Spooky Season 2024: Hold Your Breath Early Review

The directorial debut of Karrie Crouse and Will Joines, Hold Your Breath is set in 1930’s Oklahoma and follows Margaret Bellum (Paulson), a mother haunted by her past. Becoming convinced that a mysterious presence in dust storms is threatening her family, she begins to take extraordinary measures to protect them. Above all else, audiences should not go into this expecting a typical horror thriller or really a horror film, otherwise they are likely to walk out disappointed. Not a straight up horror ride that all of its marketing or even its brief premise may make it out to be, instead, the film is much more of a slow burn psychological drama with few horror elements in it.

The best thing about Hold Your Breath is easily Paulson’s fantastic lead performance. She always commits to whatever role she takes on, and Margaret is no exception, showing a bit more of her unhinged side that she excels at while still being subtle where it counts. Miller and Robbins are very good as Margaret’s daughters Rose and the three have such a natural family chemistry. Although he’s not given as much to do, Ebon Moss-Bachrach turns in a solid performance as Wallace Grady, showing more of his dramatic chops in a more serious role. While it’s not the most original, it maintains an eerie atmosphere throughout it does have a good sense of mystery that will leave audiences to decipher it as the story goes on. The few horror sequences that the film does have are mostly effective, however, it’s a shame that it didn’t lean more into its horror side because those moments were where it was ultimately at its best.

That being said, the film, as a whole, is a bit of a mixed bag that feels like a combination of several better films whose genres it is trying to emulate, without forming an identity of its own. Moving at a virtual snail’s pace, every time one would think it’s about to pick up or take its story to the next level, it does the exact opposite and maintains that same lethargic pace. A lot of the later reveals lack any kind of excitement whatsoever as the film takes a fairly predictable path. Each act almost feels like an entirely different film with a different tone for each, and while this choice can be unique and refreshing if it is executed correctly, this is not the case here as the final result is messy and gets frustrating as it constantly keeps changing things up. Had the third act ended on a much higher note, much of its aforementioned issues could have been easy to look past. However, the film ends on a weak and anticlimactic note that is sure to leave audiences feeling indifferent about everything that came before.

At the end of the day, while Hold Your Breath is watchable and technically well made, it is a pretty empty experience that does not have much to offer outside of Sarah Paulson’s great lead performance. Though some may enjoy the film’s uneven nature and constantly changing tone, it leaves a lot to be desired.

still courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/