Don't Breathe (2016) - Scariest Film Of The Year!

★★★★☆

The film’s got a right title because it is breathtakingly terrifying throughout, and a bit shocking and nauseous at certain points, like the opening which drops you kind of a hint at how it’s going to end. Still it’s not like you think it is. And that’s more or less of a disappointment to me after all. Other than that, ‘Don’t Breathe’ definitely has what it takes, a simple claustrophobic setup, a nerve-racking score, a seemingly normal but pretty sick man and his vicious dog, a focused story of plot twists, to be, I guess, the scariest film of the year!

Three burglars enter a blind old man’s house to steal his fortune, thinking it’s going to be an easy catch since the man’s living there alone, plus he’s old and blind, but it turns out to be the worst of their nightmares ever. The film literally holds your breath right from the moment these guys enter the house till it ends. It’s got a very simple but rather depressing setup, and it wastes no time to get you inside the trap to feel it with good use of long takes. The film reminds me of how one’s going to suffer and make others suffer as well when he becomes the victim of his own twisted desires, and can’t seem to get out of the shadows of his past misfortune. ‘Don’t Breathe’ is a piece of horror entertainment that is not supposed to be taken too seriously but the characters seem so troubled and pathetic with their stories that I can’t help but wonder why we always tend to torture ourselves just like that!

The ending that is rather routine and expected is probably the only thing that I’m not so happy about. I know it will anger and sicken a lot of people if it ends up too bleak, but an ending like that is simply too coincidental and easy. And, it looks like there could be a sequel happening sooner or later. Oh, come on!