For a genre known for headbanging excess, it’s often the subtler things—rhythm, geography, use of negative space—that can put a horror movie over the top. The new home invasion movie Don’t Breathe displays a remarkable sense of when to hold back and build tension, and when to go ferociously all in. Throw in a terrifyingly committed performance by Stephen Lang and you’ve got the kind of thing that gets an entire audience giggling at their collective discomfort.
Set within a particularly apocalyptic section of Detroit, the plot follows a trio of not-very-nice twentysomethings (Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Daniel Zovatto) who hatch a scheme to burgle the house of a blind veteran (Lang). Too late, they discover their target has a skillset that puts Daredevil to shame. Oh, and also a dog. Don’t forget the goddamned dog.