Few directors working today, particularly in the genre space, command the same level of respect that Mike Flanagan does. As the filmmaker behind shows like Midnight Mass and movies like Gerald’s Game, the horror community has come to trust him almost implicitly. Now, arguably his first masterwork has finally been given the red carpet treatment it deserves.
Flanagan, before he became the modern horror master we know him as today, directed a micro-budget thriller named Hush. It went directly to Netflix in 2016 and, though it found an audience, sort of just disappeared into the amorphous mass that is the endless sea of streaming content. The rights lapsed a couple of years ago and, up until very recently, it was unavailable anywhere. Mercifully, Flanagan got the rights back and cut a deal with the fine folks at Shout! Factory, who have given the film a well-deserved 4K upgrade.
Hush centers on a deaf writer (Kate Siegel) who has retreated into the woods to live a solitary life. On a quiet night, she is forced to fight for her life when a masked murderer appears outside her secluded home. Siegel, who has since become a mainstay of Flanagan’s projects (not to mention his wife), co-wrote the film with him, making this an important entry in both of their filmographies. But it’s more than just important — this is a lean, mean, inventive little thriller that, all due respect, deserved better than getting buried on Netflix.
For those unfamiliar with Shout! Factory and their horror label Scream Factory, they are a boutique distributor that often deals in cult favorite films, giving them upgrades on Blu-ray and/or 4K, with painstaking restorations while loading the discs with special features. Flanagan opted to bring his 2016 gem to them. It proved to be a match made in heaven as they pulled out all of the stops to finally give this movie the attention and care it deserved from the start.
Scream Factory’s Hush [Collector’s Edition] is a no-nonsense four-disc set, including two 4K discs and two Blu-rays. It’s also got brand new box art to make it look quite nice on the ol’ physical media shelf. As for the bonus features, the release contains multiple commentary tracks, featuring Flanagan, Siegel and the rest of the cast. It also features tons of new interviews with the cast and crew. Crucially, Flanagan personally supervised and approved the new 4K restoration of the film. It’s his baby, now more than ever.
The most attractive feature for those who have already seen the film is a new black and white version dubbed the “Shush Cut” that also features a new audio mix. Speaking of the multiple commentaries, there is a specific commentary track recorded by Flanagan and Siegel for this black and white cut. Again, this thing is loaded down.
Even for those who aren't into physical media, the film is also finally available on VOD as well. More importantly, it’s at least available somewhere, as it wound up in limbo after it was taken off of Netflix. Some movies and TV shows that have been removed from streaming never found a new home. That only serves to highlight the importance of physical media, but that’s a larger conversation entirely.
As for this movie in particular, in retrospect, it’s an important brick in the foundation of Flanagan’s filmography. All due respect to his prior efforts such as Oculus, but this was the first time we got a look at the true genius that exists within this filmmaker. It was the first thing he did that made one’s eyebrow curl upward, understanding that we weren’t just looking at some average, workaday director.
Making a movie for just $1 million is exceptionally hard. Making a great movie for that amount of money? That takes true talent. Flanagan and Siegel cooked up one clever little story, but Flanagan executed that story to perfection. Siegel also arguably gives a career-best performance here, with John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane) also doing great work as the murderer. If nothing else, this new release is getting people to talk about Hush again, and that’s a very good thing.
In terms of historical context, this movie also built the bridge from Flanagan to Netflix. That not only resulted in Gerald’s Game, but more importantly, it led to shows such as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Haunting of Hill House. Do Flanagan’s beloved horror shows that were made for Netflix happen at all without Hush building that relationship? Who knows. But at the very least, this is the beginning of what proved to be a tremendously valuable relationship for both Netflix and lovers of genre filmmaking.
