Hush Movie Review — Another slam dunk for Blumhouse

Mike Flanagan follows-up Oculus with an equally menacing and thrilling movie in Hush

Blumhouse Pictures has become a horror-movie machine and the latest one off the conveyor belt is Mike Flanagan’s Hush. Most people were probably introduced to Flanagan after his second feature Oculus, a movie that we loved. While Hush strips out the supernatural elements that Oculus had, what it maintains is the dread that made it so successful. Both take place in pretty much a single-setting with limited characters, but it’s that aching that there’s something around the corner or behind you that make both must-watches.

Hush introduces us to Maddie (Kate Siegel), a deaf and mute author living in the woods writing her next novel. She is essentially isolated save for her cat (appropriately named “bitch”) and her neighbor and friend Sarah. It is the perfect location for a psychopathic murderer with a bow and arrow to stalk his prey and that’s exactly what Maddie’s unnamed assailant (John Gallagher Jr.) does (I’ll be calling him “The Man” from here on out).

However, what makers this movie different from You’re Next, another home invasion movie that I love, is that the man would easily be able to get into the house, but doesn’t. Instead, he toys with her.Unlike You’re Next or Aubrey Hepburn’s Wait Until Dark, the man isn’t seeking anything. He assaults her both physically and psychologically. He is simply there to terrorize, which makes him all the more terrifying. He is a simply psychopath.

Hush is not the most original in its concept. However, what it lacks in originality it makes up for in pure technical achievement. The editing and cinematography assist in the film’s goal to set unease and the production design makes you fear that this could happen in the most peaceful of places. Yet, it’s the sound design that really elevates the craft. Since Maddie is deaf, it’s expected that the movie would lack dialogue. But what Flanagan does instead is play with noise. For example, we watch the opening in two perspectives. First, with sound and what we would normally expect when someone is cooking a dinner. Then, we hear it from Maddie’s perspective, which is unsettling and reminds us of her isolation and disadvantage in the situation.

Although it would have been great to have a deaf actress play the lead role, co-writer Kate Siegel is alluring enough to put us on her side and actually cheer whenever she has a victory, no matter how small. However, the clear revelation here is John Gallagher Jr. who turns in yet another great performance this year after stunning me in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Despite his average stature, he towers as a psychopathic villain, which is refreshing after his string of nice guy performances.

Hush isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it is proving that the genre still has legs. If you’re looking for an entertaining and knuckle-whitening thriller, then you won’t be disappointed.

6.5/10