Hush - A Movie Review

By: Mallory Johnson

I recently watched the Netflix horror movie Hush and enjoyed it! The film follows a deaf and mute author named Maddie who is home alone when a creepy masked man arrives at her house and begins to terrorize her. What makes the movie more intense is how Maddie does not know that there is a man outside of her home because she cannot hear him. Before I go any further: SPOILER ALERT, also, trigger warnings for death, blood and gore, stalking, murder, break and enter, jump scares, flashing lights, and forced isolation. The movie is directed by my favourite director: Mike Flanagan. He directed The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, and Midnight Mass. The movie stars his wife, Kate Siegel (Hill House, Bly Manor), Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass, Grey’s Anatomy), John Gallagher Jr (10 Cloverfield Lane, Short Term 12), Michael Trucco (Hunter Killer, Midnight Mass), and Emma Graves (Pitch Perfect, Caged No More). The movie worked well with its small cast, which I find very interesting. There are some Midnight Mass easter eggs in Hush: Maddie and her neighbour talk about Maddie’s first book...called Midnight Mass. The neighbour, played by Samantha Sloyan (the main character in Midnight Mass), says she loved Erin and Riley. Kate Siegel played Erin in the show, and Riley is a major character. Maddie is also seen writing a Midnight Mass sequel throughout the movie. Fun fact: Mike Flanagan originally started writing a Midnight Mass book but did not finish it. He then tried to get it created as a movie but failed and finally made it a Netflix show. I also noticed that there was a Doctor Sleep easter egg, as Hush came out three years before Doctor Sleep, which Mike also directed.

I loved how the movie was short, but it still packed a punch and was scary. I highly recommend watching with subtitles on because there is sign language, and subtitles were necessary. The themes of isolation set the scene for a scare. There were plot twists that I did not expect in this movie. As someone who is not the biggest fan of horror because I scare easily, this one scared me but not too bad. If you are paranoid about someone breaking into your home while you cannot hear them, I do not recommend watching. It was a good idea to watch Hush in October because it is a wonderfully spooky season choice. I liked how some parts of the movie had little to no sound to force the audience to be put in Maddie’s shoes and to feel her fear. Hush puts a good spin on the slasher genre and adds home invasion and disability.

Overall, I enjoyed watching Hush. It is a perfect movie to watch on Halloween this year! It is graphic at times and rated R, so keep that in mind. I give it a strong 10/10 and cannot wait to see more from Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel!