Hush (2016) is a streaming-only movie—wonder if it is ever going to get released via physical format so I can add it to my horror dvd collection—for which I will sit down and watch from beginning to end; for me, there is no casual viewing of Hush, nor simply playing it in the background while I do something else. No. If I make the grave mistake of hitting play, then my day is put on hold for one hour and twenty-two minutes. I have lost many hours of my life thanks to Hush, but hey, what can I say? That is a good problem to have.
“Easy. Easy. Hey, hey, hey! Hey, come on. It is done. It is done… It’s done.” –The Man
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Hush tells the story of Maddie, a horror writer struggling with choosing a good ending for her second book. Maddie is deaf and mute and lives alone with her cat in the middle of the woods and, as expected, is independent and even prepared to tackle on her own the occasional kitchen emergency (she is a terrible cook). Maddie is friendly to her neighbors, as well as to her old buddies from the city, who often check in on her via FaceTime or in person to make sure she is okay (there is an ex, don’t ask).
One night, out of the blue, a total stranger decides to have a killing spree and ends up showing up at Maddie’s home. She cannot hear her neighbor yelling bloody murder or even notice the man knocking on the glass door with a knife – she is in the zone, writing, living her life, inside her own home, all alone, in danger as of this very exact moment.
When I tell you that the man was a cold-blooded bastard, you better believe me. Actually, do you know what? His attitude reminded me a little bit to real-life Canadian-American serial killer “Happy Face Killer,” but since that is a different story for a different time, let’s just say that this murderer, albeit fictional, also had the characteristic crazy stare and inflated ego with the disturbing matter-of-fact statements, always violent and delivered in a calm voice.
“I can come in anytime I want. And I can get you, anytime I want. But I'm not going to. Not until it's time. When you wish you're dead... that's when I'll come inside.” –The Man
So Maddie quickly realizes she is on her own and cannot contact anyone for help as the man not only cut the power, thus rendering her laptop useless due to the lack of Wi-Fi, but also stole her cellphone. (Gone are the days of the ever so reliable landline phone.) She tries to hide inside her extremely dark glass wall house, then she tries to escape, but ends up getting injured in the process. Maddie saw her options in her writer’s mind—she can ‘listen’ to a female voice giving her multiple scenarios—but since she realizes she is already too weak, unable to run, slowly bleeding out, and losing her vision, she pretty much accepts her dire situation and decides her best choice is to try to kill the man, but not without first writing a goodbye note to her parents.
Oh brother, the final fight was great and it made me glad seeing how Maddie kept going until the end, even when using her last ounce of strength… her every move was calculated, like a beautifully performed gut-retching swan song… she knew she could die by fighting back, but also knew, with absolute certainty, she would if she didn’t.
And she did it. She killed the man. She survived. She got her cellphone back and with trembling bloodied fingers dialed 911.
As if the ending was not flawless enough, on the very last scene when Maddie was waiting outside for the police to arrive we can see her with her eyes closed, smiling ever so slightly, as if she was not only relieved and happy for making it alive, but also for now knowing the perfect ending for her book; it is done… it’s done.
In Love and Fear,
-Marath
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