Two out of
Five stars
Running time:
82 mins
This low budget British horror flick has a decent premise and a handful of suspenseful moments, but it drags horribly in the middle and it's badly let down by some atrocious dialogue and a couple of directorial misfires.
What's it all about?
Directed by Mark Tonderai, Hush stars Will Ash as Zakes, an aspiring writer who makes a living by putting up posters in petrol stations. On this occasion, he's accompanied by his irritable girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley), but as they drive along the M1 at night in the pouring rain, their bickering is interrupted when Zakes thinks he sees a woman in a cage in the back of a white truck.
Zakes duly calls the police and believes he's done all he can do, which only makes Beth even more irritable. However, things quickly go from bad to worse when Beth storms off and promptly disappears, leading Zakes to believe that she's been kidnapped by the same mysterious truck driver.
The Good
Hush has a decent premise and largely avoids the pitfalls of the 'Why doesn't he just call the police?' variety, although it does leave one massive loose end that a post-credits coda only half addresses. In addition, Ash makes a decent lead, despite his character's ridiculous name and the fact that Zakes is not all that bright, considering he's meant to be an aspiring writer.
Making the most of the film's obviously low budget, Tonderai orchestrates a couple of decent suspense sequences and the film earns an extra star for its rather brilliant finale, not least because you suddenly understand where all the money went.
The Bad
Unfortunately, the film is badly let down by its dialogue, which is so awful that it's actually painful to listen to, especially in the opening sequence. Similarly, Tonderai bungles a crucial moment in the finale, where it's impossible to tell what's just happened, thereby breaking the tension and robbing the scene of its intended impact.
Worth seeing?
Despite some good moments, Hush is ultimately disappointing, though it redeems itself with a decent finale and is never less than watchable.