‘They are outside. They are watching. They are waiting…’
The Night They Knocked is a 2019 American horror thriller film about a group of friends whose weekend away turns into a home invasion nightmare.
Written, produced and directed by Sean Roberts [as Sean F. Roberts Jr.], the movie stars Linnea Gregg, Mickey Roberts, Connor Roberts and Jack Buckley.
Plot:
During their last weekend together, a group of friends staying at a reclusive mountain house have their fun suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door…
Capsule review:
The initial character development and indie-style acting are both fine but 45 minutes into 80 minutes of the running time is simply too late to introduce the maniacs. Worse, when the potential home invaders do arrive, they cut the power so the remainder of the film is shot in almost darkness with zero tension and an ending that lacks any final punch.
Adrian J Smith, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“While this is certainly a brutal and frenetic effort at the end when it counts, this is still undermined by a sluggish pace, nothing interesting happening when it’s not dealing with that and a troublesome finale even with a lot of positives mixed in. Give this a look only if you’re a fan of this kind of indie genre effort…” Don’s World of Horror and Exploitation
“It’s a low-budget production, but you wouldn’t know based on the sound or picture quality. The acting is the one thing that doesn’t fully do this movie justice. However, for the most part, even the acting is impressive. Also, this movie has a runtime of 80 minutes, which is actually spot-on.” Heaven of Horror
“The radio announcements and occasional bumps in the night are likely meant to ramp up the tension; turning the film into a classic “slow burn” affair, but the pacing doesn’t quite cut the proverbial mustard […] When the bad guys do show up and Connor Roberts’ on-screen charisma takes over, though, it’s like a whole new movie.” The Scariest Things
Trailer:
Free to watch online:
Film facts:
In preparation for the film, director Sean Roberts recommended that the cast and crew watch The Strangers, The Thing and Green Room.
Cast and characters:
Linnea Gregg … Carmen; Mickey Roberts … Jake; Connor Roberts … Pogo; Jack Buckley … Derrick; Maggie Shirk … Woman; Deirdre Koczur … Alyssa; Rachel Donahue … Jess
Joseph Morrone … Happy Face; Christopher Pickhardt … Radio DJ; Brendan Donegan … Dom; Aleksandra Kholodna … Joe; Blake Margot … Dress Boy; Savannah Carr … Boo; Jared McKeon … Muscles; Robert Barnes … Tariq
Filming locations:
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Technical details:
1 hour 20 minutes
