Introduction
Eli Roth, famous for his horror films, directed a film called Knock Knock in 2015, which is a psychological thriller. Roth is known for his unorthodox and very bold filmmaking style, but in this reconstruction of the 1977 cult classic, Death Game, he brings a tale of seduction and consequences. Keanu Reeves gives a captivating performance as Evan Webber, and the film takes the phrase “no good deed goes unpunished” to a whole new sickeningly terrifying level.
Knock Knock is set almost entirely in a suburban home, and it deals with issues such as infidelity, masculinity under stress, and what happens to humans when two strong emotions: lust and guilt come into conflict.
Plot Summary
Evan Webber is an architect and runs his own firm, and is also a loving husband and a father. He lives in an expensive suburban modern home which makes him seem like he is living the dream. At the start of the film, he is getting ready to spend a weekend alone while his Wife, Karen, and his kids are going on a beach vacation. It is quite evident that he has planned some work, in addition to savoring the peace, over the weekend.
Evan’s peaceful weekend is abruptly ruined when there is a knock at his door during a torrential downpour. Two girls, Genesis and Bel, claim to have lost their way to a party and are now soaking wet. Evan is shocked and intrigued when they claim their phone is dead, provide an address that only they can see, and fervently beg him to let them use his phone and warm up before a cab arrives.
Struggling to fend off temptation, Evan lets the two women into his house, unaware that such an act of compassion will prove disastrous. As the weather worsens, so does their behavior. The women go on to seduce him, one with a knack for flirtation, while he unsuccessfully fights the urge to give in. Evan finally gives in his baser instincts, culminating in a spontaneous, regretful three-way.
The following day takes a sharp shift for the worse. Evan is bombarded by Genesis’ and Bel’s apathetic dismissal of his demands. They begin throwing tantrums, vandalizing his property, and taking IOU slips for his time to torment him. What he thought was a bone-headed simple decision turned out to be extreme drastic consequences. To make matters worse, the two women begin taunting him—his money, his family, and all the skeletons in his closet now seem closer than ever, with the women threatening to reveal everything alongside the footage they are recording. It then dawns upon him: this was not some spontaneous rendezvous.
The following recounts a shocking event in which Evan is restrained, abused, and undergoes a form of mental torment. The dichotomy of perpetrators and victims becomes muddied as the audience witnesses Evan struggle with immense guilt, overwhelming anxiety, and desperate attempts to escape.
Their motives remain unclear which makes the women even more dangerous. They toy with Evan’s psyche, testing his moral values while preposterously probing the concepts of revenge, consent, and the complexity of good and evil. By the film’s climax, Evan is portrayed as a fractured man, shamed and disgraced, lonely and plagued by the consequences following his singular moment of weakness.
Cast and Crew
Director: Eli Roth
Writers: Eli Roth, Nicolás López, Guillermo Amoedo
Producer(s): Eli Roth, Nicolás López, Miguel Asensio Llamas, Colleen Camp, Cassian Elwes, Tim Degraye
Main Cast:
Keanu Reeves as Evan Webber – The main character in the narrative is a family man lured into a life-threatening scenario that emerges when he finally gives in to temptation.
Lorenza Izzo as Genesis – One of the two women who, along with Evan, get into a sick game of of psychological deception and manipulation with disastrous outcomes.
Ana de Armas as Bel – The less composed but equally dangerous counter to Genesis, who brings disarray to the role is Ana de Armas.
Ignacia Allamand as Karen – Evan’s spouse, who importantly, does not appear in the film at all but sets the stage for the the flow of events in the movie.
Aaron Burns portrays Louis, a supporting character who gets carried away with the chaos.
Camp reprises her role as Vivian, making a cameo appearance in respectful reference to her original part in the Death Game film.
The film’s primary settings in Santiago, Chile, lend a polished yet slightly unreal quality to the surreal setting of the film. Camera operator Antonio Quercia further adds to this feeling by maintaining a tight focus on the camera, capturing the sense of claustrophobia that pervades the film, creating tension with every shot.
Thematic Focus and Analysis
Even with the amalgam of different themes present in the film, at the heart of everything is a morality tale, however a grotesque one if anything. The film raises some troubling predicaments for considerations: What if you were in Evan’s situation? Was his punishment too harsh? Sympathy for the character is greatly challenged, evoking both victim and consequence archetypes of Evan’s reality.
Another aspect where the film excels from an artistic standpoint is the grapple with manipulation depicted throughout. Genesis and Bel are not simply femme fatales; they are formless forces of destruction. They exploit the very qualities that make Evan weak, shattering his moralities that he cherished so much. The film also introduces remarks on control, sexual politics, and gender relations.
Eli Roth toys with horror and thriller conventions when he opts to cast the antagonists as youthful and attractive women, while a muscular and self-assured man takes the role of the victim, subverting expectations. The discomfort and narrative intensity of the film is compounded by the inversion of traditional horror roles.
The home setting is equally as important—the house is Evan’s domain, his place of order and safety. But once invaded by Genesis and Bel, the house morphs into a prison, a psychological arena, and a representation of his inner devastation.
Reception
Reception for Knock Knock was mixed. The more critical eye noted Reeves’s portrayal of Evan, particularly his raw emotional breakdown, along with perceived implausibility, heavy handed messaging, and the deemed theatrical performances from supporting actors. A more positive evaluation noted Reeves’s performance as emotionally authentic, especially concerning his descent into panic and despair.
Ana de Armas was singled out for supporting actress awards for her performance, as it was deemed both chillingly charismatic and marked an early standout moment for the actress in English-language cinema. Lorenza Izzo, Roth’s wife at the time, balanced seductiveness with psychological menace in a performance that was equally as fearless.
Conclusion
Knock Knock is certainly horrifying, though it does not fit the traditional mold of a horror film. With its confined setting, small cast, and morally intricate plot, the film offers an unsettling experience with twists of treachery, vengeance, and power. Eli Roth crafts a thriller that is both divisive and provocative at its core. Whether viewers find it frustrating or fascinating, it seems nearly impossible to watch without having an engaged opinion about it.
In an era where a single unfortunate decision can be recorded, monetized, and turned into a weapon, Knock Knock forces viewers to ask: how well do we know ourselves when no one is watching—or worse, when everyone is watching?
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