Hush (2016)

Movie Info

Cue Rockwell’s “Why Does It Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me?”

Maddie Young (Kate Siegel) is a writer with writer’s block…she can’t finish a story.  Having lost the ability to speak and hear at as a teen, Maddie has retreated to a cottage in woods to try to wrap up her novel.  When she is targeted by a man (John Gallagher Jr.) who realizes her disability, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins.  Maddie is fighting for survival, and the man is looking for his next kill.

Written and directed by Mike Flanagan (with additional writing by Kate Siegel), Hush is a horror slasher thriller.  The film premiered at South by Southwest before being released on Netflix.  It received positive reviews and gained a cult following.

See…he’s not a bad guy. He brought her dead friend to see her

Hush feels like the Audrey Hepburn 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark.  In the film, Hepburn is blind and dangerous men are in her house.  Hush adds a new wrinkle to the thriller.  Sight can often be balanced with darkness…leaving Hepburn and her enemies on equal ground.  Deafness is harder to create a balance, but Hush does a solid job.

The movie realizes it has to set up a lot of reasons why Maddie can’t get help, and it does.  For much of the movie, the killer is one step ahead of Maddie, and turning the tide for Maddie is difficult.  There is a moment of almost deus ex machine involving the neighbor, but the movie flips the switch by actually having Maddie screw up what could have been a rescue.  The movie also gives some obvious head-fakes in the script, but at least ties it back into Maddie’s writing.

Kate Siegel is solid as Maddie.  She’s a good “final girl” and she do it by being strong willed while still being vulnerable.  John Gallagher starts out giving the indication that he’s going to be  a silent killer like in The Strangers, but quickly flips into a mocking killer.  He takes a beating but he gets off on the game which gives him a high.  The film uses his thrill killer approach well.

Worst game of hide-and-seek

The movie is pretty simple visually.  It has one set and one house.  It is a bit hard to figure out the house layout as you watch the film.  There are lots of doors, lots of windows, multiple floors, and a substantial deck.  It does feel like Maddie doesn’t use her knowledge of the house to her advantage since that is one of the only obvious advantages she has.  Though I like that Gallagher Jr. becomes a different type of killer, I did really enjoy his stylized mask.

Hush is a good thriller that gets more brutal as it goes on.  The movie becomes a great psychological thriller with two very different minds facing off.  The ending (overall) isn’t very surprising because these type of movies often end as you’d expect, but it is a fun ride getting there.  Give Hush a shot!