Hush (2016)
*** (out of 4)
Maddie (Kate Siegel) is a deaf writer who lives in a secluded house deep in the woods. She's currently struggling to find an ending to her latest novel but her world is turned upside down when a man (John Gallagher, Jr.) shows up outside her home trying to kill her.
Mike Flanagan's HUSH is the perfect example of what you can do with nice performances, a good story and some creative directing. The film certainly has some flaws along the way but for the most part this is an extremely effective thriller that uses creativity over cheap CGI effects or obnoxious loud band noises to try and get scares.
What impressed me the most was the simple storyline and how director Flanagan managed to use it to the perfect effect. The biggest issue for our female lead is that she can't hear the killer and the killer's best protection is that he can hear her. This here creates some great suspense because of scenes like where the killer is standing behind her knocking on a window but she can't tell that he's there. There are several scenes where the killer is right there making noise but our deaf person can't hear it and this just milks up the suspense.
The film really makes you understand and feel what our lead character is going through. I say this because while it's obvious what it means to be deaf, this film manages to really let you see and feel the fear that the character would be going through in this situation. The director perfectly milks all of these scenes and the screenplay is also extremely effective because of the creative scenarios that our lead has to go through.
Siegel is extremely effective in her part because she has to do so much without saying a single word. She's certainly very believable in her role and she certainly makes you believe she's a deaf woman. Gallagher, Jr. is also good in the role of the killer as he brings a certainly cold and clam nature to the role. The two work very well together and off one another.
As I said, there are some flaws including one really bad dream-like sequence but for the most part this is one of the more creative thrillers in recent years.
*** (out of 4)
Maddie (Kate Siegel) is a deaf writer who lives in a secluded house deep in the woods. She's currently struggling to find an ending to her latest novel but her world is turned upside down when a man (John Gallagher, Jr.) shows up outside her home trying to kill her.
Mike Flanagan's HUSH is the perfect example of what you can do with nice performances, a good story and some creative directing. The film certainly has some flaws along the way but for the most part this is an extremely effective thriller that uses creativity over cheap CGI effects or obnoxious loud band noises to try and get scares.
What impressed me the most was the simple storyline and how director Flanagan managed to use it to the perfect effect. The biggest issue for our female lead is that she can't hear the killer and the killer's best protection is that he can hear her. This here creates some great suspense because of scenes like where the killer is standing behind her knocking on a window but she can't tell that he's there. There are several scenes where the killer is right there making noise but our deaf person can't hear it and this just milks up the suspense.
The film really makes you understand and feel what our lead character is going through. I say this because while it's obvious what it means to be deaf, this film manages to really let you see and feel the fear that the character would be going through in this situation. The director perfectly milks all of these scenes and the screenplay is also extremely effective because of the creative scenarios that our lead has to go through.
Siegel is extremely effective in her part because she has to do so much without saying a single word. She's certainly very believable in her role and she certainly makes you believe she's a deaf woman. Gallagher, Jr. is also good in the role of the killer as he brings a certainly cold and clam nature to the role. The two work very well together and off one another.
As I said, there are some flaws including one really bad dream-like sequence but for the most part this is one of the more creative thrillers in recent years.