'Don't Breathe 2' Red Band Trailer: Darkness Is Stephen Lang's Ally

They probably should've just left him alone. Five years after the first movie stalked its way into theaters and resulted in a pretty big box office hit, Don't Breathe 2 is now just days away and Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang), the blind man at the center of all the violence and gore the last time around, is back to face a much tougher challenge. He has a child in tow this time, which adds a whole other level of stakes and tension. Watch the red band trailer — which is not for the squeamish — below.

Well, that's definitely a red band trailer! It's a pretty standard genre go-to move to take a much older and violent man and pair him with an innocent child (usually a girl) who needs protecting. Set eight years after the events of the first film, Don't Breathe 2 kicks off when a group of kidnappers attempt to snatch the child (Madelyn Grace) from Lang's The Blind Man. Some rather nasty and heart-pounding violence ensues.

The first film drew some criticism for, uh, certain choices made during its third act. The sequel hasn't entirely gone over well either, as the trailers seem to position Lang's truly despicable character as a would-be hero facing off against even worse villains. It's an understandable concern, not to mention the potentially problematic treatment of blindness, but Lang, co-writer and first-time director Rodo Sayagues, and writer Fede Álvarez (who directed the first film) all insist that these concerns are accounted for and won't be an issue with this sequel.

We'll have to see for ourselves whether or not it works as intended, but we won't have to wait much longer. Don't Breathe 2 is set for release in theaters on August 13, 2021. Check out the synopsis below:

In Don't Breathe, Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) was underestimated by everyone because of his blindness: he revealed an unflinching will to survive and get what he wants... but also a monstrous, evil side of his personality, as nothing – no person or conscience – will stand in his way. Now, in Don't Breathe 2, eight years later, Nordstrom lives with 11-year-old Phoenix; he has recreated the family that was stolen from him by a drunk driver and has found the twisted justice he's always felt was his due. When intruders once again come to his home, this time focused on Phoenix, Norman will reveal for a second time what's hidden inside him... and again, it will be in new and unexpected ways.