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Parents' Guide to

Knock Knock

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Horrible home-invasion thriller from Eli Roth.

Movie R 2015 99 minutes
Knock Knock Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 26 parent reviews

age 17+

Horror and sex 🔪🔪

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
age 18+

Another twisted Eli Roth flick…

This is very twisted, and surprisingly, Eli Roth still managed to make it overly scary even without a lot of blood. There is only one drop of blood in the entire movie, but it is still too graphic for anyone but adults. No kids of any age should see this. By far, the only good film directed by Eli Roth that I have seen is “Cabin Fever” from 2002. There is a very explicit sex scene in the movie, along with nonstop profanity and violence in the form of torture and fighting. There is a lot more emphasis on violence and peril in this film than a good storyline. Do not bother.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (26 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Director Eli Roth returns with another loathsome movie, this time gleefully playing around with a home invasion, torture, pedophilia, and revenge but never seeming to know what he wants to say. Details of Evan's supposed pedophilia are kept from viewers, so we have no idea just how bad his crime was -- only that his wife and kids seem to have forgiven him. He does make a big mistake by jumping into bed with Genesis and Bel, but he more or less earns our sympathies.

This brings up the question of why the two women would degrade themselves by sleeping with someone they intended to torture. Other inconsistencies come up, too, but eventually it all collapses into a dumb torture show with characters acting, by turns, vicious and stupid. KNOCK KNOCK is a huge waste of time and effort for Reeves (what was he thinking?); at least cinematographer Antonio Quercia chooses smooth, fluid camerawork over his usual jerky stuff.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: October 9, 2015
  • On DVD or streaming: December 8, 2015
  • Cast: Keanu Reeves , Lorenza Izzo , Ana de Armas
  • Director: Eli Roth
  • Inclusion Information: Asian actors, Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors, Latino actors
  • Studio: Lionsgate
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Run time: 99 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: disturbing violent behavior, strong sexual content, nudity and language
  • Last updated: June 7, 2023

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