Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia “Emma” Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016, and was released by Netflix on April 8, 2016.
The film has been remade twice, with Kolaiyuthir Kaalam and Khamoshi being released in 2019.
Plot
Maddie Young is a deaf woman and horror writer who lost her abilities to hear and speak after a bout of bacterial meningitis at age 13, only to lose both permanently after a botched corrective surgery. Hoping to advance her career as an author, she lives an isolated life in the woods with her cat. Her friend Sarah visits her one evening to return a copy of her book. While discussing her writing, Maddie explains how she visualizes her stories, and considers numerous potential endings before deciding on one. Later that night, a masked killer with a crossbow attacks Sarah and chases her to Maddie’s house. A bloodied Sarah bangs on the door shouting for help; her cries go unheard because Maddie cannot hear her, and the man stabs Sarah to death.
The man quickly realizes Maddie is deaf and decides to make her another victim. He sneaks into her house, steals her phone, takes photos of her, and sends them to her. As Maddie realizes she is being stalked, the man cuts the power and sabotages her car to prevent escape. Maddie writes “won’t tell, didn’t see face, boyfriend coming home” on the glass panel door with her lipstick, but the man responds by taking off his mask and revealing his face. Maddie attempts to distract the man with her car alarm long enough to grab Sarah’s phone from her body, but fails. Mocking her, the man pockets the phone as well as one of Sarah’s earrings.
While attempting to escape through the second story window, Maddie is shot in the leg by the man with a crossbow bolt, but she manages to knock him off the roof and steal the weapon. She staggers back into the house, removing the bolt from her leg before trying to reload the crossbow. John, Sarah’s boyfriend, arrives at Maddie’s house looking for Sarah. The man confronts John, posing as a police officer responding to a call. He delivers a story of how he was rendered unconscious by an intruder, but John grows suspicious and eventually attempts to attack him from behind with a rock. Just as he’s about to strike, Maddie bangs on the window, distracting him and allowing the man to stab him in the neck. As John bleeds to death, he puts the man in a chokehold to buy Maddie enough time to escape. However, Maddie realizes that any attempt to escape or hide will result in her being caught or bleeding to death; her only chance for survival is to kill the man.
Outside, the man catches and threatens Maddie’s cat with a knife before he is struck in the shoulder with a bolt. While retreating into the house, she drops the last bolt outside the door. Before she can grab it, the man slams the sliding door shut on her wrist, crushing her hand beneath his boot. Continuing their game of cat and mouse, he allows Maddie to pull her mangled hand inside and close and lock the door. When he threatens to enter the house, Maddie writes “do it, coward” on the door with her own blood. As the man begins bashing the door in with a tire iron, Maddie rushes to her computer, typing up a description of the man and a message to her family. She concludes by writing that she “died fighting” before shutting her laptop, arming herself with a knife, and locking herself in the bathroom.
Failing to break through the door, the man opts to crash through the bathroom skylight unbeknownst to Maddie. She is alerted to his presence when he inadvertently breathes against her neck. She narrowly avoids his attack and stabs him in the knee. Maddie stumbles into the kitchen, where she disorients the man with insecticide and her visual smoke alarm, but he regains the upper hand by strangling her. On the verge of death, Maddie grabs a corkscrew and plunges it into the side of his neck, finally killing him.
Maddie retrieves her cellphone from the man’s body and dials 911 before stumbling outside, sitting on the porch steps. Maddie’s cat rubs against her and she lovingly strokes the cat. Bathed in the blue lights as the police approaches her, Maddie closes her eyes, pets her cat, and smiles.
Cast
Kate Siegel as Madison “Maddie” Young
John Gallagher Jr. as The Man
Michael Trucco as John Stanley
Samantha Sloyan as Sarah Greene
Emilia Graves as Max
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