Hush [SXSW Review]

Born out of mutual admiration for thrillers Wait Until Dark and Joss Whedon’s popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, “Hush,” acclaimed writer/director Mike Flanagan and lead actress Kate Siegel set about creating a visual thriller centered around a silent protagonist.  The result is Hush, a taut thriller that finds author Maddie Young (Siegel), rendered deaf as a teen due to an illness, living an isolated life in her home in secluded woods.  Her fragile world is shattered when a masked psychotic killer shows up outside her house.  With no one around for miles and no way to call for help, Maddie must overcome her mental and psychical limitations if she has any hope of survival.

Though there’s no shortages of home invasion thrillers out there, Flanagan and Siegel bring a level of intelligence and style that’s not often seen in the subgenre creating a unique perspective.  With a deaf protagonist that’s also mute, the dialogue is extremely sparse.  The lack of dialogue through most of the running time works well in building tension, and Flanagan uses sound design to its fullest in creating a terrifying atmosphere, relying on telling a story visually.  Sound relaying Maddie’s silent perspective used at strategic moments in the narrative elevates the intensity of Maddie’s plight far more effectively than dialogue ever could.

Playing a character unable to emote through dialogue or vocalization, Siegel brings Maddie to life with expressions, physicality, and breathing.  Siegel’s ability to convey so much through her breathing alone that’s truly impressive.  Maddie toes the line between vulnerability and strength, culminating in a modern day final girl worth rooting for. Perhaps most important of all, Maddie’s impairment never feels like a gimmick.

Opposite Siegel is John Gallagher Jr. as Maddie’s psychotic tormenter, credited simply as ‘Man.’  When writing the screenplay, Siegel and Flanagan were most interested in the antagonist being someone you’d least expect.  Gallagher Jr.’s casting exemplifies this, as his unassuming face and build work to catch you off guard.  He’s cold and calculating, Flanagan wisely chooses not over explain his villain.

Though the cast is minimal, there is still a body count and danger is ever present.  Wounds are inflicted, and when it comes to violence, Flanagan ops for the less is more approach.  Meaning, it’s never feels unnecessary and gratuitous.  Flanagan understands using sound and implied violence to maximize full audience discomfort and sympathy.  He also put a lot of thought into creating clever character choices.  Each character avoids making the pitfall of poor decision making solely for the purpose of progressing the plot.  Each choice is believable, realistic, and well thought out.

I could rave for days on the excellent sound design, especially another fantastic score by long time Flanagan collaborators the Newton Brothers, but the cinematography by James Kniest deserves recognition.  For a film relegated to the confines of Maddie’s house, the shots are well executed.  The camera never feels limited by its restricted space, fully capturing the scope of the horror within.  Considering the scope of the house, it’s no easy feat.

The minimal cast and extremely sparse dialogue surprisingly isn’t a detriment to the narrative, and works well in creating a heart pounding thriller.  Though the premise is a familiar one, Flanagan and Siegel elevate their narrative with intelligent characters and one effective sound design.  We care about Maddie, and we’re just as much invested in her survival as she is.  While some of the exposition is a bit heavy handed toward the finale, it’s overall too much fun to care. Flanagan once again proves why he’s a unique, worthy voice in modern horror.  When Hush is released next month, watch this one with the lights turned down and the sound turned way up.

Hush will be released on Netflix, April 8^th, 2016.