Simple premise, great execution. Mike Flannagan's modus operandi, and my admiration for his work grows. I am not normally a fan of home invasion films, as they far too often degenerate into torture porn, but this really was quite good. Kate Siegel is excellent while barely speaking. Her character is deaf-mute, and while this might have come across as a gimmick on the standard home-invasion fare, the execution is anything but. Its essential to every aspect, and the means which the director integrates her deafness into the proceedings exponentially increases overall effectiveness, from character-building to nerve-wracking tension. There are extremely horrific and brutal moments, but they are disciplined and somehow more shocking for this. The villain of this piece is equally mundane and terrifying, which also somehow makes events more plausibly horrible. Definitely one of my favorite horror films this year.
Hush