Natty Knocks movie storyline. Horror legacy director Dwight H. Little (Halloween 4) returns to suburbia to spin the tale of a killer that stalks one Californian town on Halloween night. Horror icons Danielle Harris, Robert Englund and Bill Moseley are appropriately cast in this slasher about an infamous horror actress who becomes part of a local urban legend on Halloween and is avenged by her son who, in his trauma, grows up to become a serial killer. Drenched in ‘70s nostalgia, it’s a nod to Halloween and lower brow slashers of the decade that makes an attempt at meta-horror, but too often misses the mark.
We’re introduced to the night that curses a small town forevermore with Natty Knocks (Joey Bothwell), a notorious horror actress being burned at the stake on Halloween night 1976 after being accused of witchcraft and seducing the local men. From there we cut to the present, which still very much feels reminiscent of the ‘70s from the music down to the amount of baseball tees featured on screen.
Natty Knocks takes heavy stylistic inspiration from ‘70s slashers to the point where it feels having the film be set in the decade might have worked to make a more cohesive story and generally worked in its favor. Now traumatized by his mother’s murder 40 years later, Natty’s son takes the name Abner Honeywell (Moseley) and goes on a killing spree to avenge his mother’s death and remember those who had exploited her.
The backstory of the killer in Natty is unique and even begins to take an interesting position on women’s roles in cases of adultery. However, all the trauma and rage doesn’t translate to what should be the source of the gore here. The kills simply don’t live up to the potential of its cast and leave little shock value. The cast feels underused in the horror department aside from Harris occasionally demonstrating some impressive screams, but overall the stakes are too low and kills are over before anything gets too dicey.
Alongside the lineup of horror icons is a younger cast which helps preserve the legend of Natty into 2023, unfortunately opening the door to some cringey teen dialogue. Nowhere does it reach Riverdale status, but the disconnect between the writing and its younger cast seems to further support that this might have worked better had it had been set in the past since it feels like a possible direction the crew wanted to take. Nevertheless, we get another homage to Halloween when babysitter Britt (Charlotte Fountain-Jardim) is faced with protecting Wyatt (Thomas Robie) and Jolie (Channah Zeitung) from a masked killer on Halloween night.
There’s a lot of promise in Natty Knocks from its cast to the lore of its titular character. Its premise that a horror actress haunts the town she was wrongfully executed in has amazing potential, but there are too many missing pieces and moments that feel disconnected for this idea to be fully grown. Character details appear conveniently without reason, and the kills aren’t anywhere as satisfying as they need to be. Natty Knocks might not be complex, but it also doesn’t mind being taken unseriously.
The Gateway is an American crime thriller film directed by Michele Civetta and starring Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Zach Avery, Bruce Dern, Frank Grillo, Keith David, Taryn Manning, Mark Boone Junior, Jessica Medina, Taegen Burns, Jay Hieron and Alexander Wraith. The screenplay, written by Alexander Felix and originally titled Where Angels Die, was included in the 2013 Black List.
Directed by: Dwight H. Little
Starring: Charlotte Fountain-Jardim, Thomas Robie, Noen Perez, Channah Zeitung, Amit Sarin, Will Murden, Joey Bothwell, Chris Gehrt, Jennifer Lee Laks, Kellen Martelli, Dawn Noel
Screenplay by: Benjamin Olson
Production Design by: Cameron Barrett
Cinematography by: David Dolnik
Film Editing by: Bill Lynch
Costume Design by: Desi Aguilar
Set Decoration by: Jimmy Cenci
Art Direction by: Chantal Massuh
Music by: Misha Segal
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment
Release Date: July 21, 2023
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