We know all of the elements of the home invasion movie; masked killer(s), isolation from the nearest neighbors, cut power, the arrival of a neighbor and possible salvation, improvised weapons made out of household items. Husband and wife team (Absentia, Oculus)of Writer/Director Mike Flanagan and Writer/Star Kate Siegel know them too and make the effort to use those elements to their advantage in Hush (2016).
The story is pretty simple and straight forward. A deaf writer (Kate Siegel) is living in an isolated house as she struggles with her second novel. One night a masked stranger (John Gallagher, Jr.) arrives and chooses to terrorize her before killing her, using her deafness to his advantage.
Kate Siegel's character is one you can sympathize with, not because of her deafness, but because she is presented as a real person before the assault begins. She's smart and courageous and thinks before acting, making it seem entirely plausible that she's going to turn the tables on her attacker, who comes of as not the smartest, or most effective serial murderer. He comes of as a bit of an amateur, even though the notches on his crossbow tell is this is far from his first outing, and that maybe we are underestimating him. The best aspect of this film is that the outcome is never certain. Right up to the finish, there are no assurances that the writer is going to best her attacker, and it's just as likely that she's going to be one more notch on his crossbow.
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