Indie
[Sundance ’15 Review] Eli Roth’s ‘Knock Knock’ a Glorious Taboo Thriller!
Reviewed by Fred Topel
Eli Roth’s latest movie is his most F’ed up and his least violent, thus proving the talent was not simply for outdoing the gore. There is a masterful skill at manipulating the audience, but in a way that we trust the filmmaker to take us on that ride, and it’s not a not a one trick formula. With Knock Knock, Roth proves he can apply this skill to any genre.
Loving family man Evan (Keanu Reeves), sends his wife and kids off the beach while he stays home to work. When two lost girls, Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas) knock on his door, he invites them in out of the rain and shows them hospitality while they wait 45 minutes for an Uber. By the end of the night, the girls seduce Evan, and that’s when things get really weird.
It’s not even really a fantasy gone wrong. I mean, it’s playing on the stereotypical male threesome fantasy, but I don’t fantasize about having a threesome. I fantasize about having one woman who’ll watch movies with me. I can relate to Evan’s temptation though because I do like to make friends. What if I let the wrong girls into my house? We have to be really vigilant as a society to stick to our values. People will try to corrupt us all around, and I’ve been pressured into making bad decisions nonsexually so I’m not going to judge someone for succumbing to a very strange, unexpected situation.
Evan is punished in a taboo thriller that will put Fifty Shades of Grey to shame. It reminded me of the glorious erotic thriller genre, but with a real edge that none of the ‘90s movies could touch, not even Basic Instinct. Knock Knock is dealing with a sexual manipulation deadlier than physical violence, but when it does turn violent, the tools of the violence have been so well established that it feels more brutal than Hostel.
Reeves is great with the kids, which adds to our disappointment when he violates his family’s trust, but also our sympathies when he gets in so deep. There’s also something special about watching one of cinema’s greatest action heroes (yeah, I said it) become the helpless victim. Izzo and de Armas are terrifying. They are so volatile, their unpredictable personalities are even scarier than the tortures they commit.
I don’t want to spoil any of Knock Knock this early. Audiences should be able to watch it unfold the way I did knowing very little about it except that it’s Keanu Reeves, two women and directed by Eli Roth. That should be enough to get anyone in the door and I can vouch for the film and filmmakers. They went there.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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