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Don't Knock Twice (2017) movie poster

Timeline

Don't Knock Twice (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 93 min · English
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Directed by
Caradog W. James

Driven by curiosity, a young woman unwittingly unleashes a terrifying presence within an old house, awakening a vengeful witch. To escape the witch's pursuit, she seeks refuge with her estranged mother in a secluded rural area. However, safety proves elusive as the demonic entity follows, forcing them to confront painful secrets and fight for survival against an ancient and relentless evil.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Don't Knock Twice
  6. 6 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

Don't Knock Twice Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Don't Knock Twice (2017) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Introduction to Jess Webb-Thomas

    In the picturesque Welsh countryside, we meet Jessica 'Jess' Webb-Thomas, a once-renowned sculptor. She is grappling with her past struggles as a former addict, showcasing her attempt to reconcile with her turbulent history.

    Where
    Welsh countryside
  2. Jess's Estrangement from Chloe

    Jess tries to mend her fractured relationship with her estranged daughter, Chloe. This is the result of Jess's past as an addict, which deeply impacted their familial bond.

  3. Chloe Declines Jess's Invitation

    Jess invites Chloe to stay with her and her second husband, Ben, in hopes of reconnecting. However, Chloe declines and chooses to spend the night out with her friend Danny at a mysterious location.

  4. Danny's Mysterious Disappearance

    While at the enigmatic location rumored to be a witch's residence, Danny falls victim to bizarre and unexplained events leading to his sudden disappearance. This event significantly impacts Chloe's next choices.

    Where
    Witch's rumored residence
  5. Chloe Joins Jess

    Confronted by a demonic force and feeling increasingly isolated, Chloe finally accepts Jess's invitation to join her family. This moment marks the beginning of their attempts at healing their fractured relationship.

  6. Discovery of the Human Molar

    In a shocking moment, Chloe discovers a human molar in her carrot and coriander soup. This unsettling discovery marks the start of a series of bizarre and sinister occurrences within their home.

  7. Dreams of the Elderly Woman

    Jess begins to experience haunting dreams featuring an elderly woman whispering 'Przepraszam', giving her a sense of foreboding. This clue ties to the local folklore surrounding Mary Aminov, the deceased neighbor.

  8. The Legend of Mary Aminov

    Chloe recalls the local legend of Mary Aminov, which states that knocking twice on her door could summon her spirit. This sets the stage for the supernatural events that will unfold as the family faces their haunting past.

  9. Paranormal Chaos in the Family Home

    As tension escalates, the family's home becomes a hub of paranormal activity. With the sculpture studio disturbed and ominous messages appearing, Chloe begins to connect the disturbances with the legend of Baba Yaga.

  10. Mary Aminov's Ghost Terrorizes Jess and Chloe

    Mary Aminov's ghost begins to terrorize Jess and Chloe, culminating in the appearance of a dangerous portal that threatens Chloe's safety. This supernatural threat forces Jess and Chloe to confront darker forces.

  11. Seeking Help from Tira

    Desperate for help, Jess and Chloe turn to Tira, their trusted model. Tira reveals an astonishing truth about Mary Aminov, declaring that she was not a witch, and it was Chloe's actions that fueled the myth surrounding her death.

  12. Jess's Confrontation with Detective Boardman

    Determined to rescue Chloe, Jess suspects Detective Boardman might be involved in the strange happenings. Her investigation leads to tragic realizations about Mary’s curse and the connection to her own family.

  13. Jess's Injuries at Mary's House

    Braving Mary Aminov's haunted house, Jess is injured by an old nail embedded in the property. This act signifies the physical and emotional scars that her family's dark history imposes upon her.

    Where
    Mary's house
  14. Jess's Transport to the Cave

    After knocking twice at Mary’s door, Jess finds herself mysteriously transported to a dimly lit cave. Here, she discovers a cage containing Chloe, revealing the depth of the supernatural threat they face.

    Where
    Dimly lit cave
  15. The Ultimate Revelation and Escape

    With fierce resolve, Jess rescues Chloe from captivity, but the shadows of Baba Yaga loom larger. As they strive to escape the witch's clutches, the dark consequences of their actions culminate in an eerie climax.

Last updated: November 19, 2024 at 17:08

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Timeline questions answered

Don't Knock Twice Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Don't Knock Twice (2017): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does knocking twice on Mary Aminov's door summon her spirit?

Knocking twice on Mary Aminov's door activates the curse because it was the action that originally led to her death. According to local legend, Mary was a recluse who died alone, and the rumor spread that knocking twice on her door would summon her vengeful spirit. When Jess unknowingly knocks twice at the police station while detained, she inadvertently triggers the supernatural transportation to the witch's domain, proving the legend is real.

Foreshadowing: The legend is introduced early when Chloe recalls the local folklore about knocking twice summoning Mary's spirit.

  • mary aminov
  • witch legend
  • knock twice
  • curse
  • summoning
Q2

What happened to Danny at the witch's house?

Danny disappears after visiting the location rumored to be Mary Aminov's house with Chloe. While there, Danny becomes the victim of unexplained phenomena and suddenly vanishes. His disappearance is never fully explained in the film, but it appears the witch's presence claimed him as one of her victims, establishing the deadly reality of the legend.

Foreshadowing: Danny's disappearance occurs immediately after they leave the witch's rumored residence, setting up the dangerous consequences of the legend.

  • danny
  • disappearance
  • witch house
  • missing
Q3

Why is Jess haunted by the elderly woman in her dreams?

Jess dreams of an elderly woman whispering "Przepraszam" (Polish for "I'm sorry") because Mary Aminov is trying to communicate with her. The dreams are a supernatural warning, as Mary was reaching out to Jess specifically. This connection exists because Jess will later become entangled in the witch's curse through her daughter Chloe's actions.

Foreshadowing: Jess begins having these dreams early in the film, before she understands the connection to Mary Aminov.

  • jess
  • elderly woman
  • dreams
  • przepraszam
  • mary aminov
Q4

Why does Chloe find a human molar in her soup?

The human molar appears in Chloe's soup as a direct warning from Mary Aminov's spirit. This grotesque discovery marks the start of intensified paranormal activity in the family home. It signals that the witch has marked Chloe specifically, linking her to the legend and the curse that will escalate throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: This disturbing event occurs shortly after Chloe learns about the witch legend, establishing the personal threat she faces.

  • chloe
  • human molar
  • soup
  • warning
  • paranormal
Q5

Why is Baba Yaga pursuing the family?

Baba Yaga is pursuing the family because Chloe inadvertently reactivated the ancient curse. When Chloe and Danny visited Mary Aminov's house and knocked on the door, they awakened the witch's vengeful spirit. The witch then fixates on Chloe, treating her as "hers" through the ominous message "She's mine" written on the studio floor, because Chloe's actions brought the legend to life.

Foreshadowing: Chloe connects the paranormal disturbances to Baba Yaga after learning about the legend and experiencing the escalating haunting.

  • baba yaga
  • witch
  • pursuit
  • curse
  • chloe
Q6

Why does Tira turn out to be the antagonist?

Tira reveals herself as the true antagonist when she emerges with blood on her face and reveals Ben's dead body in her car trunk. The shocking truth is that Tira has been manipulating events behind the scenes. She deliberately misled Jess about Mary's history, framing Mary as a witch when in fact it was Tira who orchestrated Boardman's death as a sacrificial offering to Baba Yaga. Tira was serving the witch all along.

Foreshadowing: Tira's revelation as a helper who actually serves Baba Yaga subverts the expectation that she would be an ally.

  • tira
  • antagonist
  • betrayal
  • ben death
  • sacrifice
Q7

What happens to Detective Boardman?

Detective Boardman is pulled into the darkness and killed by Baba Yaga's forces. Jess initially suspects Boardman is behind the strange events, but the ultimate revelation shows he was blameless. Mary deceived Jess into believing Boardman was involved, and Tira manipulated events so that Boardman became a sacrificial victim to Baba Yaga, costing him his life.

Foreshadowing: Jess confronts Boardman based on her suspicion, but the truth about Mary's deception emerges later.

  • detective boardman
  • death
  • sacrifice
  • deception
Q8

How does Jess get transported to the cave?

Jess is transported to the dimly lit cave after knocking twice on Mary Aminov's door while detained at the police station. The act of knocking twice activates the supernatural portal that leads to the witch's domain. Inside the cave, Jess discovers Chloe caged, revealing that the witch has been holding her captive in an alternate dimension accessible through these portals.

