Director: Mike Flanagan
Writer: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel (Screenplay)
Starring: John Gallagher Jr, Kate Siegel, Michal Trucco, Samantha Sloyan
Plot: A deaf writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Brilliant Cat & Mouse Style Horror
Story: Hush starts as we follow deaf author Maddie (Siegel) in her remote cabin working on her latest work. We get to see her friend Sarah (Sloyan) visit before we Maddie finds herself working on her book.
Maddie’s not is going to take a turn for the worse when we see Sarah murdered on the doorstep by the mysterious man (Gallagher Jr). The man discovers that Maddie is deaf early on and decides to take his time playing games against Maddie who must find a way to survive his games.
Hush throws us into a horror film that is set over one night with one woman trapped inside her house being terrorised by a mysterious killer, this shows us that all you need is a very simple concept which this creates. The story never over complicates anything because if you had thrown in needless twists this would have gone down the same road of films have. The use or foreshadowing is very good even if slightly predictable. This is a short sweet story that is all we need for horror film.
Actor Review
John Gallagher Jr: Man is a masked killer that is stalking the woods looking for people to kill after taking out Maddie’s friend before setting his sights on her. He tells her everything he is going to put her through as he continues to play games as he pushes her to her limits. John is great as this killer that has no motives through the film.
Kate Siegel: Maddie is a deaf mute author that lives in the middle of the woods where she is working on her latest book. One night she finds herself under attack from a masked man where he abilities to plan a story ahead is the only thing keeping her alive against his killer. Kate is great in this role where we get to see a potential new lady for horrors future.
Support Cast: Hush has a very small supporting cast which only sees the extra characters in one or two scenes, they are used to show just how deadly this killer is.
Director Review: Mike Flanagan – Mike gives us a true atmospheric cat and mouse style horror with moments that leave you in the eyes of the victim.
Horror: Hush uses the settings to make the horror all the more impactful where we get to see the suspense grow through the film.
Thriller: Hush does keep us on guess as we wonder what the motives are and when the killer will go for the final kill.
Settings: Hush has the whole film set in the house in the middle of the woods showing how there is nowhere to run or no one coming to help Maddie.
Special Effects: Hush has good effects when needed but doesn’t turn to anything wildly over the top with most just being the damage caused with the weapons.
Suggestion: Hush is one for all the horror fans out there to go and watch. (Horror Fans Watch)
Best Part: The Killer is great.
Worst Part: The Killer removing mask early because you feel that mask could have become iconic.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes
Tagline: Silence can be killer.
Trivia: Only 5 characters are present in the film, with one only appearing through a computer conversation, in a single location making Hush one of the most minimalist films ever made.
Overall: Suspenseful horror that just doesn’t stop.
Rating
