Jane Levy Don't Breathe

Cast: Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, Stephen Lang
Director: Fede Alvarez
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rated: MA15
Running Time: 88 minutes

Synopsis: A trio of friends breaks into the house of a blind recluse confident of an easy score only to find themselves in a terrifying life-or-death struggle in Don't Breathe, the second feature film from writer and director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) and legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi. In his sophomore feature, Alvarez goes for the jugular with an unapologetically brutal and twisted horror-thriller that pits a trio of thieves against an unexpectedly dangerous adversary.

Determined to escape her abusive mother and save her younger sister from the dead-end existence that seems inevitable for them both, Rocky (Jane Levy) will do whatever it takes to get away. She and friends Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) have pulled off a series of elaborately planned burglaries in order to come up with enough cash to escape their dire Detroit hometown. Their petty crimes have netted meager rewards, however,so when the trio learns that a blind man (Stephen Lang) living in an abandoned neighborhood has a small fortune stashed in his house, they agree to go for their biggest and final heist. But their plan goes dangerously wrong when their intended victim turns out to be more frightening than they ever anticipated. As he stalks them relentlessly through his heavily fortified house, they are horrified to discover that he has more than just money hidden away. Shocking and enthralling, Alvarez's masterful, visually stunning thriller maintains a frenzied pace to the last chilling minute.

Don't Breathe
Release Date: September 1st, 2016

 

About The Production

 

In 2013, writer and director Fede Alvarez made his mark in the horror movie world with a bone-chilling reboot of Sam Raimi's classic, Evil Dead. In his new film, Don't Breathe , he explores different but equally terrifying territory in a shocking, suspense-driven tale. Alvarez once again joins forces with producers Raimi and Rob Tapert of Ghost House Pictures for a homeinvasion story that blurs the line between horror and thriller.

'It has elements of both," says the director. 'I wouldn't call it a hundred percent horror or thriller. But it has a bunch of very scary moments for sure." In Don't Breathe , three friends who commit a string of perfectly planned robberies decide to pull off one final heist when they hear about a blind man living alone in a deserted Detroit neighborhood. 'But they are missing some crucial information," Fede Alvarez says. 'This man is unusually resourceful and completely ruthless, to the point where he seems almost superhuman. He's not going to let them get the money without a fight to the finish."
Making Evil Dead, his first full-length feature, with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's guidance was an unforgettable experience, says Fede Alvarez. 'So we decided to do it again. Sam has been a great mentor. He is not just a great director and producer. He is really a fanboy himself with a firm grasp of his audience."

Sam Raimi says Fede Alvarez is not only a visionary director, but a consummate collaborator as well. 'He possesses a rare combination of great storytelling instincts and the craftsmanship to execute his ideas," says the prolific filmmaker, whose directing credits include the blockbuster Spider-Man trilogy aswell as A Simple Plan, Drag Me to Hell, and the original Evil Dead Trilogy. 'When he brought us this project, we jumped at the opportunity to work with him again. From the beginning, Fede Alvarez had a distinct vision of an edgy, character-driven thriller for a modern audience. And introducing a blind character opened doors for him to build tension through both visuals and sound design." Fede Alvarez and his co-writer, Rodo Sayagues, set out to script a movie that was nail-bitingly suspenseful, but without an abundance of blood or gore. 'Horror is a genre that I love," the director says. 'But this is more complex. The scares are one hundred percent based on the situation and on things that could really happen. To me, that's much more frightening."

Rob Tapert agrees, adding, 'Don't Breathe puts a new spin on the suspense thriller by creating a scenario where the characters' senses are heightened. It avoids cliché by engaging the audience in a moral quandary. Who is right and who is wrong? And you don't know exactly how the story will end, which only adds to the tension."

The script's three fully fleshed-out protagonists appealed to executive producer Mathew Hart. 'They are each at a dead end and desperate to change their lives," he says. 'That leads them to a house where they believe there is enough money to help them do that. In a sense it's a morality play about decision making set in a great thriller environment."

None of the characters is completely admirable, and that is by design, says Alvarez.

'I don't like it when filmmakers force me to pick a side. A lot of the stories I see are very manipulative. I don't need to be spoon-fed who is good or bad. Let me choose who I like. We show you an array of characters and let you decide. No one is a saint here. Everyone has shady motives. You have to pick the one that you connect with."

