Halloween Countdown: Don't Breathe

We continue our countdown to Halloween 2016 with a recent box-office hit - is it as good, or as scary, as they say?

Don't Breathe (Fede Alvarez, 2016) is about three small-time burglars who target the house of a blind man who has apparently a large stash of cash hidden away. But - UH OH! - the man may be blind, but is also a psychopathic army veteran who isn't going to let his disability stop him fighting back. It's a good set-up that reminded me a little of the recent Hush, which had a deaf protagonist using her other senses to compensate. And for the most part it's a similarly snappy, functional home invasion thriller, with jump-scares, tense situations and a smattering of gory moments all competently and enjoyably delivered. But towards the end it strays into somewhat dodgy territory with a rape-but-not-rape-but-actually-it-is development. Presumably this was an attempt to fashion a 'shock' talking-point that would set itself apart from the crowd, but it only ends up leaving a nasty taste in the mouth. Ched Evans' defence team would probably love it.

A full list of films in the Halloween Countdown 2016 is here