Review
'Don't Breathe' brings suspense back to horror
September 21, 2016
Three teenagers have done several small robberies before but aren’t really making enough to make a difference. When they learn that there is an old man who is sitting on pile of cash around six figures, they think that it will be an easy target, one last job so that they will be able to start over and get out of their awful lives at home.
Man, are they wrong. This is by no means an easy job and soon it turns into a nightmare. This older man, who also turns out to be blind, is not going to give up that money willingly or without a fight.
Ninety minutes of pure tension. This was a non-stop suspense ride that was so much fun! I've been waiting for this movie for a long time and I was not disappointed at all! 'Don't Breathe' doesn’t feel like a modern day horror movie because it is very different from modern horror movies. Most horror movies today are filled with jump scares that aren’t really scary at all but make your heart skip a beat. A bird flying out of nowhere, nothing in the frame and then when the camera pans over in that area again something is there and so on, are examples of these cheap techniques that add horror to a film. 'Don't Breathe' is genuinely scary because of the situation that these kids are in. It is terrifying to think about what if you were in this situation and what would you do.
One of the best aspects of the film for me was its sound production and the aspect of light and darkness. The aspect of sound and silence were very similar to a movie on Netflix that I have reviewed called 'Hush' (highly recommend if you haven’t seen). In that case it was a deaf woman and in this case a blind man. In 'Hush' there was really the absence of sound and in 'Don't Breathe' it was very similar. There were a lot of really quiet moments when the characters and the audience don't even breathe to break that stillness and the suspense of the situation. When it came to the lighting of the movie, I loved it. There is this one scene where these characters are in the basement with the old man trying to find them when it is pitch black. This was fantastic and one of my favorite horror movie scenes in a while. So when it came to these aspects of sound or no sound, light or the absence of it, these moments only heighten the situation and make it even more terrifying to watch.
These brilliant and suspenseful scenes where brought to life by writers Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, and then directed by Fede Alvarez. They really did an awesome job with the characters. Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Stephen Lang all were fantastic and the best thing about them and the writers were that they were smart! Smart characters in a horror movie? That can’t be correct. Yes, I know, I was surprised too! They really were smart though and it was refreshing to see. Kudos to the writers and actors for really making some well-rounded characters.
My only real complaint is that it should’ve ended a scene earlier. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Overall this was a very well done horror movie and one that was actually scary! It will not let you down and you'll be at the edge of your seat in suspense for the entire film.