Don't Knock Twice

I love horror but this is not IT for me. The storyline everything was confusing there were jump scares which I liked. But for anyone who loves horror movies as much as I do please this is not worth your time I definitely DO NOT recommend it 🖐️

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.

Oh man......true horror lovers accept the predictability and cheesiness. One MUST "suspend their disbelief" according to Freudian theory (spelling??) to enjoy. With that being said, this movie is freaky and dark. Definitely had my arm hairs standing straight up! Setting aside the lame interaction with the lady w/a stroller and her guidance nonsense, this story was highly entertaining and scary. Not as scary as Lights Out which I thought was coolest, contemporary scary horror in a while. Most horror enthusiasts will enjoy this and at the very least, be "entertained" by it.

I had seen the cover of this movie as a related item on a few horror films and thought the plot was intriguing. Then I saw the Blu Ray was on sale at Walmart, which is actually interesting because it was accidentally stocked two months ahead of its release date. But I didn't complain as I took it home ready for what I was hoping would be a good spooky horror movie night. I wasn't disappointed. Despite the negative reviews, this ended up being one of the better horror treats from IFC Midnight and one of the best overall horror films in recent memory. -Plot- Chloe is somewhat estranged from her ex-addict mother Jess for the beginning of her life. But now a more stable and wealthy Jess wants to reconnect with her daughter. But before happily ever after could happen, Chloe and a friend had gone to a local neighborhood house where urban legend says a vengeful witch resides. The legend states that if you knock on her door twice, she will come and take you to her world. Well, they knocked twice. That is just the basic plot that sums up the first 5 minutes. Its a typical genre plot, but it is done surprisingly well. I am appalled by the negative scores. This is better than your average scary movie. The mythos is very creepy. The acting is above average for the genre and budget. The directing and cinematography contain some beautiful and terrifying imagery. The musical score is an instant horror classic. The sound design altogether is intense. The trailer for this surprisingly doesn't give away even half of the scares so even seeing it beforehand wont ruin any of it. But the trailer doesn't help its case either. There are plenty of jump scares that will truly get to you. Some might call them lazy, but their just nit picky. The entity of the witch is truly horrifying and will have you reaching for a blanket or light switch in all of its on screen moments. The actor playing the witch entity is the same that played the scary "mama" entity from Mama and the emaciated demon at the end of REC, so you know you're in for some scary imagery with this guy. The mythos of the movie does get a little over indulgent toward the end, but it still works well, despite a somewhat rushed ending and typical horror movie "bad logic" by some characters. Id compare some of the scary moments to "Lights Out" and even one early sighting of the witch to the Nun painting scene in "The Conjuring 2". I am surprised this didn't get a nationwide theatrical release as its production value is pretty nice looking compared to nationwide horror craps like Bye Bye Man. I attribute its absence from cinemas to its lack of a recognizable star. Which is unfortunate since I would have loved to experience this on the big screen. But that's what makes the horror genre so special. Even little gems like this that are ignored by mainstream media can end up being big cult classics and I believe this is a candidate. I am a horror junky and don't scare that easily anymore, but the entity of the witch really got to me. I really found myself inching toward the light switch and looking to see if something was behind me multiple times. One of the few films in a long time that I had trouble watching in the dark entirely during my first viewing. I would even go as far as to say this is a more accessible and fast paced take on A24s period horror "The Witch". I think the negative reviews will surely get lost in praise as this finds its audience. I gave it a 10/10 to do my small part in helping its score improve, but my real grade would be maybe a 8.5/10. Its truly much better than the trailer suggest and definitely better than the negative reviews say. If you want a good fright night with a lover or friends, or even alone, then this is a perfect choice. If you liked "Lights Out" or "The Conjuring" style horror then beware you're in for a scare. Just make sure its dark and the volume is high. I'm adding this to my go to Halloween season movie playlist.

After some minutes viewing, i thought this's a mediocre horror film. But i noticed how the film direction takes and i actually really like the screenplay though. Honestly this is the kind of horror film i'd make if i'm a filmmaker. That's why i tried to put myself in the character position. After 25 minutes, i got hooked in its simple plot. It's a bit boring in some unnecessary scenes. The horror presentation's good, i like especially the crying ghost scene. But some also don't scare at all, no goosebumps or scary feeling whatsoever. Background music's OK but not creepy enough. The character development's not presented so well. Acting's not bad, i care more Katee Sackhoff character more than the girl character which's rather annoying to watch. The ending's not good and satisfying enough. The execution's not good as the vision. Well it's a rather interesting horror flick to watch for me. 7/10