Upstate New York.  11 Years Ago…

That’s how the award winning horror short, Hush, begins.  Written and directed by Michael Kehoe, this little zinger of a short film is a adroitly paced yarn that needs to be seen by any fan of the genre.  Why, you might ask?  To begin with, horror needs its defenders.  Too many good horror movies are ignored simply because they are too gory, too scary, or they don’t meet everyone’s expectation of a good time.  Secondly, this is actually good film making.

After the opening titles, we fade in on a typical dark and stormy night.  Regan (Alexandra Grace) is babysitting; a classic horror device. She sleeps cozily by the fire as a warm orange glow radiates from the fireplace, logs crackling and popping. There is, of course, a raging storm outside too.  This doesn’t matter because everything is fine right?

Suddenly the power goes out and the house becomes pitch black. There is nothing but the sound of the fireplace and the thunder and lightning outside.  From upstairs we hear Irene (Riley Connor) the young girl being cared for crying for her babysitter.  Regan, fumbles to look for a flashlight and yells upstairs assuring the child she will be right up.  It’s what the babysitter finds when she gets up there that is the shocker.

Kehoe has crafted a lean thriller.  In just under 5 minutes we quickly understand the setting, the stakes, and we get the feeling that something might not end well. What’s more, there is no blood, nothing unnecessary, just a good story.  Much like classic horror movies such as John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) or the more recent Insidious films, Hush relies on theatre of the mind to build to a clever punch.

Don’t just take my word for it though.  Here.  Watch it for yourself and sound off in the comments.