Hold Your Breath2024

Way better than I thought it would be. A dust bowl psychological horror could be interesting as easily as it could be boring. This movie is a little bit of both but more often the former. I like how the movie shows how quickly self-reliance can turn into isolation and then paranoia.  SPOILERS Sarah Paulson is the villain. And the seeds of her eventual insanity are planted right at the very beginning, though I had enough sympathy to wish that it would be some supernatural force, but I think this ending is actually more satisfying.  There is actual depth here but not too much. Like, yes, being a mother is impossibly hard, and living in the dust bowl was impossibly hard, but hopefully, we don’t need a random horror movie to teach us these things. But there are things like I mentioned before. Self reliance and self-righteousness. “Don’t be wise in your own eyes.” “Pride cometh before a fall.” “Take your goddamn meds.” She let fear take control, and it took everything from her. Her humanity, her children, and her life.  This movie really is nothing to write home about, but it’s short, so why not throw it on? Just remember to hold your breath. If you breathe him in, he’ll make you do terrible things.