The long-awaited sequel to 2016’s low-budget sleeper hit Don’t Breathe has arrived, and while it doesn’t quite have the same shock factor as its predecessor, it’s a fairly decent sequel worth watching.
Hiding out for years in an isolated cabin, Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) has taken in and raised a young girl orphaned from a house fire. Their quiet existence is shattered when a group of kidnappers show up and take the girl, forcing Norman to leave his haven to save her.
In the first film, Director Fede Alvarez succeeded in making an original horror with a storyline that used suspense in place of supernatural elements or excessive blood. Now, in Don’t Breathe 2 Alverez uses stays true to this formula, for the most part. There are fewer gory moments in the sequel than most slasher films have, but they are twisted enough that they will stay with you forever.
Don’t Breathe 2 once again uses the reverse home invasion tale, meaning that the invaders don’t make it long enough to regret their choices, and delivers a pretty satisfying, suspenseful film. The movies’ twist may deliver more groans than gasps, but Alvarez and co-writer/director Rodo Sayagues prove that they know what horror fans want. Aside from the moments of fatherhood in crisis and old war wounds, Don’t Breathe 2 doesn’t fall short on suspense.
The only returning character is The Blind Man, played to perfection by Stephen Lang. Lang instills The Blind Man with reluctant humanity underneath all his cunning brutality. Lang doesn’t get much dialogue but manages to fill the character with the dashed hopes and utter disappointments of a man who has lost a lot.
Overall, Don’t Breathe 2 is a decent horror sequel but does fall short when it grapes for depth. Thankfully, Don’t Breathe 2 is devoid of sexual violence, unlike its predecessor. There is a necessary moment in the film that is a reminder of The Blind Man’s horrific backstory, but it’s kind of awkward in what is supposed to be a humanizing moment for the man we have been rooting for throughout the entire film. The sequel may not be a good as the first one, but it’s definitely worth watching.
Don’t Breathe 2 is now playing in theaters.
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