Found this on Netflix and decided to give it a shot. I had tried to make it through The Blackcoat's Daughter earlier in the evening, but I bailed on that and went over to Hush; by comparison, this one is much better.
The movie starts well enough by establishing Maddie's background and new situation. There is the element of Craig, her ex, who we feel may become prominent to the storyline but never does.
Once the murderer arrives, it is clear he does not want to simply murder her, he wants to toy with her for a while. He's already murdered her friend and gained access to the house, but he opts to scare her first. This is the basis of the movie and where it starts to grow.
The murderer is okay, not particularly smart, but sufficient. His assault on Sarah, followed by using her as a prop, was rather brutal. Other than that, I did not find his character notable.
Maddie is a likable character. Despite her faults, we want her to win and take that guy out. She has at least two solid opportunities to end it, and they are both in the same scene. John, Sarah's boyfriend, is moments away from knocking the murderer out with a rock when Maddie inadvertently alerts the murderer by banging on the window. As a result, John gets stabbed and his plan is foiled. All is not lost, however, as he is able to recover enough to pin the murderer and choke him out. This is all happening about 20 ft. away from Maddie outside the house. Maddie has an ideal opportunity to walk up and deliver the final blow while John has the murderer pinned, but she blows it by staying in the house. This is somewhat confusing as we later see Maddie calculating all the possible outcomes depending on what she decides to do next. She is clearly logical enough to have known to make a move when John had the murderer down, yet that forethought was not put to her advantage. That, to me, is the weakest point of the movie.
That aside, Maddie makes a good heroine. She keeps fighting and figures out how to use her lack of hearing to help her (fire alarm). Despite being put on the verge of death, she is able to hang on and turn the tide. I was cheering for her in those closing moments.
The movie starts well enough by establishing Maddie's background and new situation. There is the element of Craig, her ex, who we feel may become prominent to the storyline but never does.
Once the murderer arrives, it is clear he does not want to simply murder her, he wants to toy with her for a while. He's already murdered her friend and gained access to the house, but he opts to scare her first. This is the basis of the movie and where it starts to grow.
The murderer is okay, not particularly smart, but sufficient. His assault on Sarah, followed by using her as a prop, was rather brutal. Other than that, I did not find his character notable.
Maddie is a likable character. Despite her faults, we want her to win and take that guy out. She has at least two solid opportunities to end it, and they are both in the same scene. John, Sarah's boyfriend, is moments away from knocking the murderer out with a rock when Maddie inadvertently alerts the murderer by banging on the window. As a result, John gets stabbed and his plan is foiled. All is not lost, however, as he is able to recover enough to pin the murderer and choke him out. This is all happening about 20 ft. away from Maddie outside the house. Maddie has an ideal opportunity to walk up and deliver the final blow while John has the murderer pinned, but she blows it by staying in the house. This is somewhat confusing as we later see Maddie calculating all the possible outcomes depending on what she decides to do next. She is clearly logical enough to have known to make a move when John had the murderer down, yet that forethought was not put to her advantage. That, to me, is the weakest point of the movie.
That aside, Maddie makes a good heroine. She keeps fighting and figures out how to use her lack of hearing to help her (fire alarm). Despite being put on the verge of death, she is able to hang on and turn the tide. I was cheering for her in those closing moments.