10 Horror Films That Tried Something Different (And Failed)
4. Don't Breathe 2
In Don't Breathe, Rocky and her friends break into the home of blind man Norman (Stephen Lang), hoping to steal his fortune. When Norman proves to be anything but helpless, Rocky and her mates do everything they can to escape.
Although Fede Alvarez forged a masterfully tense thriller, it's Lang's career-defining performance that makes the movie work so well. Despite being a terrifying force to be reckoned with, the Avatar star manages to convey Norman as a deeply tragic and sympathetic figure.
After Don't Breathe's critical and financial success, a sequel was greenlit. Much like Terminator 2, it was decided to flip the script, with Norman playing the hero this time around.
Despite the fact Don't Breathe 2 has a heartfelt story and Lang is on top-form again, the whole thing falls flat since Norman doesn't work as anything except a villain.
In Don't Breathe's climax, viewers learn that Norman has impregnated the woman who accidentally killed his daughter, intending to replace his deceased child with her newborn. And once you see Norman try to inseminate Rocky with a turkey baster full of his own semen, you can never see him as anything but the baddie.
No matter how much Don't Breathe 2 tries to paste Norman as honourable and pure, it doesn't undo the evil he committed in the past.