Set in the American Dust Bowl era of 1933, "Hold Your Breath" is a gothic horror film that serves up more noise than it can handle. Despite a scattered narrative, directors Karrie Crouse and Will Joines manage to weave paranoia of sickness reminiscent of COVID-19 through the fabric of the story, led by a dedicated performance from Sarah Paulson.
The plot sees Margaret (Paulson), a mother of two, battling dust storms in the Oklahoma panhandle with a husband out of state. The film presents a palpable unease around sickness and death, heightened by the dust that invades every corner of Margaret's life and home. Yet, the overuse of shock-and-awe sound effects and repetitive story elements makes for an increasingly predictable and irksome viewing experience.
The film introduces a storybook fear of a shadowy figure, the Grey Man, who infests homes and influences malicious behavior, all while hinting at Margaret's deteriorating health and precarious sleepwalking habit. Although the connections drawn and character paths are easily predictable, the plot takes numerous detours, stretching out the anticipation for Paulson's impressive takeover into the bedlam.
The narrative takes a turn with the combination of local murder rumors and the arrival of a stranger to Margaret's home (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), a supposedly familiar preacher with unexplained abilities. His addition feels disjointed and as though it belongs in a different film altogether. Despite a swift progression of events, minimal happens, leading to an underwhelming climax when the core plot is finally revisited.
"Hold Your Breath" is ultimately a tale of a grieving mother's struggle to shield her children from a brutal world, and her own demons. However, despite its build-up, the film fails to deliver on its most terrifying and personal ideas with the intensity they warrant.