Working with a co-writer with skills that complemented Fede Alvarez's was key to the creative process. The director estimates that he and Rodo Sayagues agree about 50 percent of the time. 'That means that another 50 percent we do not, which works great for us. He goes places I would never think of and vice versa. That creates unique material. I create order and he brings in the anarchy. The goriest, most over-the-top moments always come from Rodo Sayagues."

Fede Alvarez' collaborators all agree that the filmmaker gives every idea due consideration. 'Because he is also the writer, he knows the beats of the story intimately," says Mathew Hart. 'He seems to effortlessly get the right performances out of the cast, and he's never indecisive or unsure. But he welcomes input and quite often will incorporate other people's ideas. And he is always very quick to give credit. It's a great environment to work in."

Triple Threat

Don't Breathe reunites Fede Alvarez with actress Jane Levy, whose unforgettable turn as the demonically possessed Mia in Evil Dead has inspired graphic tattoos of the character's blood-drenched image around the world. 'This is a completely different character on some levels, but Rocky definitely shares some similarities with Mia," says Fede Alvarez. 'She's a fighter, that's for sure. She has a purpose for going after that money and nothing will stop her. But the Blind Man is pulling from the opposite direction with the same fierce resolve."

Determined to escape her abusive mother and save her younger sister from the dead-end existence that seems inevitable for them both, Rocky will do whatever it takes to get away.

Jane Levy was the director's first choice for the role from the beginning, but it appeared initially that she would be unavailable for the shoot. 'We went through a lengthy process of trying to find the right girl," Fede Alvarez says. 'No one lived up to our expectations. And then suddenly Jane Levy became available and everything fell into place."

After Evil Dead, Jane Levy says she had decided she was through with horror thrillers. 'But here I am, and it is because of Fede Alvarez. He is the perfect director to bring the story to life and make it so much more than a genre film. It has an epic, mythological feeling for me. It's been elevated in a way that only Fede Alvarez could. This movie reminds me of a graphic novel in many ways. The palette is really beautiful " grey with pops of colour."

In order to get away from her mother, Rocky has started committing small-time burglaries with her friends Alex and Money. 'They do it partially for the thrill, but mostly because they don't have money," says Jane Levy. 'They start out stealing whatever little things they find, but then they hear that the Blind Man is sitting on a whole bunch of cash. If they can get their hands on that money, they can get out of Detroit."

Fede Alvarez, she says, has created four characters that subvert the idea of good guys versus bad guys, upending easy expectations. 'You're rooting for Rocky, even though she's doing something dishonorable," Jane Levy says. 'It was a challenge to make her likable, but Fede Alvarez has created archetypal characters who are complex mirrors of humanity. In this situation, Alex is the brains, Money is the drive and Rocky is the heart, so you can root for her."

Although the extreme physical challenges Jane Levy faced on Evil Dead " including being buried alive " were not repeated on this film, Alvarez still put her through the wringer on a daily basis. 'Jane Levy was a great sport who never said no to anything," he says. 'In fact, she is always asking for more."

The actress admits she relishes physical roles. 'To me, movement in movies is essential to telling the story. If I can respond with just my eyes or an expression or body language, it says so much more than words."
There was one challenge she says she could have done without, however.

Rocky has to face a mammoth Rottweiler, the Blind Man's menacing attack dog.

Trained to attack Rocky's cash-stuffed bag, the dog was more intimidating than she anticipated. 'It really seemed to lose it. The owner, a huge Hungarian man, was holding the dog back, but I just kept thinking, is it going to eat me right now?"

Rocky's friend Alex, played by Dylan Minnette, masterminds the group's petty thefts, stealing keys and alarm codes from his security-guard father for a series of break-ins. He formulates and enforces a strict set of rules for the robberies: no cash and no big-ticket items are taken to avoid being charged with grand theft. Cell phones, jewellery and other insurables are all fair game, because their victims can be reimbursed for their losses. But the Blind Man's rumoured $300,000 in cash is too tempting even for Alex.

'He's a pretty conflicted, very complicated character," says Fede Alvarez. 'Alex is stealing to get enough money to go to law school. In a way, he's doing wrong in order to be able to do right in the future. He will also do anything to be closer to Rocky, who seems unaware that he is in love with her."

Dylan Minnette was the first to be cast in the film. A former child actor, he is, like his character, 18 years old. When he walked into the casting session, Alvarez immediately knew he had found his Alex. 'It was the first time in my life that ever happened," the director says. 'Just the way Dylan Minnette is, the way he talks and the way he behaves was exactly what I had in mind for the character."

