Hush is a slasher/thriller directed by Mike Flanagan and starring Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, John Gallagher Jr., and Emma Graves. And that's it! Very small cast.
Maddie (Siegel) is a deaf-mute author living out in the woods and trying to beat the second-book doldrums. She has a pleasant visit with her neighbor Sarah (Sloyan), and then settles in to try and write, when a man in a mask (Gallagher Jr) shows up chasing Sarah, stabs her to death (Maddie doesn't notice), and then proceeds to terrorize Maddie for the rest of the movie.
I mean...that's pretty much it, as far as "the plot in broad strokes." But as is typical for Flanagan movies, there's a lot of atmosphere and tension packed into this little film.
First of all, it's a slasher movie, yes, but it actually draws just as much on thrillers in the Cape Fear or Night of the Hunter kind of mold. The killer is initially faceless, masked, and silent, but he obligingly takes off the mask when Maddie points out that she hasn't seen his face so he can just leave, no harm, no foul. In that moment, he goes from a Strangers-esque killer to a serial killer, and it's a subtle difference but it does a lot to change the tone of the movie. He's in no way supernatural or invulnerable, and we don't have to agonize over his inscrutable motives. He's just...a dick with a crossbow, and he's not less dangerous but less scary in some ways. (Maybe just in a different way.)
Not a lot of jump-scares, but plenty of effective, scary moments. Standouts for me are: The Man killing Sarah's boyfriend John (Trucco) - Maddie distracts him for a brief second and the guy stabs John in the throat, and then shushes him and repeats "it's done" as he bleeds out (and John still nearly chokes the fucker out, going out like a badass). Maddie sitting in front of her bathtub waiting for the Man to bust in and seeing glass fall behind her as he comes in a window, which of course she can't hear. The fake-out of Maddie running for the woods, the Man chasing her down and beating her head in with a brick, only for us to realize that Maddie is doing what she always does as a writer and playing through different endings.
Hush, like Oculus, really underlines what you can do with a horror movie with a strong script, well-established characters, a good setting and a talented cast. There are barely any special effects, and it's so much better than horror movies I've seen with many times the budget.
My Grade: A
Rewatch Value: Medium-high
Next up: Pumpkinhead
No comments:
Post a Comment