Is Don't Breathe 2 Scary? The Verdict and the Whole Plot
Yes, 6 out of 10. It's a home invasion in the dark, with jump scares and violence.
🐱THE SCARE SIGNAL
SCARE SCORE
6 /10
🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱
DREAD LEVEL
Medium
It lasts about a night, and you will check your locks twice before bed.
DOG
Dog: not fine
not fine, and it happens off-screen.
Ruling: Fine for adults who can handle a violent home invasion, with the lights on.
Don't Breathe 2 runs 98 minutes. Norman Nordstrom, a blind Navy SEAL veteran, lives in a Detroit suburb with his 11-year-old daughter and a rottweiler named Shadow. The lights have never been a concern for him.
The premise, briefly
A blind veteran raising his daughter in a Detroit suburb has to defend her and his house when a gang shows up to take her.
How much do you want to know?
🐱
The verdict above is spoiler-free. Everything below, including the ending, stays hidden until you pick a depth.
🐱CUT TO THE CHASE
How it ends
Norman picks off the gang in the dark. Raylan stabs Norman, and Tara stabs Raylan, who dies. Norman apparently dies from his wounds after telling Tara that she already saved him. Tara walks to a children's home and introduces herself as Phoenix.
The scene you're dreading
The hotel scene, near the end: Tara's parents prepare to remove her heart for her sick mother while she is awake. Norman cuts the power before it starts, so it never happens, and then he picks off the gang in the dark.
The dog
Shadow, Norman's rottweiler, does not make it. He is killed off-screen early on, and Norman finds his body later. A second dog survives.
Don't Breathe 2 is a tense, violent thriller with jump scares, and it is easier to watch once you know Tara gets away.
THE SHORT VERSION IS HIDDEN
How it ends, the scene you're dreading, what happens to the dog, and the bottom line. About twenty seconds to read.
What actually happens
A rottweiler against a road full of vans
Eight years after the first film, Norman Nordstrom, a blind Navy SEAL veteran, lives in a Detroit suburb with Phoenix, his daughter, who is 11, and his rottweiler, Shadow. Norman has told Phoenix that her mother died when their old house burned down. Hernandez, an Army Ranger veteran and Norman's only link to other people, talks him into letting Phoenix come along on an errand in town. She lets Phoenix visit the burned-out house. A gangster named Raylan tries to grab Phoenix but Shadow scares him off. The gang trails Hernandez's van to Norman's place and waits for her to drop Phoenix off. Then it blocks the road with their vans and kills Hernandez with a hammer. Shadow gets lured away, and the gang kills him off-screen. Norman steps outside to find Shadow, and the gang breaks in to take Phoenix. Norman fights them, and Raylan announces to Phoenix that he is her actual father, proving it by showing that they both have a white streak in their hair.
Phoenix's old house burned down after a meth lab exploded in the basement, and Raylan spent eight years in jail. Norman found Phoenix lying unconscious in the ruins and brought her home to stand in for his own dead daughter. After Raylan got out, he spotted Phoenix, very much alive, leaving flowers at her mother's memorial. A henchman chloroforms Phoenix. Raylan sets his own dog on Norman, who shuts the animal in the attic. Before leaving with Phoenix, the gang burns the house. Norman makes friends with the dog, and they escape together. The dog leads him to the hotel where the gang is hiding.
The hotel, and Norman's best environment
This is the scene people dread most, and it comes near the end. At the hotel Raylan tells Phoenix her real name is Tara, then brings her to meet her mother, who is still alive but terminally ill. Her mother explains that she caused the explosion while cooking meth, and that it poisoned her internal organs. Tara's parents have taken her so that her compatible organs can be transplanted into her mother. With no drugs and no proper facilities, Tara would be awake while her heart is removed. The procedure never happens. Norman arrives and shuts off the power, which stops the procedure. He then uses the dark to take the gang down one at a time. He kills the surgeon as well, and a stray bullet kills Tara's mother. Last, Norman blinds Raylan by gouging out his eyes and leaves him for dead.
The ending, explained
Norman, badly hurt, admits to Tara that her father told her the truth. He admits to his crimes, which include murder and rape, and tells her to run to safety. Raylan shows up and stabs Norman, and Tara stabs Raylan, which kills him. She tries to help Norman and says she can save him, and he tells her she already has. He then seems to die from his wounds. Tara leaves and heads for a children's home she noticed earlier. She approaches some children who are playing and gives her name as Phoenix.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether Don't Breathe 2 has a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: not fine, and it happens off-screen.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Don't Breathe 2 scary?
Yes, Don't Breathe 2 is a 6 out of 10. It is a home invasion thriller with jump scares, some graphic violence and a medium level of dread that lasts about a night.
How does Don't Breathe 2 end?
Norman picks off the gang in the dark, then Raylan stabs Norman and Tara fatally stabs Raylan. Norman apparently dies, and Tara walks to a children's home and introduces herself as Phoenix.
Does the dog die in Don't Breathe 2?
Yes, the dog dies in Don't Breathe 2. Norman's rottweiler, Shadow, is killed off-screen early on, and Norman finds his body later. A second dog in the film survives.
Is there a post-credits scene in Don't Breathe 2?
Nobody has confirmed whether Don't Breathe 2 has a scene after the credits.
Who is Phoenix in Don't Breathe 2?
Phoenix is the 11-year-old girl Norman raises as his daughter. In Don't Breathe 2 her real name is Tara, and Norman found her unconscious in a burned house after a meth lab explosion.
BLURRED FOR YOUR PROTECTION
The whole plot of Don't Breathe 2 is hidden, ending included. It stays that way until you ask.
You can skip 98 minutes of Don't Breathe 2 and still know how it ends. Install Scaredy Cat and it blurs horror before you see it.
