She’s deaf. She’s mute. She’s alone. Power cut. And immediately prior to cutting the power, the killer finally managed to get her attention – by sending her pictures of herself taken and sent from her own iPhone. Oh, that’s creepy. Well, to be fair, not sure which is creepier, the picture stuff or when he stages a murder right outside her door just to get her attention, which didn’t actually do the job as she is … deaf and not looking in that direction. You almost feel sorry for the guy – “seriously, lady, what do I have to do?”
Good tip for all you serial murderers out there – make sure you have the victim’s attention … otherwise it’s just no fun. Yes, I’m only giving in to the glib because it’s a movie; otherwise, less. You know that, right? Right. Let’s move on.
Maddie (Kate Siegel, who wrote this – guessing she really, really, really wanted to play a deaf mute, huh?) lives in one of those houses which has neither driveway nor street; it’s just sort of a yuppie retreat in the woods. She doesn’t quite traipse around her 75% windowed, non-curtained, luxury cabin modeling something from a Victoria’s Secret collection, but tight jeans and a loose tanktop will do in a pinch – I mean she a writer, after all, not a model. So one night after dismissing the friend and ignoring the ex-, a crossbow & knife wielding murderer shows up and that’s when you came in.
Well, heeeeeeeeeey. That’s a pretty good premise. Sure, it’s a little far fetched, but when it comes to that, what horror isn’t far fetched? It doesn’t have quite the tetanus shot feel of Mute Witness, but it does have some good claustrophobia – the key to good horror is, and will always be, geographic isolation.
There’s no guessing motivation here. The “man” (John Gallagher Jr.) enjoys
communicating from the other side of windows and glass doors. He makes no bones that he’s coming to kill, but he wants to toy with her first. What a dick, huh? Once that “kill” message comes across, that does, however, simplify plot and communication issues. When your heroine is deaf, that’s going to be a problem. And in a move midway between clever and cheating, Maddie talks to herself so we know what’s in her head. The projected Maddie is not mute.
Hush is a decent horror, if perhaps a little one-dimensional. On multiple occasions, the film seemed to run out of ideas, but the premise assured that a payoff was needed; you can’t just leave a film where a woman is trapped in her own house with a killer looking in, can you? Well, I suppose you can, but I wanted closure.
♪Creep-o stalking
And he’s sayin’ that he’s breaching
He’s so unhappy
With the fact that I am living
Oh-oh-oh, this sadist wished for torture
Like it’s some kind of game
He think there is an answer
In creating intense pain (Pain!)
It doesn’t matter I can’t hear
I am to blame (Blame!)
All that he cares about is pain♫
Rated R, 81 Minutes
D: Mike Flanagan
W: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel
Genre: Fishbowl target
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: The handicapable
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Nervous Nellies
♪ Parody inspired by “Change”
