MovieChat Forums > Hush (2016) Discussion > Mike Flanagan is a hack

Mike Flanagan is a hack

posted 8 years ago by rabbitmoon
12 replies | jump to latest

His films all revolve around very few people and houses. The basic formula is:
Find an excuse for someone (or a couple) being isolated in a house
Think of an idea for a situation
Drag it out for 90 minutes
* added bonus: cast wife as a key role (as with Hush).

With Hush, the idea is so minimal and undeveloped, its almost a satire for the Netflix generation of how easy it is to knock out a film. The killer is extremely unrealistic and has no motive. Its full of contrivances and lame ideas to fill the time. The characters and atmosphere feel about as developed as you'd find in a 10 minute short film. Its absolutely moronic. How Flanagan and his wife can write and make a film like this without thinking "oh man, this is actually incredibly lame, what are we doing?" is beyond me.

Its like the opening scene of Scream dragged out for 90 minutes.

[–] werder_bunny 8 years ago

While you're right about the killer not having a motive, I think it contributes to people not sympathizing with him and that makes it scarier. The movie did keep me at the edge of my seat because her being deaf was a great idea. I liked that it was so simplistic.

[–] smokzey 8 years ago

Killers don't always have motives. Look into the worst of the worst killers in history and you will find it's not a Scoobie Doo or Agatha Christie tale. rabbitmoon, there is always THAT guy, you know, a guy like you, who while going on a beautiful tour of Paris and the Eiffel tower will catch a whiff of piss from the alley, go in there and press his nose against it - then come back home and complain the city reeked. Bwah.

[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 7 years ago

its almost a satire for the Netflix generation of how easy it is to knock out a film.

Yet most films with a similar premise tend to suck so it's obviously not that easy.

The killer is extremely unrealistic and has no motive.

Yeah because real life killers always have a motive. No one ever kills just for the thrill of it.

. Its full of contrivances and lame ideas to fill the time.

And that makes it different from the vast majority of all movies, ever, how exactly?

The characters and atmosphere feel about as developed as you'd find in a 10 minute short film.

I thought the atmosphere in Hush was great. It created a palatable since of the protagonist being trapped/cornered which is all it needed to do to be effective.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

[–] rabbitmoon 7 years ago

. Its full of contrivances and lame ideas to fill the time.

And that makes it different from the vast majority of all movies, ever, how exactly?

Wow, you're actually trying to defend a film by saying that all movies ever are as contrived and lame so its ok? That has to be the poorest argument I've ever heard.

I thought the atmosphere in Hush was great. It created a palatable since of the protagonist being trapped/cornered which is all it needed to do to be effective.

No, the atmosphere was tacky and contrived. If you think "the protagonist being trapped/cornered" is all a feature film needs to be effective then you have exceptionally low demands. Which in a way makes you lucky, I guess, because you could probably watch a webcam of a hamster all day and be satisfied.

[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 7 years ago

Wow, you're actually trying to defend a film by saying that all movies ever are as contrived and lame so its ok? That has to be the poorest argument I've ever heard.

It's not even really an argument just pointing out how invalid your criticism was. All films rely on plot devices (i.e. contrivances). It's essentially what films are. Criticizing a film for it is like criticizing a piece of music for relying of chord progressions and melodies.

If you think "the protagonist being trapped/cornered" is all a feature film needs to be effective then you have exceptionally low demands

I don't have any demands from a film other than to be entertained and enjoy the experience overall.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

[–] rabbitmoon 7 years ago

It's not even really an argument just pointing out how invalid your criticism was. All films rely on plot devices (i.e. contrivances). It's essentially what films are. Criticizing a film for it is like criticizing a piece of music for relying of chord progressions and melodies.

This a ridiculous, and frankly stupid thing to write. If I point out a film is contrived, its obviously because its particularly contrived. Do you need every little nuance of meaning explained, or do you take everything with an autistic-like level of literalism?

If I said a film was phony and unrealistic, you'd probably say "uh, like every film is made up and not real, duh!"

The only thing you've really reinforced here is that you're the perfect target market for a film like this.

