#17 - Don't Breathe (2016)

Don't Breathe (2016)

(dir. Fede Alvarez)

When a group of thieves looking for an easy score break into the home of a blind army vet, they quickly find out that he isn't quite so helpless.  With the tables turned, they find themselves trapped in the house and fighting to stay alive.  The story has more twists to it, but they are really good and unexpected and I don't want to spoil anything here.  I love the premise, it reminds me a bit of You're Next where the home invaders become the victims, only this time the audience is on their side.

I love when films are set mostly in a single location, and this one really uses its space well.  Near the beginning there is a great long tracking shot that gives us an overview of the whole house, so that we have an understanding of the layout when the action begins.  This would make an excellent double-feature with Hush - both films feature a disabled character trapped in their home fighting off invaders, but in this case that person is the antagonist instead of the protagonist.  They are also both really excellent movies from the same year, so that helps too.  If I had to compare the two, I'd say this film is a little bit better than Hush, but not by a lot.  Do yourself a favor and watch em both.

I think Alvarez is another upcoming director to watch out for - he's only made two full-length films so far (the other being the Evil Dead remake, also starring Jane Levy), but they've both been top-notch.   This one is already near the top of my list for best horror film of 2016.