During the go-go ‘90s, Hush writer-director Mark Tonderai was chief peddler of hip-hop on BBC Radio One and an occasional TV actor. Happily for the great unwashed, he has since thrown his lot in with Warp X, the unspeakably hip British-based production company behind A Complete History of My Sexual Failures and Donkey Punch. Recent industry chatter suggests that Hush is the first of five movies – stay tuned for thriller I Die at Midnight and neo-western Stance – bearing the Tonderai imprint. Watching Hush, it’s easy to see why the producers have come a-calling.
An assured horror-thriller punctuated by whip smart allusions to Duel and Breakdown, Mr. Tonderai’s impressive debut doubles as a masterclass in hitting the right genre beats. In common with such superior fare Vacancy, in Hush, strife is the new love. Within minutes of the opening credits, we’re aware that something is amiss between Zakes’ (Will Ash) and Beth (Christine Bottomley) as they cruise along the M1, putting up adverts in service stations as they go. Unspecified discomfort gives way to terror when a menacing white truck almost runs them off the road, a near-miss that allows Zakes a glimpse of a woman chained and caged in the back.
Terrified, Zakes refuses to give chase, much to the chagrin of girlfriend Beth who storms off at the next port of call, only to fall victim to the mystery trucker. Cue a series of cat-and-mouse set-pieces and a deepening conspiracy.
The denouement gets overly complicated but there’s enough wit and wonder to keep us onside. The pacing is fierce. The gore is inventive. The twists keep on coming.
We’re certainly glad you hung up your headphones, Mark Tonderai.