[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 7 years ago

If I point out a film is contrived, its obviously because its particularly contrived. Do you need every little nuance of meaning explained, or do you take everything with an autistic-like level of literalism?

No, it's NOT obvious in a case like this. It's pretty self evident to me that the great majority of the horror genre past and present relies greatly on contrivances. So if you're criticizing this film for relying on contrivances i'm naturally going to wonder how you find it anymore contrived than most horror films. Especially considering that as far as the slasher genre goes...this film was fairly realistic relative to a lot of other slashers.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

[–] rabbitmoon 7 years ago

Good horrors have ideas or plot points that fulfill a point of some kind. They're a metaphor for something, there's some truth, something to say about something. The writing is purposeful, its about something.

With a film like Hush, the only goal is to last the running time. There is no point, other than to keep the audience watching. There's nothing to learn, think about, there's no subtext or analogy to digest unconsciously. It is, essentially, just trash. As such, it has no problem with just contriving itself however it wants to hide its moronic ideas.

[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 7 years ago

Good horrors have ideas or plot points that fulfill a point of some kind. They're a metaphor for something, there's some truth, something to say about something. The writing is purposeful, its about something.

What was Halloween about other than Michael Myers killing people? There was no metaphor or deeper truth to that film and anyone who claims there is is REALLY reaching.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

[–] rabbitmoon 7 years ago

Comparing John Carpenter to Mike Flanagan though, sheesh. Its one of those things that if you need to explain, there's almost no point in explaining?

Halloween is a straight-up efficient film, and yes its written and directed to deliver atmosphere and scares. But it does do that a million times better than Hush. Also, historical context is important here. At the time, Halloween was original and that counts for a lot. It tapped into fears that hadn't been exploited to death by that point in cinema. I would say a similar comparison these days might be It Follows (which does have subtext) but is a similarly effective horror.

Also, Carpenter made Halloween out of passion and love of the craft. Something you don't find as much of these days. Flanagan doesn't care as much about his craft or his audience and it shows - he's just out to get a film made, for the sake of it, and doesn't really have the intelligence or subtlety to make anything that would gather as much acclaim as Halloween.

[–] HippieDrillSealOfApproval 7 years ago

Fair points. For the record I definitely wasn't trying to compare Carpenter to Flanagan. Just pointing that on the surface these two films aren't that different. I agree Halloween is better made but I still think Hush as a good 2nd tier slasher.

What are words for when no one listens anymore

[–] Stovepipe99 7 years ago

I love a film with deeper metaphors as much as the next person. But subtext is not the only reason that I watch horror or thriller movies.

One of the main selling points of horror is the sense of catharsis you get watching it--seeing your own fears or anxieties played out by real people (so that you feel connected), but at the safe "distance" of being on a screen.

I thought that Hush did a great job of dismantling a lot of the standard tropes that slashers have followed the last few years. I liked the killer removing his mask so early on and his lack of motivation--the movie didn't screw around with half-baked psychological explanations about why he's doing what he's doing. It also clearly isn't building to some lame reveal about him being hired by Craig or being a crazy ex-boyfriend or anything like that. It goes with the simple but horrifying premise that someone might show up at your house one day wanting to kill you for no logical reason. Likewise, the movie didn't pander to one group by having the main character take a long, lingering shower for no reason; nor did it pander to another group by making Maddie unrealistically strong/smart. All of the supporting characters felt like real people (the sister and the two neighbors).

And while others on this board have complained about the killer being "weak" or "lame", I liked that he was a real human being. He was strong, yes, and somewhat capable with his weapons. But he didn't have magical teleporting powers, nor did he have inhuman strength. The more he got angry and flustered by her lack of submission, the more mistakes he made and the more his frustration made him less efficient.

Sometimes a movie can address a fear directly, and not just in analogy. As a woman who has lived alone (and in very similar isolated/rural circumstances) this movie totally struck a chord with me. I don't think that it's A+ perfect, but I do think that it is solid and well-acted.

You're obviously free to dislike the movie. But I appreciate what Flanagan did with this film--it put him on my radar in a good way. (I loved the shot of the broken glass cascading down behind her in slow motion, followed by his body--beautiful and terrifying).