A hardcore fan of both Evil Dead and Alvarez's early short film Panic Attack, Dylan Minnette leapt at the opportunity to work with the director. 'Based on his previous work, I knew it would be really special," he says. 'It's an intense, dark thriller, as well as an elegant, stylish film. It goes to some really dark and twisted places, but Fede isn't just going for the gore. This has a lot more substance than that. He makes sure that you care about these characters."

Actor Daniel Zovatto is Money, Rocky's impulsive, street-savvy boyfriend. Money is the connection between the streets and Alex and Rocky.

Says Daniel Zovatto, 'Basically, he is the alpha, the muscle of the group. But he's not onedimensional.

There's a lot more to him than just a gangster or a street kid.

He has a lot of layers."

It is Money's fence, Raul, played by Christian Zagia, who tips him off to a retired army vet rumored to have a six-figure cash settlement stashedsomewhere in his home. Money convinces his friends that this is the score to catapult them out of their crumbling city into a sunnier life in California.

'There's not much money around in his neighborhood," Christian Zovatto says. 'This seems like a pretty sure thing. But he also enjoys the adrenaline rush of these jobs."

Fede Alvarez cast the actor on the basis of his performance in the breakout indie horror film It Follows. 'He is an actor that can take a role from the page and make it his own," says the director. 'The take he brought into the room when we were casting the role was completely different from what everybody else was doing."

The counterpoint to Alex's thoughtful planner, Money lives in the moment.

'He's just pure energy and anarchy," Fede Alvarez observes. 'He knows what he wants and he gets it. Money has a better idea of who he is than Alex, who is still a bit confused about what he wants to do."
Christine Zovatto says the Don't Breathe shoot was the most fun he has ever had at work. 'Because Fede Alvarez both wrote and directed, he knows all the ins and the outs of the story and the characters, which is really cool. At the same time he let us discover our own characters with his guidance. He's a really passionate guy and I love passionate people."

The trio's adversary, known only as the Blind Man, is a military veteran who lost his sight when he was wounded during the first Gulf War. His wife died shortly after his return to the States and his only child was run down by a careless driver. Since then, he's become a recluse, the only resident left on his deserted street.

'This all started with the Blind Man," says Fede Alvarez. 'He's an unusual character. Movies often portray people with handicaps as noble or saintly. We took this guy in a completely different direction. He is very resourceful and a total badass. He's the last man standing in a derelict neighbourhood."

Once they break into the heavily secured home, Rocky, Alex and Money attempt to navigate its multi-storied interior soundlessly. But the Blind Man is soon startled awake, snapping into self-defense mode. The trio quickly find themselves trapped in a nightmarish game of cat and mouse that seems impossible to escape. 'The character makes up for his blindness with his other senses," says Hart.

'His abilities are definitely beyond what a normal person can do. It creates unique, thrilling circumstances within the story."

As the Blind Man, veteran actor Stephen Lang leverages his intimidating physicality and barely contained energy in a powerful and terrifying performance. Lang sees his character as a sort of urban legend " partly truth and partly fiction.

'Much of what people say about him is based in fact, but it's not the whole story," says the actor. 'He did get a large settlement. The situation does seem tailor-made for these three young people. Everybody else in this neighbourhood is gone. It should be easy to break in and steal the money. As it turns out, though, the house is not easy to get into and it's really tough to get out of."

The Blind Man is not the helpless victim they envisioned, to put it mildly.

Within his home he has created a world in which he has every advantage. 'He's frighteningly capable," explains Stephen Lang. 'He can more than survive " he is master of this universe. You sympathise with him wanting to defend his territory, even when you discover an unexpected wrinkle. Once you create empathy with a character, it's hard to take it back. The audience has discovered his humanity before they learn his horrifying secret. To me, that's just flat out smart writing."

'Had life treated this character a little bit differently," says Executive Producer Erin Westerman, 'he might have been a family man running a suburban hardware store. Instead, he has had to deal with some devastating curve balls. The audience knows Stephen Lang from Avatar and will recognise him as a warrior. Even though he's blind, he's going to try and overcome anyone who comes into his space. In the end, what Rocky wants and what the Blind Man wants are in direct conflict with one another, and they can't both win."

Stephen Lang says he found the film's moral ambiguity intriguing. 'The character is undeniably a victim," the actor says. 'But it's much more complicated than that. He struck me as a wonderful combination of real strength and absolute vulnerability. For an actor and a director to be able to explore that tension is fascinating."

