Knock Knock’s Alternate Ending Made More Sense (& Set Up A Sequel)

The Knock Knock alternate ending for Eli Roth’s home invasion horror movie makes more sense than its current one and could’ve set up a sequel. 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 as one of the pioneers of the sub-genre now known as “torture porn,” often defined by its immense amounts of blood and carnage. Knock Knock includes some of these infamous themes with a mixture of brutality and 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 a Knock Knock alternate ending that could’ve set up a sequel 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.

What Happens In The Knock Knock Alternate Ending

The Knock Knock alternate ending 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 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 eluded 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 Knock Knock alternate ending offered the opportunity for a 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 Knock Knock alternate ending would have been more sensible and offered the story several additional layers that it desperately needed.

Eli Roth Didn’t Change Much About Knock Knock

Keanu Reeves talked a lot about Knock Knock and any differences between the original script and the movie itself (via Collider). When it came to Roth making any changes, especially concerning the alternate ending, Reeves said that the director changed almost nothing that was planned. He mentioned how the main focus was for Eli Roth to plan out the shots and cancer angles with the cinematographer and the actors would just perform the scenes without changing them too much.

“Nothing. If anything, it was we rehearsed for 4 or 5 days in the house. We rehearsed so much that basically we were all off book and it basically turned into a play… In terms of the big picture there was no like, “Oh that scene got cut,” or, “Maybe this should go here,” really.”

When looking at the Knock Knock alternate ending, Keanu said the ending with him screaming at the women and asking why they did this to him, he said that he asked for that shot to be re-filmed. He wasn’t wanting the other rending uses, he just wanted to play with his reaction when it came to screaming, almost a plea and a form of self-defense from his character. However, they used the original version in the final cut of Knock Knock, and Reeves said that he felt it was the right decision.