Hush is a 2016 American horror/thriller movie directed by Mike Flanagan. The movie follows a deaf mute writer named Maddie (played by Kate Siegel) She lives a solitary life and gets trapped in her house by a killer wearing a mask. Below is my full Hush (2016) movie review.
While the movie might appear to be a standard slasher flick, it is not. It doesn’t rely on jump scares and it manages to avoid most of the cliches in today’s horror movies. The director initially wanted to do a movie that was all silent. He decided it as sounds and music is many times used to create tension. He felt that if the movie was too silent, the audience would be thrown off by the whole experience. They would be aware of all the sounds that are supposed to be there. Another movie that takes the silent approach was “A Quiet Place” which I loved. You can see my review (here).
The killer in this movie is a bit different from other villains. He is smart and very strategic about his moves. All of them are calculated. They also work in his favor because he has enough time to rehearse them and go over all the outcomes. When he does trip, it is usually due to bad planning or not being able to see ahead. He improvises a lot and so does the protagonist. This makes him somewhat more menacing and it turn makes our main character stronger. In the beginning she is seen as somebody who is smart and can think on her feet (she had multiple endings to her book). She takes this to her advantage since she is already at disadvantaged by being deaf mute and alone.
One of the things that surprised me about this movie is that **minor spoiler** he removes the mask to show the woman he is stalking that he is just an ordinary human being. He is not a supernatural being. Rather, he is a man who likes to have an upper hand in terrorizing and killing others, much like many real life serial killers. This makes him arrogant and cocky but also more intimidating since he knows the girl will not get out alive.
There is not a lot of gore. Some and it is kept to a minimum considering the movie was not meant to be a slasher gorefest. Besides that, the movie is edited in a way that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It gets to the point pretty fast and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. The main character is likable and sympathetic that you are rooting for her once she decides to face the killer who is pretty menacing. If you like a movie with actual tense scenes that don’t rely on jumpscares, this one’s for you. Sit back, grab a beer, and get ready for a well done thriller ride.
Please let me know if you liked my Hush (2016) movie review. I would also like to know your opinion of it.
