Don't Breathe

In this superior shocker, a trio of Detroit delinquents attempt to burgle a blind man's isolated house. But their victim is a steely Gulf War veteran who will stop at nothing to protect his territory and has his own secrets to hide, down in the cellar. Drawing on genre favourites such as Wait until Dark and The Strangers, director Fede Alvarez keeps the terrifying twists and nasty surprises escalating, hitting every suspense cue with deft assurance. Avatar's Stephen Lang is exceptionally intimidating as the clueless thugs' far-from-feeble easy mark, and when his perverse agenda is revealed, sympathies quickly shift. Gruesomely visceral and startlingly vicious, this builds towards an intense and chilling climax. Mainstream horror at its best.