Don’t Break the Rules (2024) – Film Review

Don’t Break the Rules is an indie horror film that was released direct to the internet on November 1, 2025. It’s about two men—father and son—who rent an isolated hunting lodge for the weekend, and discover the owner has left them a set of rules he expects them to follow during their stay.

Some of the rules, such as closing the gates after themselves, are based on common sense. Others—such as not eating while watching TV, not answering the door to anyone who knocks three times, and not talking to the rabbit—are bizarre. There’s also a rule about not making eye contact with the woman in green. The guys are on their own in the middle of nowhere, behind locked gates, so the rule about the woman in green seems more ridiculous than the one about the rabbit. However, breaking the rules appears to be easy and a short introductory section, before the film’s opening credits, suggests not following the rules can entail fatal consequences.

Don’t Break the Rules has a small cast that consists of just eight actors, with Sergio Cantu and Keekee Suki spending the most time in front of the camera.

Cantu plays Manny, who arranged the cabin rental. Suki plays his son, Steve, who drives up alone and arrives at the cabin slightly later than his father. As soon as Steve arrives it becomes clear the two men have a volatile relationship, with Manny showing signs of disappointment in Steve, an unsuccessful writer who is being financially supported by his girlfriend Rebecca, who turns up at the cabin midway through the film.

Issues relating to Steve’s mother appear to be a further source of bad blood between father and son. The problem is never revealed, but Steve makes it clear that he blames Manny, whose scowl makes it clear it’s a no-go area.

The hunting trip is supposed to offer Manny and Steve a chance to build bridges. It does to a certain extent, but Steve is a pretty volatile individual, who can fly off the handle without much provocation, while Manny is more level-headed, and seems better at keeping a grip on his emotions.

Steve initially thinks the rules are some kind of prank being played by the cabin owner, later growing to believe his father might be in on the joke. So, although Manny urges his son to follow the rules and takes steps not to break them himself, Steve gets annoyed and, at one point, screws up the list and tosses it out of the cabin, while  abuse at the owner, who he believes may be watching them. The list later returns, with a few additional rules.

The woman in green turns up from time to time. She’s there one moment and gone the next, suggesting she is probably a ghost. Manny and Steve also encounter the mysterious “Watchman”, who assures them they will be okay if they don’t break the rules. And if they do break the rules, they need to watch a special VHS videotape afterward. The tape bears the words, “Watch in case of emergency”, is mostly static, and seems to have different footage each time it’s viewed.

The quality of acting in Don’t Break the Rules, is okay but some of the scenes come across as overly dramatic, making them less believable. This is probably as much the fault of the director as the actors, but it’s not that bad, so many viewers may find it in their hearts to be forgiving and bear in mind they are watching an independently-produced production.

To be honest, after watching a few clips, I was initially expecting Don’t Break the Rules to be a poor-quality effort. However, despite some flaws, it’s not that bad, but may be more likely to appeal to viewers who like their films served with a hefty slice of the weird. When Manny and Steve arrive at the cabin, it’s almost as if they have entered another dimension, and escaping the property is not simple because the normal rules of time and space do not seem to apply.

At one point, when Steve sets off walking, in a straight line, he ends up back at the cabin. This happens to him again and again, and he should have already learned his lesson because a similar thing happened with his car, causing him to drive around in circles until he ran out of gas.

Certain aspects of Don’t Break the Rules remind me a little of Donnie Darko—solely because of the strange vibe, but Donnie Darko is a much better film by far.

One notable thing about Don’t Break the Rules is the producers have not tried to juice thing up with gratuitous sex or by trying to shock their viewers. Although there is a sex scene, it does not have any nudity. Nor is there any blood or gore. In fact, in one scene, when the Watchman rips someone’s head off their shoulders and carries it away, the lack of blood is ridiculous. In real life, it would have been a very messy act, not to say difficult to “pull off”. But that’s no biggie. Don’t Break the Rules still kinda works because things become so strange and off-kilter.

Unfortunately, the end of the film gets a little confusing. The fate of the central characters is far from clear and is, perhaps, open to interpretation. Watching Don’t Break the Rules is like being taken on a crazy ride. At the end, you may feel a little disorientated and confused, but, if you give it a chance, you may still enjoy the journey.

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