Stephen Lang, a former co-director of the prestigious Actor's Studio, both impressed and unsettled his co-stars with his total commitment to the role. 'Stephen is an old-school actor," says Christina Zovatto. 'He's been doing this for many years. His preparation and the way he enters a scene blew me away. He's so into his craft." Levy agrees and adds, 'Stephen Lang is a very intimidating guy. I was actually a little scared when we first started working together!"

Motor City, Hungary

Principal photography for Don't Breathe took place over a seven-week period, with Budapest, Hungary, standing in for Detroit. Later the production relocated to Michigan to shoot some of the exterior scenes. Alvarez, and the key department heads had earlier scouted the recently bankrupt city's devastated neighbourhoods to find the Blind Man's yellow brick house.

The empty lots and dilapidated homes of Detroit add to the unique character of the film. 'For a story like this one, we needed a place on a particular street in a particular neighbourhood," says Fede Alvarez. 'Usually, you try to find a scary house on a nice street, but it's the other way around here. It's a scary street and this is the only well-kept house left. With everyone else gone, a story like this one could happen there."

Production designer Naaman Marshall constructed a replica of the Detroit house, its interiors and side yard on a soundstage in Budapest, recreating the city's blasted urban landscape. The overall look of Don't Breathe is meant to reflect the colour palette and other qualities of the original neighbourhood. 'We all tried to stay on the same page as far as what we were doing with costumes, production design and lighting. It has a very muted quality with a few moments of certain pops," notes Naaman Marshall.

Naaman Marshall's contribution to Don't Breathe was extraordinary, says Fede Alvarez. He developed an unorthodox floor plan for the Blind Man's house that helped ramp up confusion and intensify the film's suspense. 'Darkness and blindness are a big part of what makes this movie interesting," notes Westerman. 'When Rocky, Alex and Money enter this home, they're immediately out of their element. Nothing is where a seeing person would put it."

Early in pre-production, Fede Alvarez, Naaman Marshall and director of photography Pedro Luque mapped out the action inside the labyrinthine home using a hand drawn diagram and figures representing the four main characters to track the action.

'Naaman Marshall really helped us to create a space that represents the story of the man who lives in it," says the director. 'Just walking through the hallways you learn so much about him. That's the best kind of production design. We don't have to tell the audience anything. The walls speak for themselves."

Luque also shot Panic Attack, the signature sci-fi short that garnered Fede Alvarez global attention and his deal with Ghost House Pictures. The pair has created a visual shorthand that makes working together easy, says the cinematographer. 'Fede Alvarez is very intelligent and he has a great eye. He is very clear about what he's doing, but he also believes that working with his team can make the film feel bigger."

Instead of plunging the audience into the home's darkness along with the intruders " a choice Fede Alvarez thought was too obvious " he and Luque created alternate light sources that lend the film an eerie glow. 'We actually brought in a lot of light, so the characters will be hidden in plain sight at all times," explains the director." It's a very different look for a thriller and it creates a unique tension." Luque designed a lighting plan based on spillover from practical light sources, like streetlights or outdoor security lights. 'I tried to create a pattern light that has different colors and different textures," he says. 'It combines soft light and hard light, warm light and cold light. So visually it's a way of trying to entertain the eye."

Costume designer Carlos Rosario drew on Detroit street fashion as inspiration for Rocky, Alex and Money's wardrobes, giving them each a singular look and style. 'The movie's definitely dark and gritty and that's reflected in the personal style of each one of those characters," he says. 'Rocky is a very confident girl but also feminine with a great sense of vulnerability. She is a little bit '80s, a little bit rock 'n' roll. She doesn't have much money, so we played with thrift-store clothes. But since she's been robbing all these different houses, she often has one or two pieces that are a little bit more expensive.

'Alex has a little more money," the designer continues. 'His clothes are much more classic to reflects how introverted he is. It's much more utilitarian, much more monochromatic. And Money wants to blend with the street gangs. His wardrobe is like his armour, his way of saying, -Here I am.'"

The designers went the extra mile, says Fede Alvarez, creating an aura of mystery and intensity that helps define the film. 'I think the visuals in this movie speak for themselves," he adds. 'We don't have to give the audience information by having characters say everything out loud. We've already created a tremendous amount of tension though the look of the film."

Tapert predicts Don't Breathe will be recognised as one of the most suspenseful movies modern audiences have ever seen. 'It is a thrill to see it with a whole theatre of moviegoers sitting on the edge of their seats, literally holding their breath in anticipation," he says. 'I hope audiences walk out of the theatre energized after having survived this relentless experience."

Don't Breathe
Release Date: September 1st, 2016