10 Years Ago, One Of The Best Modern Horror Movies Was Released, But Its Sequel Ruined the Franchise

Every few years, a horror movie comes along that stands out as one of the best new entries in the genre. Some of them perform well enough to earn a sequel, yet there are unfortunate cases where the sequel ends up killing the franchise and the original film gets remembered less fondly because of it. There are exceptions, like Smile 2, A Quiet Place Part II, Terrifier 2, and most of The Conjuring franchise. However, there are also the likes of Spiral: From the Book of Saw and Scream 7, which disappointed fans. The same goes for one horror film from Fede Álvarez, who is known for helming successful horror sequels like 2013’s Evil Dead and 2024’s Alien: Romulus. In 2016, Álvarez was behind a creative horror movie that was a hit with critics and found enough success to earn a sequel, which ended up missing the mark by a considerable margin.

With Don’t Breathe, Fede Álvarez cemented his status as a top-tier modern horror director, and he’s only further solidified that point in the years since. Don’t Breathe stands as a truly great release in the genre, only for its sequel to fall flat in a big way.

Don’t Breathe Was An Awesome Twist On An Old Trope

When the trailers first arrived for Don’t Breathe, it subverted expectations. The premise centered on a young trio of characters who break into the home of a blind man to rob him. That gave the vibe of them being the villains, as the blind man was the sympathetic hero who fought back. However, the man ended up being the antagonist, as his house was filled with traps that put the intruders in danger. Further truths were revealed about the blind man named Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) that made him a despicable horror movie villain.

The way that Don’t Breathe put a twist on the expected home-invasion movie trope allowed it to stand out from the rest of the pack. Stephen Lang was terrifying as Norman, while Jane Levy was great as a final girl, similar to what she did with Álvarez in Evil Dead. The movie ended up grossing over $150 million on a budget of just around $10 million and sits at an impressive 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That puts it in the upper echelon of modern horror films.

Don’t Breathe 2 Wasted Everything That Made The Original Great

Five years after the original, Don’t Breathe 2 was released and told a story more centered around Norman. Following the events of the first film, he went into hiding and was raising his young daughter, only for her to get kidnapped by intruders. That forced him to do what he could to save her, which would be a solid story on its own, yet it takes away from what made the first film special. That movie went against common movie tropes; the sequel did everything that was expected. Even its best scenes don’t feel fresh.

However, Don’t Breathe 2 also had the problem of making Norman into a hero. Norman was established as a madman who held a woman captive in his basement so that he could force her to birth a replacement for his own deceased daughter; he planned to do the same to Jane Levy’s character before she escaped. While villains get redeemed in several horror franchises, Don’t Breathe 2 never felt like it had Norman properly atone for his sins or give the audience any reason to care about or forgive him.

There’s One Clear Reason Why Don’t Breathe 2 Failed

Although there are several major issues with Don’t Breathe 2, including the aforementioned lack of subverting expectations and the choice to try to make Norman into a hero, one problem stands out above the rest: Fede Álvarez didn’t return to the director’s chair. As noted, Álvarez has done incredible work as a horror director in Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe, and Alien: Romulus. He didn’t get behind the camera for Don’t Breathe 2, though he did produce and work as a writer on it.

Without his steady hand in the director’s chair, Don’t Breathe 2 lacked a fair bit of what made the first work so well, including the tension he knows how to build in his scenes. Rodo Sayagues directed the sequel, and while he’s a frequent collaborator with Álvarez, he had never helmed a feature film before. Álvarez’s other story credit that he didn’t direct was for 2022’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which, like Don’t Breathe 2, was poorly received. The film would’ve benefited greatly from having him at the helm.

You can check out everything that made Don’t Breathe a special film right now, as the movie is currently available to stream on Netflix!