There is much promise to behold in Don’t Knock Twice, a reasonably effective horror-fest shot on location in Wales in the Autumn of 2015, writes John Higgins.
Directed by Caradog James, we are firmly in Paranormal Activity/Conjuring territory, with a touch of The Amityville Horror and The Babadook thrown in for good measure.
Battlestar Galactica‘s Katee Sackhoff plays Jess, an American sculptor, who has moved back to the UK to settle into her seemingly happy marriage. However, she is also trying to gain closure from reaffirming her relationship with the daughter she abandoned years ago, Chloe (Sing Street‘s Lucy Boynton).
Chloe is understandably resentful of her absent mother suddenly coming back into her life just like that. However, when a local urban legend claims the life of her boyfriend after they foolhardily visit an abandoned house, Chloe decides to take shelter and solace in her mother’s home, where the conflict and trauma intensifies as the visions and supernatural concerns increase….
Although it never quite hits the heights of the recent release Under the Shadows (highly recommended viewing and one of the scariest films to hit the screen since the heady days of Poltergeist and Aliens), Don’t Knock Twice does announce a promising talent in director James, who relies on anticipation and expectation to achieve his vision and goals.
The script suffers slightly from some compromising exposition and does have an over-eagerness to explain it’s concept and pay-offs within. The first half of the film is where Don’t Knock Twice scores heavily and it is a shame that the film doesn’t quite follow through on it’s potential in the second half.
Nick Moran is under-used in a supporting role as a police man investigating the disappearance of Chloe’s boyfriend and one or two other characters enter the fray who are under-exploited.
Don’t Knock Twice‘s key strength is in the two lead female performances. Sackhoff demonstrates the gutsy vulnerability we witnessed during her Starbuck days and Boynton continues to develop nicely as a young actress of noticeable talent and presences. If there is anything worth watching this reasonable horror movie, it is these two. Worth a look.
Don’t Knock Twice is in cinemas and on demand 31 March and on DVD 3 April
