The slasher genre was at it's peak in the 80's, when the 90's came it began to struggle and in this guys opinion it's never fully recovered. Sure every once in a while a high profile slasher movie pops up but the interest never seems to last.I'd say a primary reason is that they're all the same but that could be said about a lot of horror sub-genres.Here we have the story of a mute/deaf author who lives out secluded in the forest and you guessed it she falls foul of a masked killer.The fact she's deaf actually adds more of an element to the movie than you'd imagine and though Hush suffers from the same Slasher tropes as every other it manages to stay fresh regardless.Well shot, well written and well acted by both little known leads I came away from Hush very satisfied. Sure it's nothing revolutionary but it didn't need to be, it's a demonstration that slashers still have life left in them.The Good:Cat survived!Some well crafted momentsBoth leads were excellentThe Bad:Slasher tropesThings I Learnt From This Movie:Sometimes lack of motive makes a killer that much scarierIf anyone tried to hurt my cats the arrow would be going up their butt not in their shoulders

This movie is a mistake. Waste of time. So many dumb scenes, didn't make sense.

I thought this movie was excellent! I strongly recommend watching Hush! It was an action packed thrill of a ride. It truly kept me off of my seat, wondering what would happen next. I mean, like any movie there are some holes and things that could be better, but other than that if you haven't seen this movie, you need to!

Throughout history, there have been all kinds of stories dealing with mysterious killers. Some of which still have not been named or captured and have lived in infamy for their obscene crimes. For horror films, the horror genre has made use of these stories to give viewers a better understanding how things went down. Whether certain liberties were taken with the material varies, but it's how the film makes the viewers feel after coming out is what matters. Several horror films rely more on gore and violence when really a movie with the exact opposite in traits can be just as terrifying. This is exactly what happens in this movie, which at first felt like it was going to be a by the numbers killing type horror film, when really, it wasn't at all. Prepare to feel the most restrained you've ever felt in some time.The story to this killer thriller is about Maddie (Kate Siegel), an author of a popular book. Hoping to strike gold and create another great novel, she continues to write in her home on her own. What may not be evident is the fact that she is mute and deaf. The only way she communicates is through sign language and mouthing words. She has a few friends but none that live with her on a constant basis. Unfortunately for her, a stalker (John Gallagher Jr.) discovers her house and realizes she has these disabilities. With that said he decides it would be great to slowly mentally torture her. Written and directed Mike Flanagan, this movie is one of the more taught ones shown in a while. Since much of the story revolves around these two, the development only happens here. Much of it is placed on Maddie, who goes through several strategies on how to escape the evil that has fallen on her.The weakest link is actually the killer because nothing is really explained about him. The character name is just called "the man", and that's fine. Not every psycho has to have a name, it makes it all the more creepy. However, having no reason for the motivation of killing is something else. This is exactly the problem with Gallagher's role. He has no rationale as to why he's doing what he's doing. That doesn't mean he has to have a connection to Siegel's character either. But there must be something that is making this guy do what he's doing. Yet this part is overshadowed as to just how creative the heroine lead becomes when she realizes she's starting to run out of options. That's where things become so white-knuckled, it becomes too difficult to just sit and watch. Some viewers may feel the need to retroactively try and yell recommendations to the screen. As if the individuals on screen could hear.Kate Siegel as Maddie does a great job. She truly makes a viewer believe everything she goes through. And as cliché as it is to have a female lead in a horror film, she deserves this one. Siegel has been in other productions prior but this would be her breakout role. It's truly impressive to watch this film unfold because of how well it was directed. Normally writer directors have tough times producing adequate films because the task of doing both isn't easy. However being that this was a small production, this might've lessened the burden. Flanagan was also the director to movies like Oculus (2013), Before I Wake (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) and Gerald's Game (2017). Being that these movies have all had mainly positive praise, this shows Flanagan has a knack for the genre. This goes hand in hand with the tension delivered. Much of the execution remains silent to make the viewer feel like Maddie, which helps a lot. In some ways it reminisces to that of James Wan's Dead Silence (2007).Camerawork was well put together too. James Kniest was the director of photography to this feature. Even though the overall setting changes very little, Kniest manages to find ways of showing every inch and crack of the house Maddie lives in. Kniest worked on other movies like Annabelle (2014), Within (2016) and The Bye Bye Man (2017). Adding to that is the violence that occurs throughout the running time. There's not a lot of gore, but what is shown still can get pretty gnarly. Some of it can really make a viewer cringe. Sadly this could also be said for film score. Composed by a duo who go by the Newton Brothers, the music to this movie isn't that impressive. It is understandable as to why it isn't heard much, but when it is used, it's not ultimately that complex. Thankfully it has no jump stings, but the organics of it does not blend with the visuals and comes off rather forgettable. Even if they worked with director Flanagan before.While the music and antagonist motives are not that well rounded, the rest of this thriller is tense in its structure. The two main actors work their parts well, the cinematography is engaging and the whole situation presented to the audience reminds us just how vulnerable we all can be alone at home.