Don’t Blink Either…
From the minds behind “Evil Dead” comes a home invasion story with many twists and turns, and of course enough brutality to make horror fans of any style happy. We follow the story of 3 troubled youths from Detroit who raid wealthy homes taking valuables and trading them for cash. Desperate to leave Detroit they decide to target a blind military veteran who has $300-400K stashed in his house. A settlement that came from his daughter’s death via vehicular manslaughter. Once the kids break in all hell breaks loose.
“Don’t Breathe” is one of the most interesting movies this summer, marketed as a horror but I would classify it as a suspense thriller. Fans of the genre love twists, the main twist in this film is not to the level of “Saw” but is a hell of a lot more effective than “the Village”. While most home invasion stories are pretty one sided, these characters have a few different dimensions blurring the line of who is good and evil. Like most memorable movies there is a scene or two that can’t be unseen, “Don’t Breathe” has such a scene that will make you gag, laugh, and give you nightmares all at the same time. Obviously this film has more than its share of silent moments, only making the audience feel even more uneasy setting us up for an emotional roller coaster.
The biggest negative that comes out of this project is some of the minor details. Just an example – knowingly deciding to rob a blind guy while he is in the house. The group of criminals seem to also neglect that people who lack in sight make up for it in their hearing abilities, these three should have been a little bit more stealth in order to complete their goal. While these characters also have different layers the audience never feels truly connected to any of them, making their fate unemotional yet still entertaining – a rare combination.
Overall “Don’t Breathe” has enough of an original story with original twists to make up for its few shortcomings. It won’t redefine the horror or thriller genre but still is a must see this summer. Make sure to pick a reasonable show time (Preferably earlier) as there isn’t much dialogue so teenagers or inconsiderate load mouths could ruin the experience.
ROASTED RIPPER SCORE = B
(3.8/5 Gasps)