It stars Sarah Paulson, Amiah Miller, Annaleigh Ashford, Alona Jane Robbins, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

She works alongside her two daughters, teenaged Rose and her younger sister Ollie, who became deaf and mute after a bout of scarlet fever.

Her youngest daughter, Ada, died due to the illness, causing a grieving Margaret to experience violent sleepwalking episodes, which she prevents by taking sleeping pills.

During a weekly sewing circle, Margaret learns that a drifter allegedly broke into a neighbor's house, tied up the father, and murdered the rest of the family.

Despite the house's security, strange events begin to occur, such as the girls' bed getting lit on fire during the night and objects moving despite all doors being locked.

However, at the event, Margaret has a public breakdown, claims that Wallace is a paranormal entity that is attacking her household, and warns the congregation of "The Grey Man."

[16] JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 40 million users around the world, calculated that Hold Your Breath was the most-streamed film in the U.S. from September 30 to October 6, 2024.

The website's consensus reads: "Sarah Paulson is as arresting as ever, but a dearth of incident and scares ultimately robs Hold Your Breath of long-awaited release.

[20] John Serba of Decider praised Hold Your Breath for its relentless pacing, strong sound design, and eerie visuals that blur the line between reality and hallucination.

He stated that while the film succeeds in creating a chilling atmosphere, it falls into familiar genre routines, offering mood and tone over significant plot development but ultimately rewarding viewers who embrace its suffocating dread.

He praised Paulson's performance as a sleep-deprived, anxious mom and stated that the film taps into a national mood of paranoia and anxiety, making it both chilling and relevant, despite its narrative taking on too many directions.

He complimented Paulson’s performance as the film’s emotional anchor but stated that the movie ultimately suffered from a lack of narrative tension.