Foreshadowing: The knocking twice mechanism was established through the legend earlier in the film.

  • jess
  • transportation
  • cave
  • portal
  • knock twice
Q9

Why does Ben disappear from the family home?

Ben disappears after the paranormal activity escalates in the home. He is later revealed to be dead when Tira, her face smeared with blood, emerges and shows Ben's lifeless body hidden in her car trunk. Ben's death occurs off-screen during the chaos of the witch's attack, and Tira is revealed as the one who killed him, adding to the mounting body count.

Foreshadowing: Ben's disappearance creates immediate tension, with his fate remaining uncertain until Tira's revelation.

  • ben
  • disappearance
  • death
  • tira
Q10

Why is Chloe blamed for creating the witch legend?

Chloe is blamed because her actions as a child fueled the urban legend surrounding Mary Aminov's death. Tira reveals that Mary was not actually a witch, but rather it was Chloe's childhood actions and rumors that transformed Mary's death into the witch legend. By visiting the house and knocking on the door as an adult, Chloe unknowingly reactivated the curse and made the legend reality.

Foreshadowing: This revelation comes from Tira when the family seeks help, explaining the personal connection between Chloe and the curse.

  • chloe
  • legend
  • mary aminov
  • blame
  • childhood
Q11

What does the ending with the witch at the door mean?

The ending confirms Baba Yaga's victory over the family. After Jess and Chloe escape the cave and return home, they hear two soft knocks at the door. When Jess opens it, Baba Yaga extends her hand toward them, indicating the witch has come to claim them. The family fails to escape the ancient evil, and their fate is left ominously unresolved, reinforcing the film's bleak tone.

Foreshadowing: This ending mirrors the legend's mechanics, knocking twice brings the witch, and she has now arrived.

  • ending
  • witch
  • door
  • Baba Yaga
  • final scene

Movie threads

More Movies Like Don't Knock Twice, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Don't Knock Twice tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Bleak supernatural thrillers like Don't Knock Twice

Stories where ancient evils overwhelm fragile families with no hope of escape. If the relentless dread and hopeless ending of Don't Knock Twice gripped you, explore more movies like it. These supernatural horror stories feature fragile families confronting ancient evils, leading to dark, tense, and emotionally heavy experiences with bleak conclusions.

  • dread-filled
  • bleak
  • sinister
  • oppressive
  • anxious
  • melancholic
  • Tone: dark, bleak, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, building dread
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern typically involves a family, often estranged or dealing with past trauma, who inadvertently awaken or attract a malevolent supernatural entity. Their attempts to understand and fight back are futile, as the ancient evil proves far more powerful. The story focuses on their psychological unraveling and the destruction of their bonds, culminating in a bleak ending where the evil triumphs or their fate is left ominously unresolved.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a specific, punishing vibe. They combine high-intensity supernatural scares with a consistently dark tone and heavy emotional weight centered on family drama. The similarity lies in the feeling of inevitability and the ultimate victory of the supernatural force over the protagonists.

Horror movies where haunted houses reflect family trauma like Don't Knock Twice

Where supernatural horror is a metaphor for unresolved pain and broken relationships. For viewers who liked how Don't Knock Twice used a demonic witch to explore a broken mother-daughter relationship, this list finds similar movies. These stories blend supernatural horror with intense family dramas, where the ghostly threat is a direct consequence of familial secrets and estrangement.

  • claustrophobic
  • sinister
  • melancholic
  • paranoid
  • dread-filled
  • oppressive
  • Tone: dark, tense, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The stories in this thread follow a dual-track structure. On one level, there is a conventional haunting with escalating paranormal activity. On a deeper level, each supernatural event reveals a piece of a family's troubled history—such as addiction, neglect, or a hidden crime. The characters' journey is as much about surviving the ghostly threat as it is about reconciling (or succumbing to) their personal demons and fractured relationships.

Why they belong together: These movies are connected by their core premise: the supernatural is not random but a direct symbol or result of family dysfunction. They balance high-tension horror with heavy, character-driven drama, creating a uniquely stressful experience where the emotional stakes are as high as the life-or-death ones.

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Every angle

Don't Knock Twice (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Don't Knock Twice in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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