Film Review: Don't Breathe

"You Would Be Surprised What A Man Is Capable Of Once He Realises There Is No God..."

Back in 2013, Fede Alvarez's "re-imagining" of Sam Raimi's classic 1981 horror classic The Evil Dead could only be regarded as bonkers, sheer bonkers. In attempting to match the sheer madness of the original cult masterpiece, Evil Dead featured perhaps the most lavish amount of on-screen blood I think I remember seeing since Peter Jackson's Braindead back in the 90's. It was crazy but ultimately good fun, and on his latest project, Don't Breathe, the twisted mind of Alvarez has once again managed to create a real winner, one which relies on the dramatic tendencies of sheer, white-knuckle tension amidst the fundamental warped nature of a mind as expansive as Alvarez's, resulting in some radical plot twists, thrilling set pieces and a conclusion so ingrained in the classic nature of the genre it only emphasises Alvarez's love of full-blooded horror. Don't Breathe isn't The Witch but it is definitely the most enjoyable sub-par exploitation movie you might see this year.

Although the set-up isn't one of extreme originality, Don't Breathe focuses on the attempt of three young thieves to break into the home of and steal from a blind army veteran who after losing his only daughter in a car accident is compensated by the perpetrator's wealthy family. With Evil Dead's Jane Levy in the film's lead role alongside Dylan Minnette (Goosebumps) and Daniel Zovatto (It Follows), Don't Breathe is a full-on fillip of tension and scares, resorting to violence quite heavily throughout in a Green Room-esque fashion, and featuring one scene of extremely heavy sub-par sexual violence during the final act it's amazing the film only contracted a 15 rating from the BBFC. Although the film does include twists and turns throughout its' winding narrative, the conclusion does suffer from a sense of obviousness, one that can be recognised from foregone horrors in the past, yet its' 90 minute run-time feels as if Don't Breathe says what it needs to say and clocks out just in time for the audience to cool down. Alvarez's latest is a jolt of good fun, featuring the best use of night vision camera work since last year's Sicario. Check it out. 

Overall Score: 7/10