The directing duo of Karrie Crouse and Will Joines make impressive feature film debuts with “Hold Your Breath”, a psychological horror-thriller set during the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Anchored by a wrenching Sarah Paulson lead performance, “Hold Your Breath” combines devastating elements from American history with familiar genre tropes to form a well-made and thematically rich movie. It’s a little too ambitious, but I appreciate its big swings.

Set in 1933, Paulson plays Margaret, a mother with two daughters struggling to get by in the dust-ravaged Oklahoma panhandle. With their farmland decimated, Margaret’s husband Henry has been forced to take a far-away job in hopes of earning money to send back home. That leaves Margaret, her oldest daughter Rose (Amiah Miller), and her hearing-impaired youngest, Ollie (Alona Jane Robbins) to scrape by with one old cow, no crops, and no way to leave their situation.

Margaret loves her daughters and does everything in her power to protect and provide for them. She’s also seen as a stabilizing presence in their small rural community. But deep down she has issues of her own that torment her. She’s been haunted by the same reoccurring dream since losing their first child to Scarlet Fever. And as their circumstances get worse, Margaret begins to lose her grip on reality. Or is there something else at work – something malevolent and sinister.

That burning question drives much of “Hold Your Breath”. There’s a lot going on in the story (written by Crouse) narratively, thematically, and psychologically. There are constant threats – some real and others imagined. There are the howling dust storms, children getting sick, potential starvation, and even the sudden appearance of a mysterious preacher named Wallace (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) who claims to be a friend of Henry’s. It all leads to an intensifying sense paranoia that culminates in a harrowing and heart-rending final act.

A key strength of the film is found in its recreation of the Dust Bowl era. Crouse and Joines shot in several locations around New Mexico in order to capture the stark barren landscapes of 1933 Oklahoma. They’re just as attentive when it comes to conveying the punishing conditions. The dust storms are ferocious and you can almost taste the grit in your mouth and feel the wind-blown sand stinging your eyes.

Then you have the film’s meticulous attention to details. It’s seen most in the terrific costume and production designs. But also in seemingly small things, such as Margaret using strips of fabric to seal their house from the sand. Or the masks they sometimes wear outside that are plucked directly from old archived photos. It all adds a heavy layer of realism to a movie than (especially in the second half) leans heavy on the psychological.

Thematically, “Hold Your Breath” has a lot it’s trying to say. Motherhood, grief, societal pressure, and isolation are just some of the topics that Crouse and Joines touch on. Some of them are more present than others but none are deeply explored – a side-effect of having too much on their minds. But the movie has some notably tense and unsettling moments, most seasoned by the eerie tones of composer Colin Stetson. And the committed performances from Paulson and Miller add a resonance that gives the movie its emotional kick. “Hold Your Breath” premieres October 3rd on Hulu.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS