It’s time to reflect on another movie I saw during a hiatus. Every year there are one or two movies that seem to rise to the top of the horror-movie pile and sometimes they even make their way into the mainstream. This year we had Get Out, which I still haven’t written up for the blog, but I’m really not sure what I have to say about the movie. More specifically, I’m not sure if I have anything to add to the conversation. The movie is damn near perfect, and lived up to all of the hype… which is rare. Last year we had Don’t Breathe. Personally, I feel that this movie suffered from over-hype. Don’t get me wrong, there were several parts of this film that I thoroughly enjoyed… but, in the end, it just didn’t live up to the acclaim that it garnered. I really wish that I saw this movie earlier in its run. If I had, I’m sure my write-up would be significantly different.

If you’re not familiar (which, seems unlikely, since you’re reading a blog that deals exclusively with horror movies), Don’t Breathe is a horror-thriller, in which, a group of delinquent teenagers (maybe?) break into a blind veteran’s house in order to rob him. The blind man is not what he seems at first, and chaos ensues. The movie is extremely tense… the scenes with the dog are particularly nerve-wracking. One thing I can say for sure, is that you won’t be bored by this movie. That being said, there an issue I have, that kept me from getting behind it fully. Since it is told from the perspective of the female burglar it becomes more and more difficult to know who to root for as the movie goes on. The filmmaker (Fede Alvarez) makes an attempt to get us on her side with a bit of a backstory… though, to be honest, I can’t really remember what it was. And therefore, In the end, I couldn’t get over the fact that she’s been breaking into people’s homes and robbing them (especially a blind veteran… that’s just cold). The justification didn’t seem strong enough. Then we have the antagonist, the blind veteran. At times, you want to root for him, but there is a third-act turn that is ridiculous and, to be honest, just had me rooting for the house to burn down and kill everyone inside. So, if you’re able to lower your expectations and turn off your brain, the movie can be a fun ride. If you can’t do both of these things may I suggest the classic (and far superior) Wait Until Dark.