Knock Knock

Director - Jack Norman (Friday the 13th: The Curse of Jason)
Starring - Jack Norman, Ashley Gabbard (The Long Home), and Matthew Stout (The Campground: The Requel)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "He's here to fix the cable"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Jack Norman is a man that has built up quiet the reputation among the indie horror community.  In just a few short years he has directed two fan films, Friday the 13th: The Curse of Jason and Halloween: The Babysitter Murders, along with starring in several films including Howl of a Good Time, Last Supper, The Wicked One, and several upcoming releases.   There is even word that Norman himself was cast as an extra and an upcoming James Franco flick.  This is all pretty damn impressive once you consider this all came about after his Xbox broke and he was looking for something to do.  A few days back Jack reached out to me to check out his short film Knock Knock (not to be confused with Eli Roth's new film).  Being the fan of Studio 605 that I am I agreed to check it out.  Thanks for letting me check it out Jack!

     The film follows a young man who is trying to watch Night of the Living Dead on Halloween when he receives a knock at the door.  He answers it under the impression that it is just another group of trick or treaters.  On the other side of the door he finds a frightened young woman seeking refuge while talking incoherently about a man stalking her.  He lets her in and tries to calm her down.  A few moments later he receives a knock at the door and when he answers it he finds a man pretending to be a cable man.  The guy tells him he was sent to repair his cable and then asks about the girl.  The guy informs him that he does not have cable and he has not seen any girl.  The cable guy leaves.  Some time passes and some trick or treaters and when he turns around he finds the cable guy with a knife to the girls neck.  After a few moments he lowers his knife and reveal a gun and the young girl's involvement with him.  The two scammed him and now have him at gunpoint where they begin to play a sick game.
     Shorts can be a tricky thing to master.  They have a small amount of time to get the story going.  It is because of this time crunch that the film can not afford to waste any time or the viewer can miss something very important.  I have seen so many shorts waste time and deliver a half ass story.  Lucky for us, Knock Knock delivers on the story.  The acting in this one is solid.  All three key characters portrayed by director Jack Norman, Ashley Gabbard, and Matthew Stout.  All three work very well with each other and do an excellent job staying in character.  The characters, however, are a little flat with very little depth.  It was very difficult to like any of them.  That is not due to the acting.  The story for this one is very simple and one very common among the home invasion sub-genre.  The film does not have a story that is that original but it does have a twist that you will not see coming.  Finally, the film does not have any on screen kills or blood which is strange considering it is a Studio 605 short.  The film relies heavily on story and suspense to get the point across.  Overall, Knock Knock is a solid short that does not reinvent the wheel but does offer a fun ride.  I recommend this one.