“Disability doesn’t always mean kind-hearted!”

A sub-genre of horror that sometimes gets overlooked is “Home Invasion.”  Some of the more well known entries in this category are films like The Purge, The Strangers, You’re Next, and Funny Games.  At the annual South by Southwest festival this past spring, a new and interesting take on this style of horror was unleashed.  This film is simply titled Don’t Breathe.  Co-written by Rodo Sayagues and director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead-2013), Don’t Breathe has quickly gained notoriety for its clever delivery and extreme tension inducing cinematography.

THE PLOT

The film follows Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette), and Money (Daniel Zovatto).  They are a group of common, but well organized, house thieves who are very good at what they do.  After collecting for their most recent job, Money is informed on a new target that could be the big payout they’ve been needing.  The three of them meet and discuss the job.  The target:  a middle-aged man living alone in the slums, who is apparently sitting on a huge lump of cash.  As the three stake out the place, they make a startling discovery.  The man is completely blind due to an old war injury.  This seems like the perfect job with an easy payout for the group.  Once inside, they realize that this is FAR from the truth!  The old man may be blind, but he’s very capable of using his other senses to fend for himself.  As soon as the blind man (Stephen Lang) realizes that he’s not alone, he quickly locks down his home and traps them inside.  With seemingly no way out, and being stalked by a very dangerous man, the three young thieves seem to be out of options.  What started as a simple in and out cash-grab, has now become a fight for survival with little hope for escape!

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

I have nothing but great things to say about this one!  It was awesome and one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year!  I know that “edge of your seat” is a cliché that sometimes gets over used, but I feel that it’s the perfect way to describe this one.  The tension buildup is nonstop, from start to finish and to top it off….it had a twist that was unexpected and totally game changing to the plot!  When the end credits started rolling, I realized that I was sweating…a lot!  The tension was that great, and my wife and I couldn’t stop discussing it all the way home!  EXCELLENT MOVIE!