My favorite film out of SXSW 2016 was Fede Alvarez‘s unceasingly tense Don’t Breathe. I was so frequently startled, so genuinely unnerved that it physically hurt. And my god do I love that kind of pain. Call it what you will (masochism?) but horror films have the ability to engage sections of the brain that no other film can and Don’t Breathe is expert at doing just that. Part of my experience may have been going in with no expectations, knowing not a lick of info on what the film was about (or even called for that matter) but the fact remains that Alvarez has crafted a masterstroke of American horror cinema with his follow up to Evil Dead.

From our review:

“Riveting, horrifying and unwaveringly f*cked up, ‘Don’t Breathe’ is one of the most breathless, relentlessly intense horror movies to ever open in the American territories. Not unlike ‘Martyrs’ or ‘Inside’,  Fede Alvarez’s disturbing triumph of high-pitched tension and fanatical bad taste is as much an absolute must for hardcore horror fans as it is sure to horrify any and every mother on planet Earth.” [Full review]

Alvarez again enlists Jane Levy, who did standout work in his Evil Dead remake, as well as Dylan Minnette and Stephen Lang, to tell the story of amateur thieves who plot to steal money from a blind man (Lang), assuming his impairment will make the job a cake walk. They are wrong.

The trailer reveals a lot, including what is one of the film’s best moments, but its green band rating keeps a lot of the more visceral twists and turns at bay. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest those already amped to see Don’t Breathe to watch but for anyone on the fence about whether this is up your alley, definitely give it a go.

Check out the trailer here:

Don’t Breathe is directed by Fede Alvarez and stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette and Stephen Lang. It hits theaters on August 26.

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