'Hush': EW review

If a psycho stalks a woman in a forest and she can’t hear him, does that make for a sound film? It’s a question this compact horror-thriller from director Mike Flanagan (Oculus) asks early and answers with a loud “Yes!” Actress Kate Siegel, who co-wrote the script with Flanagan, winningly plays a deaf-but-not-dumb novelist with writer’s block living deep in the woods while John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom, 10 Cloverfield Lane) is a convincing maniac hellbent on making her another notch on his crossbow. This big name-free, one-location project may scream Blumhouse Productions—which did indeed make the movie, with Intrepid Pictures—but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and Flanagan’s taut direction reinforces his rep as an up-and-comer we will hopefully be hearing much more from. B