This past summer, Mike Flanagan got the full rights back to his 2016 horror gem, “Hush,” which is still the best film of his career. He took full advantage of this opportunity to set up a 4k release. However, there’s even better news coming down his way …
It turns out that “Hush,” which premiered on Netflix eight years ago, is finally receiving a U.S. theatrical release. It’s set to hit theaters on October 16. This would, technically speaking, easily make it one of the best released horror films of 2024. Seek it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
“Hush,” co-written by Flanagan’s wife and longtime collaborator, Katie Siegel, is a film that turns the screws of tension, flipping cat-and-mouse cliches over their head. Siegel stars as the lead character, a deaf writer who retreats to the woods to work in solitude, only to be terrorized by a masked killer.
The use of sound in this film is out of this world; Flanagan keeps playing with the silent terror his main character has to endure, but also the noises she’s unable to hear. In a way, this is Flanagan’s subtle tribute to 1967’s “Wait Until Dark,” which had Audrey Hepburn starring as a blind woman who faces her own tormenters in a brutal home invasion.
As for the 4k home release, a restored version of the original cut, as well as a new black-and-white “Shush Cut” with remixed audio are part of the package. It’s currently available to order online.
Flanagan is really hot these days, amassing a large fanbase due to his ultra-popular Netflix shows (“The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Midnight Mass,” “The Haunting of Hill House”). He also just won the TIFF People’s Choice Award for “The Life of Chuck,” which was recently acquired by Neon. Flanagan’s more notable films include “Doctor Sleep,” “Oculus,” and “Gerald’s Game.”