Hush (Mike Flanagan, 2016)

What's it about? A deaf-mute writer (Kate Siegel) is menaced by a masked killer (John Gallagher Jr) at her isolated cabin in the woods. Cat-and-mouse horror antics ensue.


Is it any good? 'Killer-stalks-woman' is hardly an original premise, but the disability of the heroine adds a couple of interesting nuances here. Her inability to talk means she cannot call for help and, tellingly, cannot express her pain. This latter point is interesting because her inability to scream or react 'normally' to the menacing antics of the killer rather frustrates him. Even though he clearly has the advantage since she cannot hear where he is, he finds the thrill of the kill lessened, which is a rather smart turning of the tables. As you might expect the sound design is important here and used to good effect throughout. Otherwise, it plays out in routine, but very watchable fashion. I enjoyed it, but I preferred Flanagan's previous horror, Oculus, which I've reviewed here.

Anything else I should know? No need to hunt the shelves of the video store for this one - it's available to view on Netflix.

What does the Fonz think? Quiet at the back there!

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