Last weekend, the home-invasion thriller Dont Breathe opened at No. , making over $26 million at the box office in North America and sparking a lot of discussion about one especially Super-Awful Scene. We’ll get to that part in a moment, but first, let’s review the film’s remarkably straightforward plot: in a desolate Detroit neighborhood, three young thieves (Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Daniel Zovatto) break into the run-down house of a blind war veteran (Stephen Lang from *Avatar*), searching for the six-figure sum that he is rumored to have hidden somewhere inside. What accounts for the large windfall? It turns out that the blind survivor (whose name is withheld) lost his beloved daughter years earlier, when she was killed by a wealthy teenage girl, forcing the well-to-do parents of the killers to compensate the blind man.
However, upon breaking into the house, the robbers find that their intended victim is far more cunning and powerful than they had anticipated. Halfway through the film, we discover why he is so protective of his property after he fights back violently and kills one of the thieves. (trigger warnings abound for this next section, so be advised)
It turns out that in order for the blind man to become a parent again, he abducted the young woman who killed his daughter in the vehicle accident, imprisoned her in his basement, and got her pregnant. However, after killing his young prisoner in the robbery attempt, he determines that Rocky, played by Levy, should be the one to bear his child instead. He puts her in a harness, rips her pants, and tries to use a turkey baster to get her to become pregnant. (His attempt to justify his actions: “Im not a rapist. I never forced myself on [the girl I kidnapped]. “) Its a brutal sequence. When the knife-wielding, semen-filled baster is shown up close, Rocky lets out a terrified scream and wide-eyed expression. She is saved at the last minute, and she puts the baster in the blind man’s mouth, making him gag.
Don’t Breathe has one more semi-twist at the very end—the bad guy survives after being thought to be dead—but the baster scene is the one that’s generated the most discussion on the internet. The movie’s unsettling ending was the topic of conversation between WIRED’s Angela Watercutter and Brian Raftery as the movie prepares for what is expected to be another weekend of box office records. Most Popular.
Brian Raftery: Angela, I wanted to talk briefly about the break-ins, breakdowns, and fake-outs that came before the last twenty minutes or so of Don’t Breathe because they really affected how the movie’s twist played out for me. I am very much in the demo for a late-summer no-brainer like Don’t Breathe because, as you know, I have a deep affection for gloomy little thrillers. My favorite movie of the year is still the gory but satisfying escape-caper Green Room, which I obnoxiously bring up during WIRED’s Slack convos at least once a week. Additionally, the movie occasionally made me feel like a giddy, dopey fan of B movies. I really enjoyed how Lang’s muscular physique and abrupt movements gave him a frightening, almost lupine-like physicality—he’s one of the better movie monsters in recent memory. I winced during the moments of claustrophobic silence, as we watched the thieves try to avoid detection. I enjoyed some of Fede Alvarez’s more lighthearted moments, like the guard dog’s sudden appearances and the unexpected fake-out in the laundry room. Additionally, I was impressed by how well-executed the editing and camerawork were; at times, it almost felt as though you were trapped in the house with the thieves.
which is also the main issue with the film: Even for a film like this, the more time you spend with the main characters, the more simplistic and convenient they are. Money, played by Zovatto, is a brash idiot who speaks and swaggers with a hilariously forced faux-cool and misinformed demeanor that makes me think of Poochie. (Example line: “You think just because you jerk off to her Instagram selfies, that makes you a Romeo?” Wow, crazy slang! See you next time you go swingin on the flippity-flop!) He is supposedly dating Rocky, but their relationship is never shown as genuine; they could just be two coworkers striking up over a smoke break. As for Rocky’s white trash past, it’s cartoonishly overdrawn, but at least she has motivation from her choice to get her younger sister out of Detroit, unlike Alex, the pleasant, intelligent, and seemingly well-off child played by Minnette. Is he genuinely in love with Rocky? Why is he back here? Does he really need the dough? Does anyone really think that these three would even hang out in the real world?
