'Hold Your Breath' review: Sluggish thriller is full of hot air

Courtesy of Searchlight

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"Hold Your Breath" is a slow, monotonous thriller that feels as flimsy and diluted as the dust swirling throughout its setting. Attempting to thrive on atmospheric vibes, the film ultimately stumbles over its own ambition. Set during the late 1930s Dust Bowl, it features a solid score and impactful foley effects; the sounds of howling winds and raging storms are potent enough to overwhelm home entertainment systems. However, once the chaos subsides and the film tries to establish a rhythm, it reveals itself as a cheesy horror movie lacking a clear identity.

Directors Karrie Crouse and Will Joines, working from a script by Crouse, aim to elevate the material, and the domestic aspects of the narrative effectively contribute to the growing paranoia that unfolds midway through the film. Yet, "Hold Your Breath" often feels like it's spinning its wheels, leaving viewers waiting and wondering when something will truly happen.

Sarah Paulson delivers a restrained performance as Margaret Bellum, a mother struggling to protect her two daughters, Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (deaf actor Alona Jane Robbins), while their father is away trying to make ends meet. Haunted by the loss of her third daughter, Ada, who succumbed to scarlet fever, Margaret faces the looming presence of the Grey Man—a fictional boogeyman from the girls' bedtime stories, said to be able to shape-shift within the dust.

When actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach appears as Wallace Grady, a traveling self-proclaimed man of the cloth, the narrative briefly gains intrigue. He claims to know Margaret’s husband and boasts supernatural healing abilities, even managing to stop one of Rose’s severe nosebleeds.

While Grady is an intriguing character, his role ultimately feels like a red herring. Whenever Moss-Bachrach shares the screen with Paulson, "Hold Your Breath" comes alive, as they engage in a compelling debate about each other's motives and the ambiguity of Grady’s arrival.

Unfortunately, just as the film begins to build momentum, it retreats into clunky haunted house tropes, reminding us that it lacks the foundation to rise above these tired clichés.

Perhaps in a theater, where the immersive sound design can fully envelop audiences, "Hold Your Breath" might resonate better. Still, it ultimately proves forgettable, fading from memory the moment the credits roll. Like dust in the wind. 

Grade: C- 

HOLD YOUR BREATH streams on Hulu Friday, October 3rd: