The camera scans the entire house marked for robbery in Don’t Breathe, foreshadowing every possible twist and stumble. The motivations and character of the thieves and the victim are just as thoroughly examined, playing around with viewer sympathy in unambiguously ambiguous terms. Is Don’t Breathe making a statement about how crumbling metropolises like Detroit pit its residents against each other? The advantage of horror movies, especially ones as economical as this one, is that they do not need to underline this message for it to be effective. The genre thrills are professionally crafted, and the theses are there for the taking.
I give Don’t Breathe 2 Full-Lung Gasps per Minute.
Jeff Malone is a voracious entertainment consumer and entertainment creator. He currently resides in New York City, where he received his Master’s in Media Studies at The New School. In addition to his pieces on TMRzoo.com and StarPulse.com, you can check out his blog (jmunney.wordpress.com), where he provides regular coverage of Community and Saturday Night Live, as well as other television, film, music, and the rest of pop culture.