Rocky’s rash attempt to steal from the loudest electronic safe ever made while attempting to keep quiet was one of the many holes in their plans, but it wasn’t so much that the thieves were stupid as it was that they were so foolishly rendered Ding-dongs are a common feature of thrillers and horror films, which is in part why it’s so easy for us to accept—even celebrate—their demise. However, I believe that Alvarez meant the Don’t Breathe trio—that is, Rocky and Alex, at least—to be sympathetic young people who were in dire need of a way out, rather than just unmemorable plot device material. The primary reason I had grown tired of Don’t Breathe before we even reached the basement was their disposable nature. Too many potentially interesting moments were ruined by the characters’ cheesy dialogue or “wait, what?” choices. Its a movie I wanted to be much, much smarter in its dumb-downness.
Oof! That vent was big enough to fit a raging Rotweiler. Please, Angela. Did you enjoy the pre-twist sections of Don’t Breathe? How did they impact your perception of the big reveal? Is “An Unexpected Fake-Out in the Laundry Room” the greatest Fall Out Boy title that was never used?
Angela Watercutter: First off, Brian, Im leaving that Fall Out Boy bit alone. (Dont give them any bright ideas, man. Secondly, I am definitely one of those people who doesn’t really expect sense or logic in horror films, but you are correct—these kids were capital-D dumb. Like, I appreciated Alex’s occasional intervention with his razor-sharp “That’s larceny!” exposition, but it felt like his sole purpose was to remind everyone how ridiculously foolish they were all being. (Sad!) In most horror movies, audiences aren’t supposed to care about the motivations of stupid kids, so when characters do dumb things, like reading from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in Evil Dead, it’s easily forgiven. Not to mention that it doesn’t really matter because the stakes and the consequences are so absurd and extravagant (remember *Dead*’s blood storm?). Most Popular.
And I think thats where Dont Breathe really lost me. Everything that happens pre-twist was a little too real. Not that it was believable, per se, but it all theoretically could happen. As the lead character in a horror movie, the audience finds it easier to accept what happens to you when you unintentionally call forth the dead or find yourself in Burn Victim Scissorhands’ path. Given how painfully plausible the events are, either the presentation of them needed to be done better, or actually, I dont know that theres another option.
Which brings us to that twist. Damn. I was prepared for the worst because you had seen the movie before me and told me the surprise was awful. So, where to start? (Honestly, I was half expecting to see the “Lust” chapter of Se7en. ) While it wasnt as bad as I thought it might be, it was still pretty awful. We’ve discussed how clumsy rape scenes are as narrative devices before, and I believe Alvarez committed a number of those tropes here. (Im not really buying “Im not a rapist” here; forcibly impregnating someone is still a sexual assault. In her article regarding the use of rape on Game of Thrones, Laura Hudson noted that although rape is frequently used to shock audiences in films and television, this rarely, if ever, works. Considering Alvarez told Slashfilm “I think this movie should be provocative and should push boundaries. Every classic film has at least one scene or moment that was horribly wrong. I believe that’s what he was aiming for, so it was very disappointing that he did (I was a big fan of his Evil Dead and had high hopes for Breathe. ).
So, yeah, that twist left me very frustrated. What say you, Brian? How did you feel walking out of the theater?.
Raftery: It’s funny that you bring up Se7en. I felt completely waxen when I left that movie almost 22 years ago, as if I had just unintentionally been covered in a filthy, slimy layer of slop. However, whatever disgustingness Se7en ingrained in me felt strangely justified: the film’s graphic violence matches the movie’s and some of its characters’ dark worldviews, and every sin is a crucial part of the larger narrative. It’s also important to keep in mind that, despite the film’s horrific portrayal of “Lust,” it’s primarily anecdotal—a tale relayed by a trembling, unwilling participant, a few quickly looked at pictures, and a fair degree of restraint. Even though Se7en left me feeling extremely uncomfortable, I didn’t feel cheated, largely because screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker and director David Fincher didn’t seem to be interested in shock for shock’s sake. Most Popular.
I felt the same way about Don’t Breathe, but for different reasons: I could tell that the baster scene in Don’t Breathe was meant to shock even without having read the interview you mentioned above. It was an obvious instance of rape ex machina—a sequence of events devoid of any build-up and, to be honest, illogical. The twist made me think of the one in last summer’s surprise-hit revenge-thriller The Gift, which I really enjoyed until the very end, when there’s an implied rape scene that upends the movie’s central conflict and feels lazy and lily-gilding. (I hate doing logic-forensics, especially in genre movies, but: How many victims did he intend to impregnate, anyway? And even with all his moolah, how did a blind loner manage to build a high-end insemination clinic in his basement?)
