Shut your mouth! Fede Álvarez says Don't Breathe 2 'quite different' from the first movie

The core rule of the Don't Breathe franchise is to not make a peep of any kind. With that said, SYFY WIRE convinced Fede Álvarez to exclusively sound off on the upcoming sequel. This time around, the filmmaker serves as a co-writer and executive producer after relinquishing directorial duties to his usual writing partner, Rodo Sayagues.

While Álvarez tiptoes around specific plot details, he does reveal that the movie is "almost done" and on course to be released this year. As of right now, Sony plans to roll out the film in mid-August. "I love it," he continues, also name dropping the Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel that he wrote and produced last year. "Don’t Breathe 2 is really fascinating, I can’t wait for you to see it. You have no idea what’s coming."

Álvarez starts to chuckle during our virtual Webex conversation, explaining that he sees all of his horror projects as comedies.

"I just laugh while we make them. I just find it hilarious," he says. "My co-writer and I, everything that people find disturbing, we eventually find it hilarious. That’s why I’m laughing about Don’t Breathe 2 [and] what the reaction of the audience will be. As a sequel, it’s just quite different. It has everything you love about the first one, hopefully, but done with a completely different approach, storytelling-wise."

Don't Breathe gave us a mortal phobia of turkey basters when it first hit theaters in the summer of 2016. Part of the sensory horror sub-genre that includes Hush and A Quiet Place, the film centers around a group of young home invaders who find themselves hunted down by a blind man (Avatar's Stephen Lang) with highly acute senses. Lang's character will return for the sequel, but it's unclear who or what he'll be weeding out with his Daredevil-like powers in the sophomore outing. 

Only Álvarez's second time in the director's chair after his 2013 remake of Sam Raimi's first Evil Dead, Don't Breathe was a critically-acclaimed box office success. Against a budget of less than $10 million, the flick brought in nearly $160 million worldwide.

Production for the second movie took place in Belgrade, Serbia and wrapped in October 2020. Don't Breathe 2 creeps into theaters Friday, August 13. However, that date could change. Earlier this week, Sony moved Venom: Let There Be Carnage from June to September.

Alvarez's new TV series — Calls — is now streaming on Apple TV+.