Movie Review - Don't Knock Twice

Don't Knock Twice

(2016)

Red & Black Films / Seymour Films / FFilms Cymru Wales : IFC Midnight / Signature Entertainment

8.25 / 10

I was happily surprised by this film.  When I watched the trailer and saw that Katee Sackhoff was starring I knew I had to see the full movie.  I've been a fan of Sackhoff's for a while now, I particularly liked her portrayal of a deputy in the wonderful "Longmire".  However, in this film her character isn't as strong, she's flawed and broken.

Sackhoff plays Jess, a sculptress who has come back to England to put on a show and to get to know her daughter who she previously gave up to social services as she was a drug addict.  Her daughter, Chloe played believingly by Lucy Boynton, is cautious and bluntly refuses to see her mother.  She rethinks her actions when her best friend Danny, Jordan Bolger, disappears after they knock on the door of a haunted house.

What makes this better than the average ghost story is the interwoven mystery of the ghost woman and a group of missing children.  The twists and turns that the writers Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler give the audience are well constructed to keep them guessing the outcome.

The only thing I could have wished for were a few more scenes with mother and daughter, Jess and Chloe, getting to know each other.  The ones in the movie feel a little too rushed to meet the runtime.  This would have added greatly to the characters and the film.

There was one irksome element in the film... the "Two Knocks".  I know this is the hinge on which the story and its fear and tension balance, but really, who only knocks twice?  I personally prefer "Shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm knock.  But without this component, the "who's at the door" tension would be feasible.

in the first half, Caradog W James creates an eerie atmosphere and tension with some really nice camera shots and artistic segues between scenes.  This, however, disappears for a more standard film work in the second half.  

If you like ghost stories and mysteries with plenty of twists in the plot I would recommend this film for your viewing pleasure.  I don't think you'll be upset.