However, I found The Gifts’ ending to be less irritating than Don’t Breathe’s, and I believe this was largely because of the line “I’m not a rapist.” One could argue—and this is a stretch of the imagination—that the line is an attempt to highlight and denounce the way some men refuse to admit that rape is rape, regardless of the circumstances—had Dont Breathe been a wiser film. However, the Don’t Breathe baster scene was a clumsy, tactless addition to a film that was already beginning to seem rather stupid, and I doubt that level of commentary was given even the slightest thought. Furthermore, the attacker’s claim that what we are witnessing isn’t rape seems like a preemptive act of self-immunity, as if the filmmakers were implying that although this scene might seem like it belongs in the Problem Attic (TM), it doesn’t have to because the bad guy claims it isn’t rape, so you as the viewer don’t have to be too grossed out by this last-minute twist!
Therefore, yes, Don’t Breathe made me nauseous and uneasy, but not for the same reasons that Se7en, Oldboy, *Battle Royale,* or even Green Room did. Those films dealt with cruelty, a subject that I believe both viewers and filmmakers should be open to discussing. And they certainly had a few cheap thrills thrown in. However, the built-in shocks in each movie felt deliberate rather than thrown in, and they challenged the viewers’ deepest cravings without caving in to them.
Anyway, were almost out of the basement. Nevertheless, before we part, Angela, may I ask how you would suggest Don’t Breathe to others? I would, though that seems like a clumsy diversion given what I’ve already said. However, I do believe that Lang’s performance and Alvarez’s staging and camerawork add a few surprising late-game elements to what has otherwise been a dull summer. More significantly, I believe that the movie’s third-act nadir and the problems it helps bring up can initiate the kinds of discussions that viewers and filmmakers ought to be having in 2016. Or are you just like, “Too long; dont Breathe” at this point?.
Watercutter: Actually, I would recommend it—and I feel just as weird saying that as you do. Perhaps we’re playing into Alvarez’s “provocative” strengths here, but I believe Breathe has the potential to spark a discussion that I’d like to have with people, particularly horror enthusiasts. Not only would I have preferred a dozen different endings to the turkey baster scene, but I also wish Game of Thrones had avoided using sexual assault as a plot device. The fact of the matter is, these things are out there, and ignoring them wont help. We need to talk about these things—the plot wont change if we dont.
Yo what’s up fellow Thanksgiving enthusiasts? It’s your boy, [Company Name], here to inject some much-needed humor into your holiday feast. Brace yourselves, because we’re about to delve into the bizarre, the hilarious, and the downright absurd world of the “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster.”
Now before you get all grossed out let me assure you that this isn’t some kind of creepy horror movie. It’s actually a hilarious Thanksgiving tradition that’s been making the rounds on the internet for years. And trust me, it’s way funnier than it sounds.
So, what exactly is the “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster”? Well it’s pretty self-explanatory. You take a turkey baster fill it with some kind of delicious (or not-so-delicious) concoction, and then, well, you know, “baste” your unsuspecting victim. It’s a guaranteed way to get a laugh out of your friends and family, and it’s sure to be a memorable addition to your Thanksgiving festivities.
But wait, there’s more! We’ve compiled a list of some of the most hilarious “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster” videos on the internet, so you can get a taste of the fun before you try it yourself.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster Prank” by [Channel Name]: This classic video features a group of friends pranking each other with the turkey baster. The results are hilarious, and the reactions are priceless.
- “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster Challenge” by [Channel Name]: This video takes the prank to the next level, with a group of people competing to see who can baster the most people without getting caught. It’s a laugh-a-minute riot.
- “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster Fail” by [Channel Name]: This video shows what happens when the “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster” prank goes wrong. It’s a reminder that even the best-laid plans can go awry, but it’s still funny as heck.
So, are you ready to give the “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster” a try? We dare you! Just be sure to have a camera handy to capture all the hilarious moments. And remember, laughter is the best seasoning for any Thanksgiving feast.
P.S. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even try adding a few drops of hot sauce to your turkey baster concoction. Just be warned, the results may be explosive!
P.P.S. We’re not responsible for any injuries or damaged relationships that may occur as a result of the “Don’t Breathe Turkey Baster” prank. Proceed at your own risk!
P.P.P.S. We hope you have a hilarious and memorable Thanksgiving!