HUSH, it's time for a scare with the new short film by writer and director Michael G. Kehoe.

Being a self prescribed movie buff, I generally appreciate all types of film. Sci-fi, romantic, drama, I’m down for them all. One genre I usually shy away from (much to my girlfriend’s dismay) is Horror.

As far back as I can remember Horror films have never been that interesting to me. The protagonists are usually very two-dimensional and their motives seem as transparent as cellophane. So, imagine my delight when I came across a new Short in the Horror genre that didn’t throw blood around to get my attention.

HUSH, a new Short by writer and director Michael G. Kehoe, starts off with all the effects and eerie delight a fan of the genre might expect, but what transpires in the span of a mere 7 minutes is astounding. Rarely do I find myself at the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen, and yet HUSH had me mesmerized the entire time. I’m pretty good at guessing what comes next in most of the flicks I see, but every once in a while there comes a film that literally knocks the breath out of you.

The actors, Alexandra Grace and Riley Connor, portray their characters with the appropriateness seldom seen in a film such as this. I immediately bought into Grace’s character’s annoyance for having to “hush” the little girl upstairs due to the power outage at the house. There’s a fine line between rushing and dragging out an interior shot, and as Grace makes her way up the stairs to where the little girl is, I noticed (and applauded) the director’s constraint in making us wait to get to the landing, while not forgetting the subtle sense of urgency to quell the fears of the young girl.

I’m not sure how much more I can say without giving away too much, but I will say this. Kehoe’s take on the genre has certainly made me rethink my position that I cannot be genuinely surprised by what takes place within it. The twist at the end has M. Night Shyamalan taking notes, and the rest of us uncomfortably seated to find out what is next. Being scared never felt so good.

}BM