7/10 While picking out original Netflix horror films to review this month, I had no idea that my first two choices, “The Platform” and “Hush” would have one big similarity…stories that take place in a singular location, something of which I am fond. Imagine what a challenge it is for film makers and story tellers to keep their audience invested in what’s happening while never changing locations. In the case of “Hush”, this leads to a slightly shorter running time with this film clocking in at only an hour and 20 minutes. Due to the film’s length, the pacing is excellent and the film is always moving forward. Director Mike Flanagan is the best horror director working today and this film was the start of his fruitful relationship working with Netflix. He has since made series like “The Haunting of Hill House”, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and the recently released “Midnight Mass”. Ironically, we see a book in this film entitled “Midnight Mass”, a foreshadowing five years in the making of what would come from Flanagan. This film focuses on a deaf, mute woman who lives alone in the woods and faces a night of terror as an intruder shows up to terrorize her. The story is simple yet effective and ladies…if you are deaf and mute or you can hear/speak, probably a good idea to own a gun either way if you live alone in an isolated area for your own protection. Just a suggestion. The film is tense, tightly directed, well edited (also edited by Flanagan) and the score from The Newton Brothers is effective. I wondered how they would stretch the film out to its run time but Flanagan (who co-wrote this with lead actress and wife Kate Siegel), fills the run time without having to stuff any unnecessary filler into the film. The performances are strong, particularly from Siegel, whom the entire film depends on. The film is darkly lit, which is fitting for the atmosphere of the film’s environment. Like “A Quiet Place” and its sequel, this film makes great use of sound design and sound mixing by often muting all noise to better illustrate how a deaf person must feel. Not being able to hear your intruder and know which direction he is coming from would be a terrifying dilemma and this film conveys that well. My biggest complaint was that our lead actress does make some extremely stupid decisions, as characters in horror films often do. While no one would realistically be expected to make logical, rational decisions in an extremely stressful and dangerous situation, some of her decisions were just too baffling. Minor complaints aside, this is a quick watch that is perfect for this time of year and I’m definitely looking forward to diving into more of Flanagan’s TV series work next October to review for this site. Instead of remaining hushed, feel free to tell your horror loving friends and family members to check this out.
#HushLittleLadyCantSayAWord / #HushHour2 / #FallOfTheHouseOfHusher / #DeafGirlardee / #MuteYourShot / #TheAbuseRoom
Top Pun Reviews 