I had been wanting to see this ever since I heard about it a couple years ago (and I liked the director's last film a lot) and I can say that I enjoyed it...for the most part. A dying woman gets a new lease on life when she inhales from a mysterious vial but then she starts having weird visions and murderous tendencies. Sounds pretty simple, right? If that's all the movie was about, I think this would totally rock. As it is it only sorta rocks. There's an awful lot of back story that needs to be told for you to understand what's going on. That's okay but it does make the middle drag. The opening credit sequence which follows a box through all of the decades is really, really well done and the last half hour, once it actually becomes a horror is entertaining as well. For the acting, the two leads are good. The rest of the cast...eh, not so much. I would say that if you go into it knowing that the middle part drags but will pay off later on (there's a pretty cool scene with a tied-up girl where you would swear that the actress is genuinely terrified of what's off-screen), then you might enjoy it a little more. Overall, I'd recommend it but only if you're not looking for a super scary horror and you're willing to pay attention the whole time. By the way, if they released a soundtrack, I'd buy it. Some of the songs were really good.

Budget and limited thespians weigh down this otherwise very entertaining supernatural chiller.A young woman suffers from a terminal disease. During the course of her work, she meets a man who asks her to auction a mysterious box for him. When she takes the box home, she opens it and literally breathes new life into herself....with dire consequences.Tracy Teague is a one-expression actress and has a tough time carrying the movie the whole way through. Fortunately, a cast of interesting supporting characters keep us on out toes, and the director definitely knows how to keep the pace going.Except for a couple of murders and the climactic carnage, the movie is short on grue but high on suspense. Budget restrictions does show, especially in the ending, but it never looks cheap. Although the twists are predictable, I found myself smoking only 1 cigarette throughout, which is my own barometer for good entertainment. Recommended.

Respire took me back to my youth when my brother would take us to the drive in movie. We would watch the simple mystery/horror through hands pressed against our faces to protect us from the boogie man. But that is about as far as this movie got for me, memories of getting scared as a kid. Which usually didn't take much effort in a horror movie.As an adult however I had to constantly remind myself that there wasn't a lot of money thrown at this film which may be why some of the script gets very "home movieish" at times. I shouldn't have had to think of excuses for stiff dialogue. But the plot twists are fun to watch as they are revealed just as all the red corn syrup is fun to watch squirting out of wounds. Compared to more widely released films, this one passes the test of a good scary tween/teen movie but fails to live up to the standards set by Halloween, Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street and others. I guess I am stuffy that way.But graded simply on its own merit, it is worth including into your teenager's weekend slumber party. Providing you don't mind some on again / off again violence (and the required red corn syrup).Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. You might actually enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this film. Respire has a great mix of mystery, suspense and horror. There are some very memorable scenes with outstanding atmosphere. The director did a great job of covering the large scope of the film without the large budget. There are some great moments in Respire that caused me to jumped from my chair. On the negative, a few lines in the script felt a bit "wordy" as if the actors are trying to explain too much to the audience. I also feel some of the character's actions are a little too predictable, but overall the film is more surprising than many big budget Hollywood movies. I am looking forward to checking out some of David Cross's other films. I say go ahead throw Respire in the DVD player late one night, sit back, and enjoy the movie.