Summary

• Knock Knock's alternate ending provides closure and sets up the possibility of a sequel, expanding on the story and giving meaning to the themes of abuse present throughout the film.
• The main reason why the girls in Knock Knock target men like Evan is not fully revealed, which left the theatrical ending feeling dissatisfying. The alternate ending could have offered a deeper exploration of Bel and Genesis' trauma and motives.
• Eli Roth made minimal changes to the original script of Knock Knock, focusing on planning shots and camera angles. Keanu Reeves requested a different ending for his character's reaction, but the original version was ultimately used, a decision Reeves agreed with.

Contains discussion of sexual abuse and torture.

Eli Roth's original Knock Knock ending is decidedly different from the alternate ending, which sets up a potential sequel. Knock Knock stars Keanu Reeves as Evan, a husband and father who is visited by two strangers, Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas). After allowing them into his home, the girls coerce him into having sex then reveal to Evan that they're underage, and torment him with the threat of calling the police. Knock Knock ends with Genesis and Bel burying him up to his neck, ing their sex tape, and leaving him to be found by his wife.

While the movie delivered on the expectations that come with a director like Eli Roth, the ending of Knock Knock proved incredibly controversial, mainly because it didn't offer closure, either emotionally or narratively. However, Eli Roth wrote a Knock Knock alternate ending that gives the elements of abuse present throughout much more meaning than the theatrical ending and sets up a possible sequel — though whether Knock Knock 2 will ever happen is a different matter.

What Happens In The Knock Knock Alternate Ending

Evan Tracks Down Bel And Genesis For Revenge

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 in Knock Knock full circle, but instead of setting the sequel up to see Keanu Reeves in a revenge movie like John Wick, it provides an opportunity to explore the two villains. While Genesis and Bel are tormenting Evan throughout the movie, it's insinuated that they've experienced severe trauma and assault themselves, which led them to attack men and — more specifically — fathers.

The main reasons the two girls in Knock Knock target men like Evan are never fully revealed, which is one reason the ending felt unsatisfying. The Knock Knock alternate ending offered the opportunity for a sequel that expanded on the story of Bel and Genesis, explaining the specifics of why they do what they do.

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.

Evan tracking Bel and Genesis down to confront them, and possibly even turn the tables on them, would be the perfect narrative vehicle for this exposition. 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.

However, given Bel and Genesis' potential backstory prior to the events of Knock Knock and the different gender power dynamics, a Knock Knock sequel where Evan subjects Bel and Genesis to similar torment in search of an answer would be too simplistic in many ways, veering into Hostel-like sequel territory. 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 the 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 faces 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.

How Death Game, The Movie Knock Knock Is Based On, Ended

The Original Ending Is Even More Shocking Than Knock Knock's Alternate Finale

Eli Roth's Knock Knock is based on a Death Game, directed by Peter S. Traynor. The adaptation is loose, especially given the difference in technology in the 2010s compared to the 1970s (the threat of ing video footage, for example, isn't present in Death Game for obvious reasons). The core premise of Knock Knock is directly lifted from Death Game. Unfortunately, the original movie doesn't add a lot more context to Knock Knock's ending.

The characters in Death Game have different names and backstories to Knock Knock, feeling like very different characters altogether. While the reveal in Death Game that one of the girls (Agatha, played by Sondra Locke) is tormenting the Evan-equivalent George (Seymour Cassel) because of sexual abuse at the hands of her father could fit the narrative of Knock Knock, this plot detail can't be presumed to be true for Bel or Genesis.

The other reason the finale of Death Game doesn't offer any more exposition than even the alternate ending of Knock Knock is that it's, if anything, even less satisfactory. While Bel and Genesis survive the events of Knock Knock in both the alternate and theatrical endings, Agatha and Donna (Colleen Camp) die at the end of Death Game, taking the secrets behind their motivation with them.

After leaving George weeping on his lawn following a tense few minutes in which he believed they would behead him, Agatha and Donna run into the street and are hit by a van. It is another controversial movie ending that brings things to an abrupt close and definitely doesn't help fill in for the narrative failings of the ending to Knock Knock.

Eli Roth Didn't Change Much About Knock Knock

Reeves Commented On One Change He Wanted To Make To The Ending

Actor Keanu Reeves discussed 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 Roth to plan out the shots and camera 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 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 ending with him screaming at the women and asking why they did this to him, Reeves requested it be re-filmed. He wanted his screams to be almost a plea and a form of self-defense from his character rather than the anger of the original take. However, Roth used the original version in the final cut of Knock Knock, and Reeves said that he felt it was the right decision.

Which Knock Knock Ending Is Better?

The Theatrical Ending Fits The Movie's Overall Done Best

Which Knock Knock ending the audience prefers would be based on how they wanted the movie to be resolved. The theatrical ending is certainly the more challenging of the two versions, which tests the audience's perception of who is the victim and who is the villain in the story. Evan is not a perfect man by any means, but he is also put through a lot that is more extreme than his actions warrant. Genesis and Bel may be seen as vigilante types, punishing problematic men, but they also clearly take sadistic pleasure in the torment.

What the endings come down to is who the audience wants to see get punished. The theatrical ending provides a darkly comedic conclusion of Evan's comeuppance. Those who see Evan as a hypocritical man who sells himself as a loving father and husband will see justice in his world falling apart. Those who see Genesis and Bel as the villains will take pleasure in the alternate ending that suggests Evan gets his revenge.

Ultimately, the theatrical ending suits Knock Knock's tone well. Genesis and Bel seem to be in control the entire time, playing this twisted game with Evan, and it feels like they are meant to win. Similar to the Gone Girl, it might be frustrating to see the villains emerge victorious, but it is fitting for the character. The sillier ending also fits the oddly comedic tone of the movie. The alternate ending to Knock Knock hints at a grimmer conclusion that doesn't feel right for the story that audiences watched.