Don't Breathe is the sophomore effort in Fede Alvarez's directorial career, his other work being the decent Evil Dead remake, and is a film I was modestly looking forward to. The biggest reason for my mild anticipation is because I didn't expect the film to be released to theaters, the film ended up being a much bigger deal than I thought it'd be.
2016, in retrospect, has been a solid year for horror films. The Conjuring 2 was terrific, as was 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Lights Out was surprisingly decent. And, after watching this film, Don't Breathe is certainly another feather in the genre films' cap.
The film is an improvement on Evil Dead on all accounts, while Jane Levy reprises herself as a leading woman, her acting feels so much more seasoned and capable, whereas the rest of the cast is very capable of playing their part. The narrative is definitely thinly scripted, but sometimes, simple development and simple characters work better with a film with a concept. Don't Breathe incorporates elements of a slasher, doing a lot of new and interesting things with it. Fede Alvarez's directing and the cinematography all make for a very intense and brooding atmosphere, making the antagonist something to be afraid of. The biggest gripe I have with this film is that it had one more comedic and ridiculous moment in it that I feel broke the tension and weakened the menacing qualities of the built antagonist.
To summarize my thoughts, Don't Breathe is my favorite original horror film this year so far, with commendable acting, strong directing, and a good, minimalist story-line. The tension is well executed, as is the rest of the film, and it takes the slasher genre and home-invasion genre, and does something unique and new with them. Highly recommend it to horror fans. Not sure I like the prospect of a sequel, but it's doing well enough to safely assume we'll get one.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0
2016, in retrospect, has been a solid year for horror films. The Conjuring 2 was terrific, as was 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Lights Out was surprisingly decent. And, after watching this film, Don't Breathe is certainly another feather in the genre films' cap.
The film is an improvement on Evil Dead on all accounts, while Jane Levy reprises herself as a leading woman, her acting feels so much more seasoned and capable, whereas the rest of the cast is very capable of playing their part. The narrative is definitely thinly scripted, but sometimes, simple development and simple characters work better with a film with a concept. Don't Breathe incorporates elements of a slasher, doing a lot of new and interesting things with it. Fede Alvarez's directing and the cinematography all make for a very intense and brooding atmosphere, making the antagonist something to be afraid of. The biggest gripe I have with this film is that it had one more comedic and ridiculous moment in it that I feel broke the tension and weakened the menacing qualities of the built antagonist.
To summarize my thoughts, Don't Breathe is my favorite original horror film this year so far, with commendable acting, strong directing, and a good, minimalist story-line. The tension is well executed, as is the rest of the film, and it takes the slasher genre and home-invasion genre, and does something unique and new with them. Highly recommend it to horror fans. Not sure I like the prospect of a sequel, but it's doing well enough to safely assume we'll get one.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0