It’s hard to find good scary movies these days, or that is my opinion about it, anyway. Typically the films follow their genre conventions too closely, and the characters and situations are not unique enough to stand up on their own. Fede Alvarez’s thriller “Don’t Breathe” (2016) was a refreshing break from this disappointing trend.
“Don’t Breathe” is about a woman, Rocky (Jabe Levy), and two men, Alex (Dylan Minnette), and Money (Daniel Zovatto), who are serial robbers. When the movie begins, the group decides to ransack a home for $300,000 before skipping town. Unfortunately for them, the home belongs to a blinded war veteran (Stephen Lang) who catches them in the act using his enhanced other senses. The blind man became wealthy after his daughter was hit and killed by a college student, and the student’s family paid him off to avoid sending her to jail. The plot includes a few plot twists along the way that I do not want to spoil for you.
“Don’t Breathe” stood out from the crowd of horror flicks because it was difficult to know who to root for in the film. The main characters are objectively bad people; they break into and steal from people's homes, and the robbery shown in the movie is of a blind man. On the other hand, the blind man is no saint either. Although he is protecting his home, the lengths to which he goes are questionable.
That being said, the director still relies on tried and true character archetypes. Rocky is set up as the robber with a heart of gold. We find out that after this last big score, she wants to run away from her abusive mother, with her younger sister in tow. Alex is the timid one in the group who does not want to be part of robbing a blind man, but ultimately goes along with it. He also is in love with Rocky who is dating Money. Money is the stereotypical jerk, seen as hot-headed and not a good boyfriend to Rocky. From these initial characteristics, it is not surprise when Money becomes the first casualty of the film, though it is surprising how early on in the movie this first kill happens.
Even with these prototypical characters, the action of the narrative does not seem slow. The pacing of the film seems to work perfectly. This is surprising because the vast majority of the film takes place in a dark house and minimal dialogue. The pacing works because of how interesting the initial idea is: people trying to rob a blind man and biting off more than they chew. The film keeps the viewers on their toes with plot twists. The plot changes work very well because they are meant to confuse and scare the viewer and are not over-absurd.
While a majority of scary movies are pleasing to watch because of how bad they are, “Don’t Breathe” was a scary movie that I genuinely enjoyed watching. Some of the plot points were easy to see coming. However, I was left feeling entertained and interested in how our protagonists would get out of the self-inflicted situations. I would recommend “Don’t Breathe” for anyone looking for a good scary movie. Until next time, take care of yourself and each other. I’m Jeff at the Movies.
