Knock Knock Knock Knock is a stylish giallo that dedicates itself fully to matching the feel of those films, particularly the palette and aesthetic of Dario Argento, down to shooting the short in English and then dubbing it in Italian. This decision threw me off initially and I’m still not completely sold on it, to be fair I’m not a big fan of it in the classic gialli of the 70s either, but I have to give them credit for committing to the style. Style is king here, with a very sparse and abstract narrative told through a bold and inventive visual language. Taking obvious cues from films like Suspiria and Deep Red, Knock Knock Knock Knock takes it even a bit further, incorporating a variety of mixed media over an already borderline outlandish set to create something that cares far more about mood than grounding itself in any literal reality.

After a handful of panoramic establishing shots, we open on Freya (Natasha Lamper) having a conversation with a woman who appears to be some sort of a nurse or caregiver and is making sure Freya takes a medication she only refers to as “K”s, which appear to be related to an incident which has caused her to become covered in burns, which also requires her to wear a mask and a full body compression garment. I’m not sure what a K is but they don’t seem to help the situation as Freya is soon being tormented by the sounds of someone at her door and soon finds herself crawling on the floor in the throes of a full-blown psychotic breakdown, which we experience through a combination of jarring editing and illustrative elements projected over the action. Lamper’s portrayal is appropriately otherworldly in its own right, a combination of frantic, childlike curiosity; tremendous social anxiety; and the aggression of a cornered animal. Knock Knock Knock Knock is a fantastically unique ride and while I’m not sure it offers any answers, the exploration of its questions is handled with unquestionable panache.