"Hush" (2016) - Netflix-Owned Horror-Thriller Directed by Mike Flanagan - Starring Kate Siegel and John Gallagher, Jr.

[DonRocks]

"Hush" (2016) is an independent, low-budget horror film that premiered at South by Southwest (remember this, Eric?) on Mar 12, 2016, and was purchased by Netflix prior to the premiere, thus giving them exclusive rights to it before anyone had a chance to screen it - buying it "on the cheap" is probably going to prove to be a wise decision.

This is a classic trapped-in-the-house horror-thriller with a big twist: our heroine, Maddie Young (Kate Siegel) is deaf. "Hush" is only eighty-minutes long, and is very watchable - I read one description of it being like the final scene in "Wait Until Dark," expanded to feature length. I agree with that analogy, which also said that it never becomes tedious despite something of a one-note plot (actually, maybe several notes).

If you don't like dark, claustrophobic movies where things may (or may not) jump out at you, you're better off avoiding "Hush," but having only twenty minutes of the film remaining, I can assure you that it's not gratuitously violent by today's standards though I certainly wouldn't want to see this with any pre-teens in tow. [Note: I'm writing this one, bracketed, editorial comment as I approach the end of the film, and I retract my previous sentence: While "Hush" isn't completely over-the-top, it's absolutely not appropriate for young children.]

"The Man" (John Gallagher, Jr.) - other than his obligatory, Jason-like, white mask - is distressingly ordinary, which is the basis for my biggest issue with the film to this point: Nobody could be as naive as one particular person in this movie happens to be, and if you dwell on this, you're going to resent it, so I advise just accepting it as a foible of two young screenwriters, and noting that the person at least eventually caught on, instead of being terminally clueless.

"Hush" is primarily shot in one location, which saves money, and it could translate into (or have been translated from) the stage. Siegel is just terrific in her starring role, and Gallagher, Jr. is only a small step behind in his - since these two have the majority of the screen time, these performances make the film qualify as being well-acted. 

I've watched the first sixty minutes of this eighty-minute scare, and am now going to return and watch the rest (I didn't want to finish it last night because I was getting tired, and didn't want any mind-cleansing nightmares resulting from this). I read another review which said this movie is tailor-made for a crowded theater, and I agree with that - it's a lot more fun to be scared when everyone around you is also, but there is something intimate about watching this all alone in your house.

As a personal aside, it seems like I've been watching a lot of "dark" films lately, and I'm referring to the lighting; not the tone of the movies, and I'm growing somewhat tired of straining to be able to see - this is one reason why a film such as "To Catch A Thief" is so refreshing and easily watchable for me - no darkness, no squishy blood sounds, no violence. Still, I knew what I was getting into, so it will be my own fault going forward if it happens again - or, maybe I'll *want* it to happen again, we shall see.

I love it when you think things are a fait accompli, and you turn out to be dead wrong - so it was with the cat. This scene - along with my genuine surprise - is why I generally try to immerse myself in the moment, instead of trying to be Sherlock Holmes all the time. I guessed the ending of "The Sixth Sense," and since it was a story-driven movie, it was largely ruined for me. While I'm digressing, I'll add that I felt absolutely cheated, swindled, and robbed by the ending of "The Usual Suspects" - we can discuss my ire over that movie in another thread, but indeed, I actually got *angry* at the people who made the film for having wasted my time. Getting back on-topic, I really enjoyed the motivational, "self-help" sequence in "Hush," which occurs near the cat scene, and also the typed note on the computer - there are some very strong individual moments in this movie, and the movie as a whole is effective enough where they may resonate with you.

Question for people: I'd never heard the term "bleeding out" until very recently - perhaps within the last month or so - but now I've heard it several times. Is this a relatively new term, or have I just been missing it for my entire life? I actually think the first time I'd ever heard it was in "Django Unchained." (Incidentally, "Sold American!" (which Schultz yells out when he buys Django) is, I believe, an anachronism, and didn't exist until the twentieth century.)

Speaking of bleeding out, or exsanguination, I understand that people get extremely disoriented when it happens, but when you have enough presence-of-mind remaining to bet everything on a single moment, shouldn't you go ahead and seize any opportunity that arises, even if you're getting close to losing consciousness? For me to say this means that I was rooting for someone so intensely that I actually got angry when they didn't take advantage of every possible opening - that means the film had drawn me in.

Four closing observations:

* I think it would have been nifty if they had named Maddie, Charlotte.

* The NRA is going to revel in this movie, mark my words.

* The lighting in this film was poorly done: "Dark" is one thing, but "indecipherable" is another.

* If you liked "Halloween," you'll probably like "Hush"; if you didn't, you probably won't.