Knock Knock's Alternate Ending Made More Sense (& Set Up A Sequel)
John Castro Eli Roth wrote an alternate ending for his home invasion horror thriller Knock Knock, which made more sense than its current ending — here's how.
Eli Roth's home invasion horror movie Knock Knock has an alternate ending that makes more sense than its current one, and could've even set up a sequel — here's how.
Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as Evan Webber, a loving husband and father who falls victim to the antics of Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas). After allowing them into his home, the girls coerce him into having sex, only to later inform him that they're underage; they torment him with the threat of calling the police. Director Eli Roth is known for including sexual overtones in the majority of his works within the horror genre. His movie Hostel awarded him as one of the pioneers of the sub-genre now known as "torture porn". This sub-genre is often defined by its immense amounts of blood and carnage mixed with sexually explicit material, such as erotic situations and images. Knock Knock includes some of these infamous themes, particularly the mixture of brutality with sex.
After torturing Evan for nearly an entire day, the movie ends with Genesis and Bel burying him up to his neck, uploading a video of him having sex with Bel, and leaving him to be found by his wife. Eli Roth wrote an entirely different ending that could've set up a sequel to Knock Knock, and makes the elements of abuse present throughout its entirety make much more sense than the theatrical ending. Here's how altering the final moments of Knock Knock could've made the movie better, and potentially set it on a path toward getting the sequel treatment.
The alternate ending to Knock Knock sees Bel and Genesis leaving Evan's house, presumably heading toward a new victim. On their way out, they steal his family dog, Monkey. Evan uses the tracking device on the dog's collar in order to find them. Once he does, Evan knocks on their door and they respond with "Who's there?" mirroring the beginning of the movie. It brings everything full circle, and sets up an interesting revenge plot for Reeves' character that could've been utilized in a sequel.
While Genesis and Bel are tormenting Evan, it's alluded that they've experienced severe trauma and assault, which led them to attack men and - more specifically - fathers. Their reasoning for targeting men like Evan is never fully revealed, but it could've been, had the alternate ending offered the opportunity for a Knock Knock sequel. Evan represents something evil from their past that Bel and Genesis cannot escape; it's clear that the two women went through something awful in their lives, which in turn caused them to turn their tormentors into their victims. When he knocks on the door of their next victim's home, it could've given him the ability to find answers or enact revenge on them for ruining his life. However, this ending likely wouldn't have sent the right message, given Bel and Genesis' potential backstory.
At its core, Knock Knock is a story about victims, survivors, and predators. Had it concluded with Eli Roth's alternate ending, it could've expanded the story beyond the assumption that Genesis and Bel are just senseless brutalizers. It could've added nuance to a movie that, as it stands now, has a simplistic ending. In Knock Knock's theatrical ending, the audience can assume Evan's wife leaves him, and the suffering he faced continues to impact his life. The alternate ending to Knock Knock would have been more sensible, and offered the story several additional layers that it desperately needed.
