It’s still hot in Denver folks, but the evening air does smell a bit on the Autumn side. With that, comes a slew of horror films that may (or may not) start to get you ready for All Hallow’s Eve. With the typical slew of jump scares, boogeymen, supernatural ghosts or beings, I have to say Don’t Breathe is a refreshing…well, breath of fresh air. I was a bit skeptical since the script seemed quite the *Hollywood* recipe for what would be considered a horror movie. That being said, this film would make Alfred Hitchcock proud.
Rocky (Evil Dead’s Jane Levy) is a girl in dire straits. Her mother is a terrible, terrible person since her biological father left the house. Her little sister Diddy is not sure how to handle everything happening around her and just wants to go somewhere that has an ocean so she can learn how to surf. Unbeknownst to her family, Rocky has been robbing houses with her best friend Alex (Goosebumps’ Dylan Minnette) and her awful, good for nothing boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto – It Follows). Although Alex is only committing these crimes because he is in love with Rocky, his father is one of the bigwigs at the local police station in Detroit (he also has access to the alarm systems for certain companies) and understands the rules: Take whatever can be resold at the highest cost and do not remove anything over the amount of $10k (they run the risk of, if caught, being charged with grand larceny). Rocky and Money have a different plan: rob a blind man who has been devastated by the loss of his daughter (and is sitting on at least $300k from a settlement from her death), then run away to California to start their life anew. Although this is not something Alex is too keen on…he finally comes around and wants to run away with them as well (sorry dad).
This sets the stage for one of the most intricately made home invasion films I have seen in recent years. Fede Alvarez’s return after a three year hiatus since his explosive remake of Evil Dead is one to be admired and, quite honestly, immerses the viewer into what I can only describe as a psychotic dance between the teens and the brutally amazing Stephen Lang (Avatar) as the blind man. This dance leaves the audience white-knuckled, second guessing every move these kids make and questioning whether or not the kids will ever make it out of this nightmare.
Running a mere 88 minutes, the film rapidly turns the suspension level from 0 to 10, with only a quick moment of comic relief (it’s also pretty squeamish for some). Although Fede Alvarez has made comments saying that he had not heard of Alfred Hitchcock’s Wait Until Dark starring Audrey Hepburn, Don’t Breathe is a horrific force to be reckoned with, leaving the viewers holding their breath, and waiting until the last scene and the lights in the theater to let them know they are safe from the cat and mouse game of chess they were juts apart of.
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