Movie Review: Don’t Breathe

Release Date:  September 01, 2016
Cast: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Emma Bercovici, Katia Bokor
Director: Frede Alvarez
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Duration: 1 hour 28 minutes

Every once in a while, there comes a movie that breaks conventions and adds a new perspective to a particular genre. Don’t Breathe is one such movie that offers an inventive new horror package to thrill-seeking moviegoers. The movie guarantees a bone-chilling experience and it does that without having to create a ghost to scare you. It’s a tale of brutal, unending peril that increases in intensity, as it progresses towards its terrifying conclusion, where secrets behind the mystery are revealed.

The movie revolves around three teenagers, Rocky (Levy), Money (Zovatto) and Alex (Minnette), who get their high from breaking into the houses of wealthy people. They have dreams to hit the jackpot one day, which would allow them to move to California, where they can lead a better life. Then one day, luck seems to favor them, when they get information that a blind Army veteran Norman Nordstrom (Lang) has a large amount of cash stashed in his house. Norman seems like an easy target for them, but things start to go wrong pretty quickly. The horror begins when the teenagers realize that they may never be able to get out of the house.

The three teenagers make an interesting team. Rocky is the ambitious, free-spirited girl who shares a great love for shoes; Money is all about brawn and Alex is the thinker and the smartest of the three. Lang plays the deranged psychotic and he is the key to creating the eerie and spine-chilling feel throughout the movie. Credit also goes to cinematographer Pedro Luque for his superb tracking camerawork, ensuring a tight, gripping feel. Most of the chilling moments occur in the pitch-dark basement, something that requires great expertise to capture. The film’s editing is crisp, which also adds to the fast-paced movie experience.

Don’t Breathe is guaranteed to make you miss your heart beats. This one’s a must watch for horror fans.