Don't Breathe

When was the last time you walked into a theater and saw a film that shattered your senses? Don't Breathe is a breath of fresh air for what some may call an overwrought genre. I had mentioned in one of my previous reviews that the home-invasion genre was brought to life again by a film titled Intruders, so I did not expect something else to come along so soon that absolutely flips the switch on how these situations typically play out. Why should you go out and see this film at your earliest convenience? Please allow me to elaborate.

The plot itself isn't too complicated, but that doesn't strip the film of anything whatsoever. We are given insight into the lives and doings of three teenage criminals, which are Alex (Dylan Minnette, Goosebumps), Rocky (scream queen Jane Levy, Evil Dead, ABC's Suburgatory) and Money (Daniel Zovatto). One of our criminals catches word of a visually disabled Iraqi war veteran (Stephen Lang) who's sitting on a large sum of money, enough to end each person's struggle they're currently experiencing. After a mutual agreement, it seems that the rest of this heist will be smooth sailing, correct? Not even close.

The group's target resides in an evicted neighborhood in the slums of Detroit, which makes this whole situation seemingly easier for them: less people=less risk. Through a series of slight struggles, our trio makes their way into the man's house and the search for the cash begins. This two story home is so close to becoming a house of horrors, you almost want to warn the characters that they've absolutely no idea what they're getting themselves into (even if they are criminals). Just when we thought they may have the upper hand, our sightless stalker appears, and it's all downhill from there.

Lang does a fantastic job at terrifying the audience with his incredible ability to adapt to his surroundings, using every sense other than sight to track down each last intruder. You can imagine the helpless feelings that must be coursing through our character's veins as they hold their breath, in the very hopes that it isn't their last. Escape isn't exactly an option for our group, unfortunately. I won't go into detail as to why that's so, just know that it's not as easy as you may think. Besides, considering how sharp this man's hearing must be, you'd most definitely be thinking twice about every move you'd make. If one were not precise enough with their movement(s), it could easily land them in a world of unwanted horror.

Director Fede Alvarez (2013's Evil Dead) refuses to suffer from sophomore slump, making his second entry as director a complete and utter success. He knows what scares you, what works, and what doesn't. This isn't a predictable horror film, not by any means. You're going to think you've got it all figured out, but you might actually not be ready for what is delivered to the screen before you. Alvarez wants you to be right alongside our thieves (if only so we can all experience the nerve-frying feeling of being hunted down together). 

Overall, the acting is very solid and keeps you focused on the current situation at hand. This helps in adding to that real sense of terror you feel every time one of our main characters is put into a horrifying situation with our antagonist. There is one scene in particular that takes place in pitch black darkness, and the re-creation of feeling so aimlessly lost and frightened feels about as real as it can possibly get. The twist is some off-the-walls bizarre material, enough to the point where a dear friend of mine noticed that a woman had gotten up and left the theater. I can see where someone could get upset by it, but I wouldn't say it's worth jumping ship over. Just take this ride all the way to the end, and you'll be glad you did. When it comes to horror, Don't Breathe is a cut above the rest, and easily one of the best films in the genre to grace the big screen in recent memory.