I rather liked the first Don’t Breath film but never thought there was a need for a sequel. But here we are. And it’s not a complete disaster… though perhaps it makes some story decisions that some might find… controversial. If not misguided and wrong-headed. I think what they try is structurally clever.

So Don’t Breathe 2 takes up 8 years after the previous film. The old blind man played by Stephen Lang is now living in yet another old house in the desolations of Detroit. Only now he has an 8 year old daughter who he keeps from the outside world. But before you can say “not the turkey baster!”, a crew of organ transplant thieves are trying to break into his house and the little girl and the old blind man must fight them off.

So this movie makes the little girl AND the evil old blind man the protagonists… if not the outright heroes. And if you saw the first movie, making him the guy you root for is… pretty gross. And before you know it, allegiances shift and the story takes unexpected turns that are themselves daring… if not a little unwise and distasteful. But structurally pretty clever since it forces the audiences to shift allegiances multiple times and root for clearly villainous monsters.

Again, maybe that wasn’t wise… the old blind man is a pretty terrible person and so too are a gang of organ thieves. It’s audacious… possibly foolish, but at least it isn’t the exact same movie all over again and I give them credit for trying.

As a pure horror/thriller, the movie is pretty good. There’s some good set ups and pay-offs… and some effective splattery kills. The movie does veer away from the expected home invasion formula and maybe that sudden shift in pace isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. But generally speaking, the movie works. It’s director isn’t as skilled as Fede Alverez was on the first flick but he does a credible job.

So, yeah… I admire this movie more than I really enjoyed it, but it’s a close call. I think it does enough interesting things story and script-wise and is put together well enough as a thriller. They didn’t knock it out of the park but it’s is certainly better than it has any right to be.

Score: 79