HOLD YOUR BREATH on Hulu & Disney+ is a psychological horror-thriller starring Sarah Paulson. Set during the nightmarish dust storms in 1930s Oklahoma. Read our full Hold Your Breath movie review here!
HOLD YOUR BREATH is a new Hulu & Disney+ horror thriller released in time for Halloween. The month of October 2024 is packed full of genre releases and this is one of the better ones.
Not least thanks to the ever-brilliant Sarah Paulson. The story of this movie plays out in Oklahoma in the 1930s when dust storms were turning everyday life into a nightmare. The 94-minute runtime was enough to make me feel parched!
Continue reading our Hold Your Breath movie review below. Find it on Hulu and Disney+ from October 3, 2024.
So much dust… everywhere!
Hold Your Breath takes place in 1930s Oklahoma during the era of horrific dust storms. The Bellum family has a house that sits squarely in a valley of dirt. Rain seems like a pipedream and clouds of dust block out the sun.
Dust is everywhere. It’s impossible to keep out of the house and even out of your mouth and lunges. Every surface of every house is covered in fine dust. Much like we see it in Christopher Nolan‘s Interstellar.
I realize that movie has nothing to do with Hold Your Breath, but that always stayed with me, so this full-length movie about the same situation definitely took my breath away.
What’s in the wind?
Margaret (Sarah Paulson) is struggling to keep herself, and especially her two daughters, Rose (Amiah Miller) and Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins), safe and healthy.
She’s already lost one child to illness and cannot bear the thought of losing another. Her husband is away working and due to the dust storms, even letters from him are taking forever to reach home.
The barren and relentless dust and wind in the Dust Bowl is driving Margaret crazy. She can’t sleep and the wind seems to never die down. Then a mysterious stranger (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) shows up, but is he a friend or foe?
Every single cast member of Hold Your Breath delivers strong and memorable performances. Still, Sarah Paulson is in a league of her own.
Closely followed by the two young talents portraying her daughters, Amiah Miller and Alona Jane Robbins. They get a lot to work with as well. Particularly Amiah Miller as the older daughter.
Of course, Amiah Miller was also amazing in My Best Friend’s Exorcism. The two characters are worlds apart, but her talent is apparent in both.
In another role, we also get to enjoy Annaleigh Ashford (The Undoing) as another young mother struggling. And yes, of course, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, Monsterland) is amazing as the ominous stranger showing up in the dust.
Watch Hold Your Breath on Hulu and Disney+
Karrie Crouse is the writer and co-director of Hold Your Breath. Previously, Karrie Crouse wrote on the iconic genre series Westworld. Her co-director is Will Joines, and the two collaborate regularly.
It’s easy to see why when this is the result!
The producers also give you an idea of the quality. From Alix Madigan (Winter’s Bone, The Lie) to Lucas Joaquin (House of Spoils, Resurrection), and Sarah Paulson, star of the movie, is also an executive producer.
The working title of the movie was “Dust”. Understandably, as it does feel like the dust is almost an actual character in the story.
Hold Your Breath is a psychological horror thriller that will make you do just that. I felt like the dust would get to me if I didn’t. That should tell you that this movie works.
Hold Your Breath is out on Hulu and Disney+ from October 3, 2024.
Details
Directors: Karrie Crouse & William Joines
Writer: Karrie Crouse
Stars: Sarah Paulson, Amiah Miller, Alona Jane Robbins, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Annaleigh Ashford, Arron Shiver, Frances Lee McCain
Plot
In 1930s Oklahoma amid the region’s horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family.
- Little Bites – Movie Review (3/5) - October 4, 2024
- CTRL – Movie Review | Netflix (4/5) - October 4, 2024
- The Platform 2 – Review | Netflix (3/5) - October 4, 2024
