Hold Your Breath

Despite a really interesting concept and some really good camerawork, Hold Your Breath is once again an horror movie that doesn't really do a good job on being creative with it's interesting concept and ends up feeling basic, dull, and predictable in it's way.

Gothic and old folk country side horror is interesting and there are some good camerawork and sound designs throughout. Unfortunately, it's awful color presentation, bland writing and uninteresting characters doesn't really do a service to it's creative setting. The performances are solid and Sarah Paulson continues to be great with her personality and emotional depth acting.

For a first time directing, I can see the filmmaker having some talents and passion within this movie. But there is a lot of work to be done.

It's 1933 Oklahoma. Margaret Bellum (Sarah Paulson) is struggling to survive the dust bowl with her two daughters after her husband left to find work. Her youngest is deaf and fears a demonic dust man. Instead, preacher Wallace Grady (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) shows up promising miracles.

I know that this wants to be a poetic horror fantasy family drama thriller. It doesn't actually deliver on any one of those things although it delivers something from each one of them. I want this to go harder on the horror or thrills or the family drama. Pick one. This could be a cool horror. I can see the dust storm as something unique. Wallace could be a scarier presence or maybe someone less obvious. No matter what, I would like this to pick one lane and go harder in that lane.

I just finished watching Hold Your Breath (2024) and man this movie was a very dull and boring experience.

Positives for Hold Your Breath (2024): Sarah Paulson gives a great performance as the main protagonist in this movie and she is the reason why I watched this movie in the first place. There was some intrigue to be had with this gothic old folk horror movie set in the country side during the 1930s. And finally, there is some great camerawork and sound design throughout the runtime.

Negative for Hold Your Breath (2024): Aside from Sarah Paulson, none of the characters are interesting and they are very bland. The movie also doesn't do anything with its premise or the main villain. And finally, the movie is very predictable by the time you reach the climax.

Overall, Hold Your Breath (2024) is a interesting horror movie with its premise, but it ends up being very generic with its execution.

Loved the setting. Dust bowl era seems a great choice for a folk-horror film, and I hope we see more. The desolation and isolation are a perfect setting for stories of paranoia. Paulson - as always - is fantastic. The supporting cast was quite good, but I wish Ebon Moss-Bacharach had a bigger role. It's a slow burn, more creepy than scary, which will certainly put many horror fans off. The story takes its time and I thought delivered on its premise. Not sure what others reviewers didn't understand about "what was really going on". The backstory and resolution are pretty clear if you pay even the slightest attention. It won't blow you away, but if you like a moody, creep alow-burn story very well told, this one is worth your time.

Hulu has churned out some fantastic original movies. One of these, 2020's 'Run,' also happens to have starred Sarah Paulson, and I've otherwise found Paulson to be a terrific, reliable actress who commands strong presence, personality, and emotional depth. The very premise is ripe with enormous potential - it can't be overstated how terrifying nature can be at its most fierce and unforgiving, and Oklahoma during the Great Depression couldn't be more fit as a setting. Such conditions are perfect for a tale of psychological horror, pushing the limits of the human mind as it frays; for further evidence, see Victor Sjöström's 1928 classic 'The wind,' which to this day remains one of the greatest films ever made. To help stir the pot here, the first act gives us a creepy folk tale; a mother with a troubled history as she tends alone to her two daughters and dead land; and scenes of mother Margaret's small "community" which accentuate her isolation and solitude, the desperation of the extreme circumstances, and indeed Margaret's mental state.

'Hold your breath' is filled with fine possibilities, and more than not I believe it firmly succeeds. Paulson is a swell anchor for the picture, and her co-stars are just as excellent in their supporting parts, including Amiah Miller as oldest daughter Rose. The effects are superb, even as computer-generated imagery is employed in abundance; the more tactful the usage is the more effective they are, and practical effects and stunts are impeccable. In addition to even the keen use of lighting, Colin Stetson's original score of unnerving soundscapes lends considerably to the atmosphere herein. The production design and art direction are filled with splendid detail, not to mention the costume design, hair, and makeup. The feature is well made by all modern standards, really, and sure enough, Karrie Crouse has filled her screenplay with super ideas. The narrative is compelling, and the scene writing and characterizations are strong. All the ingredients are here for a gripping, disturbing horror-thriller, and at that one that also carries meaningful notes of tragedy.

The problem I have is that in execution this sadly lacks the careful subtlety that would have allowed all the best potential to come to fruition. In shaping their first full-length title, Crouse and Will Joines are - if sometimes only by degrees - too forceful and upfront with their direction, and in fact too many other elements irregularly bear the same fault. This includes the acting, the visual effects, sometimes the editing, some sound effects, and even Stetson's music. It took a while for me to even come around on the introduction in the second act of a definitive figure, yet though ultimately I think the notions in the writing are fabulous, the realization of them is often too brusque to completely achieve the desired effect. There is marvelous strength here, but it is partly scattered, and partly diminished by the heavy-handedness, however we may measure it. None of this is to say that 'Hold your breath' is not worthwhile; I do like it, and it's good enough to warrant checking out if you have the opportunity. May Crouse and Joines continue to grow in their skills, and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future. It's just unfortunate that when all is said and done this one piece feels unremarkable when it may have been intensely grabbing and chilling, so though it's decent, it doesn't exactly demand viewership.