Hush (2016)

Summary
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.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
Kate Siegel : Maddie

John Gallagher Jr. : Man

Director : Mike "Oculus" Flanagan

My opinion

“I can come in anytime I want. And I can get you, anytime I want. But I'm not going to. Not until it's time. When you wish you're dead... that's when I'll come inside.”

There's one thing you shouldn't expect to happen in "Hush". And that's the moment Maddie (Kate Siegel) starts to screech while running around, because she's being attacked by an unknown person (John "10 Cloverfield Lane" Gallagher Jr.) who wanders around her home in a remote forest. And that's because Maddie is deaf-mute after suffering from a meningococcal infection when she was young. This with a mask equiped deranged sadist tells Maddie he'll take his time and when the time is ripe, he will break into her home and stick his knife in her with visible pleasure. The motive for this maniacal act remains unknown. But there's no doubt that this maniac finds a morbid joy in this sadistic game. Of course, the fact that he isn't really blessed with a significant number of brain cells, does play to the advantage of Maddie. This dweeb makes some ridiculous decisions. On the other hand some of Maggie's decisions aren't thought out either. But her handicap could well have had an impact on her decision powers. So I forgive her that.

"Hush" is a typical slasher in the home invasion genre. Well, there were already a large amount of such movies that passed the review. The question is whether this film uses something original. They definitely used to a large extent the fact that Maddie is deaf and dumb. There are moments when the sound is completely muted, in such a way that we get an idea in what kind of world Maddie is continuously living. A bubble of silence where she feels comfortable without any threats. Until a crazy person pierces this bubble at a given time. But that's it, in terms of originality. The rest of the movie just follows the same guidelines as all other home-invasion movies. Again, a vulnerable victim in a difficult situation and visibly disadvantaged compared to the killer. Initially it seemed a piece of cake to send the frail, deaf-mute Maddie to the happy hunting grounds. But then she proves that she has a tremendous survival instinct and refuses to give up. Eventually the denouement can be predicted far in advance.

Despite the inventive concept and qualitatively the film is part of the better slasher movies, there were still some things that got on my nerves. First, the stupidity and the foolish decisions both Maddie and the attacker made. Plain ridiculous sometimes. It also seemed like Maddie's physical ailments weren't enough as a punishment, because most of the film is shrouded in darkness as well (making her partly blind). I know, it all takes place at night in a dark house. So it's quite evident that everything is covered in darkness. Usually this isn't a problem for the film enthusiast. Unless you can't see a freaking thing anymore and as a result it's really difficult to grasp what is happening. Fortunately "Hush" only takes roughly 90 minutes to finish. Because, after yet another walk around the house by the man with the mask, I started to become irritated enormously. For budding serial killers I have this advice. Want to scare future victims? Walk around their house several times. Apparently this helps. And revealing the identity of the murderer early in the movie, spoils the intended tension. The moment he drops his mask, the tension decreases rapidly.

The most successful scene is the one with Maddie working on her laptop (still not aware what danger she's in) and the masked man entering her home and observing her up close. After that, it's just a typical cat-and-mouse game. "Hush" is exclusively being broadcasted on Netflix and is a perfect movie to watch just before bedtime. I'm sure this horror / thriller won't disturb your sleep, like "Lights Out" perhaps did. Chances are that while viewing this movie, you'll be exhibiting some fatigue symptoms already.