Don't Breathe

Don't Breathe does suffer from its simple plot, as towards the end it starts to unravel, and the constant stretching of when the story should actually end somewhat detracts from the overall impression. Simply put: As long as the action takes place in the house it's good, but once the characters get outside it gets a bit too clichéd and you're just waiting for the last scene to happen. (28/11/2016)

Alvarez is a master. In Don’t Breathe he delivers a similarly intensive and energetic horror story as in his recent remake of Evil Dead, but with a more focused and, in many aspects, more surprising tale, based on a simple premise that is exploited to the maximum effect. In other words, satisfaction in every aspect. My only quibble is all those “endings”, where it seems that it’s “done”, but it turns out it isn’t due to bad decisions. Regarding the small time criminals from Detroit, nobody would expect them to behave rationally in a crisis situation, so OK. Don’t Breathe, however, stands out formally and with the performances. Stephen Lang as a blind war veteran is one of the best horror villains in recent years and Jane Levy is a candidate for the modern Scream Queen – the poor thing has gone through a lot in both Alvarez’s films :D... The camera, the sound, the dirty atmosphere. GREAT! Thanks to its sober run, the film is the antithesis of boredom and it’s also impossible to take the opposite critical position, that it’s too harsh and nasty. It is what horror should be. Certainly one of the highlights of the year. (02/09/2016)

At last! A horror/thriller which doesn't send a bunch of students into the woods to die. It just sends three thieves to fight a blind war veteran. The film has a very decent plot, a great suspenseful atmosphere, and a fair amount of brutality and insemination. The only thing that didn't work for me was the attempt to convince me that if you steal to give your little sister a better life you are actually in the right. For me personally, the main good guy was the blind man who was just trying to defend his property from invasion by local raiders. I enjoyed the film from start to finish. (15/11/2016)

A great genre exercise that excels at exactly what the given jewelry box needs, namely that for all the little ideas, suspenseful scenes, unexpected reversals, and overall intensity, you completely fail to perceive more than one logical barrier. Detroit is also starting to become my favorite horror destination after It Follows or Only Lovers Left Alive. Empty houses, empty streets, empty people, and the feeling that if you get lost you'll never be found again, all set against the backdrop of the hardscrabble fresh socio-economic history of the whole place. Suck it Blumhouse, this is how it's supposed to be. (26/12/2016)

Finally, a properly suspense-filled haunted house without ghosts. And one jump-scare that will give you a heart attack. I wonder how many viewers will realize that the butcher is played by the famous villain from Avatar. The youngsters are also A-listers and the whole production is top rate. Sam Raimi is a guarantee of quality. They were probably attracted to the creepy sites of Detroit ghost-town by the recent delicious It Follows. The movie makes surviving difficult for the characters while making many a genre cliché sweat (and bleed). The point of the film is half-baked, but we can forgive that. (04/10/2016)