Imagine you are with your friends in a house that is unfamiliar to you, and a blind man is threatening to kill you. Sounds like the most terrifying game of Marco Polo ever, right? Directed and written by Fede Alvarez, this nail biting horror will literally have you holding your breath. Three friends, Rocky, Alex and “Money,” are teenage thieves who rob houses in the area for valuable possessions they can trade for cold, hard cash. Rocky dreams of moving to California with her sister in order to give her a better and safer life. Money then receives a tip that an Army veteran has $300,000 in his house, which was given as a settlement after a wealthy young woman killed his daughter in a car accident. After reluctance from Alex, they finally decide to take the leap and take on the biggest robbery of their lives. However, they didn’t know that the veteran was blind… and armed to kill.
I have never heard of a horror movie quite like this. Most people have fears such as the dark, clowns, heights and of course being tortured and murdered by a crazy psychopath. I don’t know anyone who is afraid of someone who is unable to see. Fede Alvarez himself says, “…it was a different type of film to the current trend. Usually, buyers tend to go for whatever is working and they don’t usually want to take a lot of risks, but they went for it. There are things that happen in Don’t Breathe that are strange and weird and that’s not mainstream cinema.” This movie comes with lots of twists and jump scares (which I have to admit made me drop my Sour Patch Kids on the theater floor). You feel as if you are in the characters’ place, just waiting for the scary blind man to pop out of nowhere. On top of that, they also have to stay away from the giant rottweiler that insists on barking and snarling until your ears bleed.
Just wait until you see what the Army vet is hiding in his basement… I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say you will gasp and be breathless. Yes, it’s that shocking. Alvarez does a great job of ensuring the fear of the unknown. Creaky floorboards make the viewer tense up, not knowing what will happen next. Jane Levy, who plays Rocky, does a wonderful job of conveying innocence and feminism as she struggles to survive, and even at one point fights back against her attacker in the most hilarious, but disgusting way (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it).
Overall, this is definitely a must see, especially with Halloween just around the corner. Don’t forget to breathe!