Knock Knock (2017) – Nostalgic Horror Movie Review

“Fuckin’ Draculas, bro.”

Oh, the ’80s. For horror fans of a certain age, the memory of scouring the aisles of the local video store, analyzing the covers of VHS tapes and trying to find the coolest films with no internet recommendations to back up your choice… it was like trying to find a needle in a pile of body parts. Of course, this only made finding the best films, the bodacious, bloody, big-haired beauties remembered for years afterwards, akin to stumbling upon a boatload of One-Eyed Willie’s rich stuff. Oh, the memories! So when a film is touted as a throwback to the ’80s, I have to see it, if only to attempt to rediscover that exquisite feeling from 30+ years ago. Does Toby Canto, Jr.’s throwback film Knock Knock (2017) live up to the ’80s rollback hype?

Dorm of the Dead’s (2012) Toby Conto, Jr. wrote, directed, produced, edited and even acted in Knock Knock, his second feature film. The cast includes Kerry Tartack (The Newton Boys 1998), Rachel Atterson, Sisi Berry, Chuk Hell and Lucas Alexander Ayoub (The Golden Rut 2016) as the mysterious neighbor. Steven Canham (Prophecy of the Quill 2016) composed the score. 

Synopsis:

Knock Knock tells the story of down-on-his-luck former boxer Sam Grant (Kerry Tartack), who one night finds himself caught in a whirlwind of conjecture and conundrum as his colorful and quirky neighbors come to him with scary tales of their apartment’s mysterious new resident. Inspired by the retro horror classics of VHS days gone by, Knock Knock is sure to be a treat for any horror fan and aficionado.

The film begins with a commercial for the weirdest pizza place I’ve ever seen, a place called Pi-strodamous Pizza Prophecies. Experience the ‘za… Then, one at a time, we meet the four neighbors who are trying to decide of they are, in face, up against a member of the undead. We have the ex-boxer skeptic Sam (Tartack), the determined ringleader Olive (Berry), the burly, ushanka-wearing Dragon (Hell) and bubbly scientist Gretchen (Atterson). Olivia has used Sam’s 60th birthday as an excuse to get them all together and discuss their mysterious neighbor (Ayoub), a suave ladies’ man that brings sexy women to his abode, where they’re never seen again. Is he a vampire? Or is something else going on?

What Works

I’ve always said, the size of the budget does not decide the enjoyability of a horror film. With a engaging script, tight editing and unique characters, a filmmaker has 90% of what he or she needs to create a successful project. The frights are important, but without the first three things, jump scares and gore will only get you so far. In Knock Knock, Toby Canto, Jr. has managed to get the first three items on his list checked perfectly, despite the fact that this is only his second film. He created awesomely quirky characters (seriously, we need to see Dragon and Gretchen again in more movies!) and a truly funny script that flowed along at a decent pace. He never fell into the trap of leaving something on the table that had no right to be there, just because he felt emotionally attached to the scene or to extend the run time.

I was also impressed with Steven Canham’s score as well as Hilarie McLaughlin and Robert Butler’s set design. I loved all of the little touches they added, and the old bottle really looked like something that had been sitting in someone’s dark, dank basement for hundreds of years. I was really impressed with the look and feel of Knock Knock. I feel like these characters could have been in any film – horror, comedy, rom-com, dramedy, reality TV series… Hint, hint, Mr. Canto.

What Doesn’t Work

I was disappointed that the climax of the film was so short. After 45 minutes of talking about this possible vampire, I expected a bigger showdown between them all. Some of the acting could have been better. The actors were a bit flat at times, but this didn’t deter from my enjoyment of the film. Also, the lighting was sometimes a bit too dark. One last thing I’ll mention is the special effects. I realize that Knock Knock was not a big budget feature, but I was a bit disappointed that the final form of the mysterious neighbor looked like a basic Halloween mask. Again, this wasn’t distracting; it was just something I had noticed.

Final Thoughts

I thought Knock Knock was a fun little flick! I’m seriously impressed with Toby Canto, Jr.’s filmmaking skills and I hope he continues to hone his talents. The dialogue and characters are hilarious and need to make appearances in other projects. The film has a gnarly ’80s vibe that Gen Xers are sure to love. If you get the chance, pop some popcorn, relax in your parachute pants and slip Knock Knock into your VCR for an hour of glorious ’80s fun!