Review of Hush (2016) by Christopher E — 10 Apr 2016

"Hush" is a unique thriller that executes in a nail biting manner.

"Hush" is a thriller about a young woman who's mute-deaf, and in one night, her life will change forever. In her isolated little house out in the woods, she lives in harmony with her one set of neighbors. Seemingly, out of the blue, a psycho maniac shows up at her door with malevolent intentions. Through a night of cat and mouse, she live through an emotional and physical hell that will keep your heart pounding.

If you're interested in this film, it's on Netflix instant watch right now, so check it out! This is not only one of the best thriller/invasion movies I've seen in a while, but is also one of the smartest. It's obvious the director/writer wanted to put a lot of effort into this project, especially considering this is an easy genre to make. Most movies like this follow a certain formula, and this one doesn't stray to far from it, however, the execution is the important part. This movie felt very unique in the sense that our main protagonist, Maddie Young, is completely deaf. She lives in her own little silent world, which means zero direct dialogue from her. This puts a very interesting twist on the film, and it was done beautifully.

This is a very complicated story to write, as the writer has to have a creative and clear cut vision. This is a film that contains dialogue and words, but it obviously can't rely on that. This is a story that must be told with actions and visuals, and the only way you will be able to feel the intensity of the situation is by seeing the pain of the characters. I was able to understand exactly what was going on and what Maddie was thinking at all times, because the writing was just so clever. If you want to be an experienced screenplay writer, write a story with no dialogue. That'll improve your story telling, and that story telling was on point here.

This is the definition of a gritty and intense thriller. There were so many times where I caught myself gripping my arm rests, and it was a stressful game of cat and mouse. Maddie is on her way to becoming an established writer, and her intelligence shines in multiple moments. This character is just so smart but her options are just so limited, and she does what anyone in this situation would do. Her actions never anger you, but instead, make you feel anxious and worried for her. Slasher movies like this often struggle with their writing, but not here.

This movie is also pretty brutal at times. There are a couple moments where I cringed in fear or disgust, as this movie knows how to utilize its small budget. There was a couple of images that made me yell "Oh DAMN", which made this even more gritty and intense.

In the end, this is one of the best horror/slasher/invasion movies I've seen in a while. It's written with quality and this is a great example of someone giving it their all to give us a unique and smart story. The only problem I had was the fact that this movie set up multiple chances for different endings, and although it seems like that was the point, it felt like it dragged on just a little bit at the end. However, this was still a great movie and deserves a strong 4 stars.