searching the depths of Netflix for "Hush"
- livia treviño
- Aug 18, 2017
- 2 min read
I'm continuing my fight against the Netflix algorithm by introducing you to "Hush". Horror is my favorite genre of movie, so I had a lot of hopes for this movie when it came out and it didn't disappoint. Netflix bought "Hush" before it even premiered at SXSW last year.
When I am excited for a movie, I assume everybody's excited for it. When I realized nobody I knew had ever heard of it, I knew that Netflix had a part in it's small reception. After over a year of its release, almost nobody knows about its existence.
If you know me, you've definitely heard of this movie. If you don't, this (spoiler-free) list is for you:
a unique concept
Hush is about a man in a mask terrorizing a woman that lives in a secluded house in the woods, who happens to be deaf and mute. The idea of a sadistic, faceless man tormenting somebody in their own home is terrifying. I can say that I've never seen a horror movie like this before.
Kate Siegel plays the lead that I've been waiting for ever since Erin from "You're Next". I love horror films, but they are lacking on women roles. "Hush" does a great job of bouncing the power between the "prey" and the "predator". The power struggle was equal, which made the stakes even higher.
sound & silence
Mike Flanagan, the director, had a lot of ideas for portraying the silence Siegel's character lives in. One of them including having no sound at all, which he decided against. Flanagan instead brought a beautiful mixture of the two. There were scenes that included eardrum-bursting alarm and others had an overwhelming silence.
actors acting
Horror films are not known for great acting. Kate Siegel showed why great acting matters. She had no speaking lines, but her performance was anything but restrained. She was a master at using emotion and body language to tell her story. John Gallagher Jr., took his part as the predator to another level of evil. His tactics to keep Siegel as a prisoner in her own home were the stuff of nightmares. His performance as the man in the mask made the movie so much scarier.
The next time you're searching for a movie to watch that will entertain and terrify you, try "Hush". But remember to lock your door before you do.
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