It requires a bit of genius to take a tired premise and make it into something entertaining.
But, anyone who loves a quality horror/suspense thriller will love Don’t Breathe.
The film follows three down on their luck 20-somethings in Detroit who break into houses so they can earn enough cash to move to California.
They hear a rumour about an older, blind Iraqi veteran sitting on a small fortune in an abandoned neighbourhood and decide that’s their ticket to the Promised Land.
Bad idea.
The premise of a home invasion gone wrong has been done multiple times in the horror genre but what separates Don’t Breathe from the rest of its sub-genre is the lack of easy, jump scares and shaky camera work that have marked the steady stream of nonsensical thrillers Hollywood has made in recent years.
Uruguay-born director Fede Alvarez (of 2013’s Evil Dead remake fame) produces a quieter film that relies more on silence and slow build up before sudden outbursts of violence that cause audiences to squirm in their seats.
There’s one scene in particular that stands out in the mind, which contains the film major reveal, and involves a turkey baster. That’s all I’m going to say.
Along with cinematographer Pedro Luque, Alvarez turns a set of doors, rooms, staircases and windows into a mazy labyrinth, which seems to endlessly expand as the film goes on and creates a sense of claustrophobia, which slowly suffocates the characters.
As for the characters, they don’t really have many redeeming qualities. For the first 20 or so minutes of the film, you’re rooting for the blind veteran against three scumbag criminals until they begin tumbling down the rabbit hole and discover the house is in fact a chamber of horrors.
Rocky (played by Jane Levy) only starts to become sympathetic halfway through the film. One of her companions Alex (Dylan Minnette) is your stereotypical, “maybe we shouldn’t do this,” character Hollywood always seems is necessary in films these days, and Rocky’s boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto) is an obnoxious idiot no one in their right mind would care about.
The Blind Man (as he is credited), is played masterfully by Stephen Lang (of Avatar fame). The character, who was blinded by shrapnel in the gulf war, became a shut-in after his daughter was killed in a hit and run. The driver was acquitted of the charges, causing Lang to go off the deep end.
He also acts not just as a character but could also be seen as a symbol of those living in abandoned industrial towns who are left behind as America sallies forth.
He’s a man who moves slowly, but purposely, and hasn’t forgotten his military training, as the three intruders will find out the hard way.
His Rottweiler companion, who is straight out of Stephen King’s Cujo, is also at the centre of several of the film’s tensest scenes, in particular one involving Rocky crawling through an air vent.
Don’t Breathe has a lot to offer people looking for a night of terror at the movies. There’s a good chance there will be more frightening films released this year, but it’s doubtful you’ll see another one do so much with so little.
For local showings of Don’t Breathe, visit www.cochranemoviehouse.com.
