Hush is about a deaf woman named Maddie who lives an isolated life out in the woods. Her house is pretty small and features a ton of uncurtained glass windows and doors. After a visit from her neighbor, she goes about her business of writing a new novel. The first horrific scene is one where Maddie is cleaning up some dishes while her neighbor is brutally murdered at Maddie's back door. Since she is deaf, she never notices the thumps, screams, slams and stabs up against her glass door. The killer, wearing a sort of plain, smiley face mask, realizes he has a vulnerable target and decides to mess with her before he kills her. The rest of the movie is a cat and mouse game as the killer stalks around the outside of her house and Maddie tries to finds means of escape.
You would not think that premise lends itself to an hour and forty minute movie but somehow director Mike Flanagan makes it work. Every gambit Maddie tries seems destined to fail but you keep hope right along with her. John Gallagher, Jr., plays the killer and he is unrecognizable when compared to his other role I know him from, Jim Harper on The Newsroom. Here, he is affable and somewhat charming when not menacing our heroine. There is a scene late in the film where he gets to interact with a third party that sells his whole performance. Kate Siegal as the deaf Maddie does a great job bringing her anguish and desperation to the screen once she realizes what is going on.
This was an engaging horror/thriller that isn't bad at all. It can get downright brutal in parts but overall is a satisfying experience.
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