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Knock Knock is a remake of Death Game (1977), a film which it emulates almost note for note, including the senselessness of the invaders' pursuit of justice. However, Knock Knock is by far the superior version, in particular because of how it ends. Both films imply that the home invaders—named Donna (Colleen Camp) and Jackson (Sondra Locke) in the original—have become criminally insane either because of past sexual abuse or because of their natural inclination toward evil.
However, it is only in Knock Knock that their achievement of so-called justice makes any sense, albeit on a very superficial level. In both films, the invaders sentence their victim—named George (Seymour Cassel) in the original—to death after a mock trial for his adultery and ultimately spare his life, because it was all a game. What happens afterward is what really sets the two films apart.
In Knock Knock, Bel and Genesis metaphorically end Evan's life via the internet—they post a video of him having sex with them to his social media—and subsequently move on to their next victim. In Death Game, however, it is George who goes free, and Donna and Jackson who presumably die at the end—they are hit accidentally by a speeding van, which (perhaps not incidentally) is from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
This ending is less effective than that of Knock Knock not only because of its senselessness, but also because it goes against the basic premise of both films, which is explicitly stated at the beginning of Death Game:
"This motion picture is based on a true story. It should serve to remind us that fate allows no man to insulate himself against the evil which pervades our society."
Contrary to this message, George does, in some way, succeed in insulating himself, since he escapes with his life far more intact than Evan does. If Donna and Jackson were to die at the end because of some other evil in society, rather than accidentally being killed by the benevolent SPCA, then the ending would be redeemable. In this respect, Knock Knock did a better job living up to the premise shared by both films, despite their shared flaws.
