Welcome to the new home of Creepercast.com. Where we let the fear creep in with all things horror genre. News, Reviews, and more! STAFF:
J.P.: Editor (EIC - Editor in Cheif), Writer (CC - Content Contributor);
Joel Kenyon: Editor (AE - Assistant Editor), Writer (CC - Content Contributor); William S Mayfield: Writer (CC - Content Contributor)
It's that time of year folks! When we look back at last years best horror films and leave you with a list of fantastic films you can't ignore! This year is full expected favorites you've probably heard of and as usual, we always we want to surprise you with things you need to see!
#3 Don't Breathe (US)
Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man who isn't as helpless as he seems.
Director: Fede Alvarez; Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues; Stars: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette
The man who brought us the Evil Dead reboot has a home invasion/hostage film to keep your breath trapped in your throat. Don't Breathe is one of the leaders of what appears to be a new wave of home invasion movies where the invaders have no idea what kind of freaks they are invading. The film keeps playing with your emotions, first you feel for the bling man, next you actually start backing the invaders. Don't Breathe is already green lit for a sequel and though many may disagree I believe its definitely got franchise potential.
Ok let's have a house in the middle of Detroit that is surrounded by derelict homes. Add three house thieves, and a blind resident. Now make the resident an old, ex military blind man who lives all to himself in one of the many abandoned neighborhoods in Detroit.
Our story starts with a small crew of house thieves that use one of the members family, who works for a security firm to gain access to homes. Well, they hear about this old guy that is sitting on a small fortune due to a law suit from his daughters death in a car accident the previous year. They think he's blind, so this should be a breeze and they can finally retire. Well things go wrong from the beginning, when they encounter the old man in the house and see that his blindness has only enchanced his other senses. He must have been into other than normal, everyday military, because he has skills and knowns how to use them. They quickly get trapped in his house and are at his mercy. Oh and did I mention he has a very loyal dog? Don't Breathe is one of those movies that comes along and makes you cheer for the bad guy. Only because the other bad guys are a hundred times worse. There is some other twists that I won't bring up, that are well played and just wrong, but fit this story. This movie should remind you to not underestimate anyone, ever.
Every year, you never know what the horror genre is going to unleash upon the world. You have an unsuspecting audience, just waiting to have their deepest and darkest fears manipulated.... all in the comfort of an air conditioned theater or their home. Not every year has been full of winners, some have proven to be better than others, but 2016 has yielded some very interesting genre fare that is full of a little bit of everything under the sun. My fellow creeps, I've put together what I feel (in my humble opinion) to be the best of the best for this year. There were a few that were nudged out by only inches and that's not a bad thing. It just proves that there are more stories to tell and makes me dream about all the amazing scares yet to come. So, without further adieu, I give you my top 13 horror films of 2016! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2015.)
7) Don't Breathe
The hype train is a cruel mistress. It can make a film or break a film. Not enough hype, can cause people to miss an excellent film. Too much hype can make a film successful. However, on both sides of that coin, it can have the opposite reaction. 'Don't Breathe' is one of those films that succeeded because of all the massive hype, but also kept some people away because they felt it could never live up to all praise it was getting. What made me keep the faith was the man behind the movie, Fede Alvarez. He's the man who made the amazing 'Evil Dead' film from almost 3 years ago. Once again, he's turned the written word into cinema gold. This one is a bit hard to categorize, but don't let that keep you away. My only concern, is that a sequel is already being talked about. If Fede stays on board, I'm in, but if not.... I'm going to proceed with caution. 'Don't Breathe' is a nail bitingly twisted cautionary tale and one that will make you uncomfortable in your own skin.
Suggested snack to eat while watching: three 100 Grand bars
Intro: Don't Breathe is a 2016 American horror thriller film directed by Fede Alvarez and written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. The film stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, and Stephen Lang. The film tells the story of 3 thieves, Rocky (levy), Money (Zovatto) and Alex (Minnette) as they get a job to rob a blind veteran for his settlement that he received when a rich girl hit his daughter and killed her. The idea of a movie like this is something we have seen before but nothing to this extent. Going into this movie, I was excited because I thought I was going to be the only one in the theater, alas I was wrong. Sitting through the movie previews which shown was the 9th life of Louis drax, before I wake and Blair Witch (which looks stupid).
Plot: going on what I said in the intro and following it up with this. This is a very claustrophobic film, The plot like I mentioned revolves around Rocky, Money and Alex, 3 thieves setting up a score to steal a blind man's settlement. Once they get in the house they think it's going to be something easy till the blind man wakes up and knows someone is in his house. (There will be a few spoilers I will try and not talk about but I'll put a spoiler warning beforehand so Jeff can edit it). Anywho, with the two left (ain't gonna mention who but by the trailer you may figure it out, if you haven't seen any trailers for the film then that's why I am keeping it spoiler free) they are trapped in the blind man's house and uncover some twisted stuff about the veteran. SPOILER ALERT: the young lady who killed his daughter is kept in the basement of his house and after the blind man kidnaps Rocky, he tells her that he inseminated the young girl to have his child.
Now I'm going on the fact that I didn't see the end of the movie mostly because I left near the end because I felt sick to my stomach. And no, horror movies don't affect me anymore.
Positives: I have seen 4 horror movies in theaters recently, unfriended (which sucked!), the forest (which was decent), conjuring 2 (amazing) and don't breathe. One thing I can say about don't breathe is that it is probably one the best horror movies in recent times. Everything you hear about this movie, being the best modern horror movie in 20 years is a truthful statement and I feel like Fede Alvarez did an amazing job with this fresh and new story. The direction by Alvarez is superb, the acting by mostly Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette and Stephen Lang were top notch and I believe that don't breathe will be a classic horror movie in the near future. By all reports, people are saying the ending is the best twist ending and as I didn't see it, I can't speculate whether or not it's true. Don't Breathe is a film I will probably go see again and hopefully watch till the end.
Negatives: every film isn't perfect 'cough unfriended cough' 'cough nightmare 2 cough' but don't breath has its faults. For example I know the leads were terrified because there were dealing with a blind army veteran but in some sense, he is justified in what he did, if someone breaks into your home, you are able to protect it but that said, kidnapping 2 people who aren't armed and aren't a threat is kind of crossing the line even if they weren't able to get away with the money or not. Another thing I have a problem with is that Alex tells rocky that if he gets close to the alarm, he can hit the panic button and the cops will come and the blind man will be taken to jail for kidnapping while the 2 teens will get the money taken away, um no, they still broke into the house so they will be charged with theft and burglary. Another gripe I have with is that it's set in Detroit, of course it had to be Detroit right?????? No not really. There 50 states to choose from and they chose the one that is known for crime and murder. Why not set it in a state that isn't used to that kind of stuff? Give it a new flare.
Conclusion: Don't Breathe is and will be an American Classic (think I mentioned that but hey its my review). I feel like that Don't breathe will be to our generation as the exorcist was to the 70's (whole different genre of horror but you get my point I hope). The film is one of the best horror movies I've seen in recent memory and one of the best films ever in my opinion. That said I will give Don't Breathe a 4.5/5 stabs.
I paid 5.50 for my ticket and I got my money's worth. Go see this in theaters while you have a chance. It is a perfect date movie even though I was alone!
