to work with. Daughter Lucy Boyntin is charming yet frankly has little to do but get freaked out by bumps in the night. Husband Ben conveniently is absent for nearly the entire movie because has to go on a business meeting. Why was his character even in the movie?

The director apparently believes that you can generate suspense by playing creepy atmospheric music throughout the ENTIRE movie regardless what's going on in the movie - rather than rely on actions and storytelling.

We're given internet mythos - which as moviegoers we're taught to simply accept because the movie says so - but wait? Inexplicably knowledgeable closet demon slave Tira shoots that down and gives the "real" mythos. Ok. But wait. We learn that Tira's mythos was a lie too, to trick Sackhoff to do her bidding. All the while, daughter Boyntin, who had first hand knowledge of the actions of suspected demon slave Mary and intentions of suspiciously-acting Detective Boardman inexplicably shares little of this until the final minute of the movie.

In the end, we're left trying to sort out all the different mythos and why exactly people committed suicide, or were offered up to Baba Yaga, or were murdered - all in the space of about 2 minutes. The movie will leave you scratching your head.

Worth a watch. Good storyline, good twists and keeps you guessing! Some scary parts.

The Caradog's movie is trying to find a balance between being an indie horror movie and typical, wanting to be, scary pseudo-blockbuster.

Unfortunately, because of hesitancy of director, the movie fails, by being too much, or not enough, of everything.

We have great shots, cold atmosphere, really climatic music and sound effects. But on the other hand, film is attacking us with cheesy dialogues, not so original scenes (don't want to say clichés)and really rushed ending.

To end on a positive note, I must say, that movie is better than most of nowadays horrors, and it can scare you with a few scenes.

A good portion of whether something is watchable is not whether it has been done before (most things have been) but whether it is done well.

Don't Knock Twice does nothing that has not been done before. That said, what it does do, it does awfully well. This is a very atmospheric horror, sounds as well as visuals, play a key part in its success. As does things hinted at or glimpsed, as well as things that are seen.

The pacing is good with well timed scares occurring throughout this flick. Moreover, it manages to feel fresh and new even though its a well worn proposition. I personally put this down to decent acting and directing.

Ignore the detractors and give Don't Knock Twice a go. Seven out of ten from me.