Hush Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

Hush

Hush is a horror/thriller from director Mike Flanagan, who some of you may remember directed the cult hit Oculus (one of my favorite films of 2014). Hush follows a deaf writer (played by Kate Siegel), who lives in this secluded house in the woods so that she can focus on her writing in solitude. As this is a horror movie, a serial killer makes her his next target, and what follows is a kind of cat and mouse game between these two characters. Made all the more interesting by the protagonist being deaf.

Now, I don't think it's a secret that I'm a fan of horror, I've talked about many times before how it's by far my favorite genre of film and that there is nothing I like to see more than good horror. However, in recent years, the genre has kind of become filled with jump-scare films, stuff like Paranormal Activity or Sinister, and it's exactly why Hush is such a breath of fresh air to the horror genre. Much like Oculus, this is more than just a scary horror film, this is truly intelligent horror brought together by a talented cast and outstanding direction.

The two leads in the film are Kate Siegel and John Gallagher Jr, and I feel like a lot of what makes Oculus work so well is what a damn good job these two actors do at selling their roles. Kate Siegel is a newcomer (to me anyway, I've never heard of her), but I'm eager to see where her career goes, as she's fantastic in this movie. John Gallagher Jr, this guy just keeps getting better and better as an actor, and with Hush he also shows a lot of range, as this is the first I've seen of him in a role like this, and he's one of the best creepy serial killer type of characters I've seen recently.

However, the real highlight of Hush and what truly makes it a horror masterpiece is the direction and editing. Mike Flanagan is an expert at drawing out the suspense of a moment, and there isn't a single jump scare in this film, all of what makes Hush terrifying is in the drawn out moments of suspense. There's also a lot of really clever editing tricks done, especially with sound editing, this movie uses the fact that it has a deaf protagonist to its fullest potential and it more than pays off.

Final Rating
Normally I'd say you should rush out to the theatre to see this movie, but the beautiful thing is, it's a Netflix original, so you don't even have to leave home to see what is probably the best horror movie of the year. Hush is not only one of my favorite horror films in recent years, but it's one of the best movies of the year, right up there with Eye in the Sky and Midnight Special. Hush is pure horror brilliance and you would be doing yourself a disservice to not watch it.