Hush Now, Everything Won't be Fine

So after watching Blade Runner 2049 and being completely wrecked and drained on an emotional level (in the best possible way), I decided to calm down and watch a Netflix Original. Because it's October, I obviously had to watch a horror film, so I settled on Hush. Hush is directed by Mike Flanagan (the same guy who directed Gerald's Game) and stars Kate Siegel as a deaf woman who is being hunted by a deranged serial killer (John Gallagher) in the woods. While Hush is obviously nowhere near as epic and masterful as the new Blade Runner, it was definitely one of the best slasher films of the 2010s.
Going off of our prompt of arguing someone of the opposing opinion, I feel like this is the perfect movie to do that with. Most modern slasher films are very poorly regarded and deservedly so. Some of the most recent in the genre include the Hatchet trilogy, The Gallows, and a whole slew of remakes based on the original slasher flicks. It really is no question as to why the genre has gained such a poor reputation over the years. This film, however, is one of the best made slasher films since the original Scream. Unlike most modern horror films in general, Hush is well written, well directed, and well acted. Most films of its nature over bloat the runtime with obnoxious characters that are there simply to be cannon fodder for the killer. In this film, only a few people are murdered, and none of them are annoying. In fact, some of the people that are killed in the film only appear to be killed. However, like I previously stated, only a few people are actually killed in the film, which to me makes it more suspenseful than most slashers. It is common for films in the genre to have the killer slaughter dozens of people usually in creative ways which completely undermines the overall intensity of the situation.   So, not only is the film just a better movie than most slasher films, but it is also more thrilling than most.
Another reason people could oppose the film is because it seemingly is just like any other run of the mill killer in the woods kind of film. However, that is where they would be seriously wrong. The main character in the film is deaf, which means that much of the film is completely silent. This is honestly incredibly original, which is fascinating considering how many horror films there are. The character's disability also allows the writing to avoid deus ex machines that many films have to rely on to keep the survivors in the situation, usually by having them make stupid decisions such as hiding in obvious locations. In fact, the main character is also incredibly intelligent. This is a case where somehow the film is able to make a cake and eat it as well. Remember how I mentioned only a few people are killed in the film? Well, that's because there are only five characters in the entire movie. That's right: FIVE. This is completely fresh in the stale, tried and true formula horror films use which involves using as many characters as possible. Additionally, the lack of characters helps to keep the film going at a steady pace as well as never becoming an overly long film.
I would also like to point out another fresh idea that the film brings to the table: we actually follow the killer quite often. Not only that, but he has a face and a personality, a far cry from horror icons such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Not only that, but the killer in this case is the less intelligent one, another far cry in horror films. Most horror villains are the smartest characters in their films, such as Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. Even though the likes of Jason and Michael Myers may not seem smart, they are quite cunning in their own rights as well as creative when it comes to using makeshift on the spot weapons. John Gallagher's killer here, simply credited as The Man, is not one of these characters. In fact, he at times has more in common with the Three Stooges, constantly injuring himself.
Finally, one of the sharpest and most common criticisms to befall slasher films is that they commonly are unrealistic and that most of the situations in those films would never happen in real life. Hush, on the other hand, feels all to real at times. The main antagonist is unmistakably human as he can be beaten and is hurt often. Unlike other "human" horror villains, The Man is built like an average sized person with no seemingly superhuman qualities that many slasher villains seemingly possess (I'm looking at you Leatherface). Not to mention, we never actually get some lame motivation for why he kills. All we know is that he just does kill. The film additionally double as a home invasion film, which is one of the more realistic and possible genres in horror films. Most importantly, the main character is not invincible. In fact, she is fighting consciousness following an injury she receives from the killer throughout a decent chunk of the film. Much of the film has both the antagonist and protagonist exchanging small blow to each other. By the end, both are seriously banged up and have one foot in death' door. For most of the film, I actually believed that she could perish at the end, something almost unheard of in horror films.
Overall, Hush is definitely an inventive, original film in a genre that has seemingly played out ever single scenario possible. It also helps that the film is much better edited, acted, directed, and written than most films in the genre. If you aren't a fan of slasher films or the current state of horror films, I definitely recommend checking out this underrated flick.