(PHOTO PROVIDED VIA GOOGLE)

***WARNING: REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

RATED: R

RUNNING TIME: 1 Hour 21 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2016

DIRECTOR: Mike Flanagan

WRITERS: Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel

STARRING:

John Gallagher Jr as The Man

Kate Siegel as Maddie

Michael Trucco as John

Samantha Sloyan as Sarah

Emma Graves as Max

(TRAILER PROVIDED VIA YOUTUBE)

Deaf author Maddie lives alone in a secluded house in the woods. She is visited by her neighbor, Sarah, as she fails to try a new recipe in her kitchen. Sarah, who is new to sign language, discussed Maddie's first book with her. After a nice visit, Maddie returns to inside her house to go over ideas for her next book. After some time passes, Sarah races back to Maddie's house. She is terrified of whoever is chasing her. Sarah is desperate to get Maddie's attention, but Maddie cannot hear Sarah banging her fists against the windows. A stranger comes behind Sarah, he is mysterious and dangerous. He repeatedly stabs Sarah until she breathes her last breath. He discovers Maddie sitting inside the house, unaware of what just happened. All we see is the image of his white mask peering into the window from the darkness. The game has begun.

This film is intense. We get to watch him play with her as he figures out that she is deaf. It's quite a story. There is a scene where she tries to tell him that she hasn't seen his face and she would not tell anyone. The man then takes off his mask and stares at her to make a powerful statement. He is telling her that now she has seen him, the night will not end good for her.

This is not the first movie made with a deaf protagonist fending off a killer. But I feel it's one of the better ones with how the story plays out. The seclusion of the woods combined with not being able to hear anything makes for a horrifying experience. I give this film a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. It would make a great addition to anyone's holiday horror film fest.

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