Don't Breathe

OK, it's time to fess up. I'm not overly fond of the horror film genre, so when they're released, I have a tendency to avoid them at all costs. Why? Because, demographically, they have a tendency to be extremely predictable, contrived, poorly written with gratuitous violence that grabs you by the juggler. I had heard that "Don't Breathe" was different, so as I  went to the theater with great trepidation, and my fears were confirmed to a certain degree.

Three friends, Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) plot to end their money woes by burglaring the home of a wealthy, but blind recluse (Stephen Lang) who happens to reside in one of the worst neighborhoods of Detroit, however the heist quickly goes awry when they discover that their target is concealing a horrifying secret--and realizes that he isn't as harmless as they thought. So when this blind man turns out to be more than he seems, the trio must find a way to escape his house before they become his newest victims.

Others to round out the cast are Emma Bercovici as Diddy, Rocky's younger sister, Franciska Torocsik as Cindy, Christian Zagia as Raul, Katia Bokor as Ginger and Sergej Onopko as Trevor.

This was intensely and grittily directed by Fede Alvarez ("Evil Dead" '13) plus shorts and TV. Obviously, this filmmaker is a virtual newbie and even with this fact acknowledged, he was able to deliver the right amount of fright and energy that one would expect in a film of this type. He is certainly comfortable with this genre considering his experience. Considering the other horror films I've seen, he is truly he best. It was adequately written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. This is where the trouble lies with this production. Even though the script was carried out in a thoughtful way, there were too many areas of storyline that needed more explanation. I would bring up a couple of those questions, however it would spoil part of the plot in doing so. There was a certain degree of predictability, but with this genre, to be objective, there usually is some. Even in the best of horror screenplays, some predictability reigns true, it's just so disappointing to see predictability run this genre to the degree it has done for years.

Like I said, this is one of the better films of this genre I have seen recently, which doesn't give much credit to this, but there were still problems with it. And not to spoil anything, but at the end, all's I can say is S-E-Q-U-E-L. Bottom line is if you like horror, you'll love this, and if you truly don't, rent the video or Netflix it and save yourself some bucks.

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                 Rated: R                                88mins.