Really liked this one. Everything important and that comes up later is set up in the first half hour. I love a clean thriller/horror like that. It's gripping all the way through, which is impressive when you're not relying on jumps to get a reaction out of the viewer. Minimalistic and wonderful. Watch it !
After Oculus, director Mike Flanagan offers Hush, a tight thriller about a deaf writer, working on her novel's ending, besieged by a masked serial killer in her country house. It's an intriguing idea, and the third act delivers on the theme of finding a good ending, but at times, the movie is so relentless dark, lighting-wise, that its action is obscured, and I felt like I was staring at black abstracts. I can't decide if it's meant to take away one of our senses the way the main character can't access sound, or what, but given that the film is necessarily light on dialog as well, there was too much sensory deprivation. The sound design is mostly for our benefit, of course, but I would have liked more soundless moments to put us into the character's head than we did, if only to see how much tension could have been gleaned from fleeting, silent movement in the frame. Beyond the stylistic choices, the story is rather thin, the villain especially. I really wanted to like this picture after the likable opening scenes, but alas, I got lost in the murk.
I really enjoyed this! just a basic plot not trying to be particularly clever or have a plot twist just a good old fashioned edge of your seat thriller!
"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 equipped 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.
The main character was well acted. Playing a mute is a very difficult role.
The villain was much scarier with the mask on. Ultimate lack of motive was disappointing. Just another reboot of The Strangers except with a final girl.
For a more interesting take on the home invasion genre see You're Next.
Very simple and very satisfying. 1 main protagonist, 1 main antagonist and nothing is special about either of them. They aren't super human in anyway, in fact the protagonist has a significant disability, but it's not necessarily too gimmicky. The sound design and acting is all pretty darn good. There are less unrealistic situations in this film than in other similar films, and this one manages to make them more entertaining. It had just the right amount of everything. Not perfect, but it is good. 7.8/10
During the movie I actually started to hate the main character.
Me and my girlfriend actually clapped during that scene when we thought she died. She had so many chances to seriously do some damage to the killer yet she did nothing...or very minimal.
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Comments 1 - 14 of 14
NoShower
Not bad, especially for only four actors and one small setting. The lack of jump scares was appreciated too. Worth watching.PrinceJax
Really liked this one. Everything important and that comes up later is set up in the first half hour. I love a clean thriller/horror like that. It's gripping all the way through, which is impressive when you're not relying on jumps to get a reaction out of the viewer. Minimalistic and wonderful. Watch it !Siskoid
After Oculus, director Mike Flanagan offers Hush, a tight thriller about a deaf writer, working on her novel's ending, besieged by a masked serial killer in her country house. It's an intriguing idea, and the third act delivers on the theme of finding a good ending, but at times, the movie is so relentless dark, lighting-wise, that its action is obscured, and I felt like I was staring at black abstracts. I can't decide if it's meant to take away one of our senses the way the main character can't access sound, or what, but given that the film is necessarily light on dialog as well, there was too much sensory deprivation. The sound design is mostly for our benefit, of course, but I would have liked more soundless moments to put us into the character's head than we did, if only to see how much tension could have been gleaned from fleeting, silent movement in the frame. Beyond the stylistic choices, the story is rather thin, the villain especially. I really wanted to like this picture after the likable opening scenes, but alas, I got lost in the murk.dippygirl78
I really enjoyed this! just a basic plot not trying to be particularly clever or have a plot twist just a good old fashioned edge of your seat thriller!ikkegoemikke
"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 equipped 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.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
Mercator
Great horror/thriller clearly influenced by Stephen King. Looks like second time after "Oculus" Mike Flanagan made the best "dark" film of the year.jlfitz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQbTzZqmlWAClintmwells
The main character was well acted. Playing a mute is a very difficult role.The villain was much scarier with the mask on. Ultimate lack of motive was disappointing. Just another reboot of The Strangers except with a final girl.
For a more interesting take on the home invasion genre see You're Next.
Graminthesalmon
Very simple and very satisfying. 1 main protagonist, 1 main antagonist and nothing is special about either of them. They aren't super human in anyway, in fact the protagonist has a significant disability, but it's not necessarily too gimmicky. The sound design and acting is all pretty darn good. There are less unrealistic situations in this film than in other similar films, and this one manages to make them more entertaining. It had just the right amount of everything. Not perfect, but it is good. 7.8/10Marcus Fenix
Plain terrible! As a hardcore horror movie fan, I recommend stay away, just go watch some red paint dry or how grass grows..you have been warned!niko.lai
Predictable and full of common places. Also, the "voices" and "endings" thing was too extra to take it seriously.Tiago Costa
2,5 /5panagos
predictable, boring as hell...Juanxz
During the movie I actually started to hate the main character.