Review of Hush (2016) by Matt H — 22 Jun 2016

I will begin by mentioning that I am a big fan of Oculus. It is one of those horror movies which is very evenly paced and takes a potentially silly premise and turns it into some wonderful psychological horror. What I liked about Mike Flanagan's work was that he created characters we root for and want to make it out alive. He is not interested in making cookie cutter slashers where we want the killer to get creative. That is a good trait in a horror filmmaker and Flanagan is definitely very good.

Hush touches upon a premise which is a personal favorite. The home invasion story, if done properly (The Strangers, Black Christmas, When a Stranger Calls, Halloween), can be very compelling. Add Hush to the list. It takes an overdone premise and adds twists in it which you do not see coming. The character of Maddie might seem like a cheap story device but Kate Siegel does a wonderful job of getting us on her side. At the same time, the dangerous but smug antagonist is essayed very well. We want to see Maddie live and the killer die a horrible, painful death. The amount of stupid decisions made by the protagonists is kept to a minimum and ultimately, it makes for really satisfying viewing.

To conclude, Hush is a must watch if you like intelligent and visceral horror movies. You cannot help but think that you might just be watching the work of the next big thing in Horror.