Equal parts classic Hitchcock and modern horror, “Don’t Breathe” doesn’t reinvent the home invasion subgenre but it certainly provides some much needed renovations.

Don’t Breathe

Sony Pictures/Ghost House/Screen Gems/Stage 6

Directed by Fede Alvarez

http://www.dontbreathe-movie.com/site/

Equal parts classic Hitchcock and modern horror, “Don’t Breathe” doesn’t reinvent the home invasion subgenre but it certainly provides some much needed renovations.

Much like “It Follows,” (which shares the urban decay of Detroit as it’s backdrop as well,) “Don’t Breathe” begins with a knockout introduction that immediately warns you of the horrors you are about to witness. Rocky (Jane Levy), her boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto) and friend Alex (Dylan Minnette) spend their days pulling off petty thefts with the unknowing assistance of Alex’s security head father, they keep goods out of the grand larceny realm but also see increasingly diminished returns. With time running out for all three characters and the need for one big score, local reports of a grieving father who won a major cash settlement when his daughter was the victim of vehicular manslaughter at the wheel of an affluent socialite make him the perfect mark. They find their fortunes increased when it’s discovered that the father (referred to as The Blind Man throughout and portrayed to fever pitch perfection by Stephen Lang) has lost his vision due to service in the Gulf War and the trio believe that this will expedite the ease of this score. Or so they thought…

Things quickly cascade downward and here is the film’s primary pillory of strength; even when there isn’t a bevy of action onscreen, it always feels like real time terror, the suspense ratcheted up tighter and tighter until it’s nearly unbearable as director Fede Alvarez eschews the gore galore of his best known work the 2014 “Evil Dead” flooding the film with tension so thick you’d need a Bowie knife to cut it.

Aided by gorgeous cinematography by Pedro Luque, the rapid fire editing team of Eric L. Beason, Louise Ford and Gardner Gould takes maniacal glee in tormenting the audience as the film shifts from the wide open world outside to claustrophobic crawlspaces in the blink of the eye, dragging you into the house and handcuffing one to the main protagonists as they fight for survival. This is especially potent in the “night vision” scenes when The Blind Man kills the power as his elevated senses allow the upper hand as Rocky and Alex desperately try to escape the basement catacombs. Also of note is another gorgeous score as frequent collaborator Roque Banos makes the house an instrument, creaking and croaking, going from pin drop quiet to gunshot deafening on a dime; much like “Evil Dead,” it’s lush and organic. This is abetted largely by a very DIY approach of using homemade instruments courtesy of Tucson’s own Alex Ferris (https://anarchestra.bandcamp.com/­) that ape the classic sounds of a house well worn and riddled with dark secrets.

While the home invasion role reversal is now becoming commonplace (“Intruders,” “You’re Next”) “Don’t Breathe” challenges the audience to avoid quick draw moral judgments as Rocky and The Blind Man square off, there is an unpleasant urge to find yourself rooting for both as if anyone was truly keeping an open eye and mind, neither is remotely close to be one hundred percent pure hero or villain. It’s a rare breed in the current crop of cinema where while it might seem easy to take sides, genuine and deep reflection will likely uncover deeper quandaries that the bulk of genre releases lack. It’s subtle, bittersweet and sometimes outright sour and a good sign that there is hope for horror.

With its simple but solidly built premise, devoid of any supernatural interference or paranormal possibility (incredibly refreshing especially with the deluge of recent spectral fare) the threat in “Don’t Breathe” is all too real, strangely familiar and nail bitingly relentless. While it didn’t captivate nearly as much as the siege of “Green Room” it is richly satisfying slice of cinematic terror and well worth the price of entry (and believe me, after one sees this film, it is unlikely that breaking and entering will be on their minds for quite some time…)