Hush (1998)

A couple with jobs and apartment in NYC, decide to move to his mom's farm, get married and have the baby there. They can also make the changes to get a better price for the farm. However, there's something seriously wrong with his mom.

Director:

Jonathan Darby

Writers:

Jonathan Darby (story), Jonathan Darby (screenplay)

Stars:

Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, Johnathon Schaech

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Lange	...	Martha Baring
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Helen Baring
Johnathon Schaech	...	Jackson Baring
Nina Foch	...	Alice Baring
Debi Mazar	...	Lisa
Kaiulani Lee	...	Sister O'Shaughnessy
David Thornton	...	Gavin
Hal Holbrook	...	Dr. Franklin Hill
Richard Lineback	...	Hal Bentall
Richard Kohn	...	Clayton Richards
Faith Potts	...	Georgina Richards
Tom Story	...	Priest
Jolene Carroll	...	Church Warden
Jacob Press	...	Usher
Joe Inscoe	...	Doctor

Storyline

Helen is the young girlfriend of good-looking Jackson Baring. When Helen gets pregnant and marries Jackson, they decide to move to his family farm, Kilronan, and have a baby there. But his mother Martha, who lives there, starts to do weird things, and obviously she's not too friendly to Helen.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | borderline personality disorder | injection | bare chested male | boy | 

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Taglines:

When Jackson brought home his new bride, she was everything a mother would kill for.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sensuality and brief strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bloodline

Filming Locations:

Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,742,431, 8 March 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$13,513,622, 29 May 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many scenes in the trailer did not make the final cut because they re-shot the movie almost two years after it was first finished. The original version had, among other changes, a climatic fight between the two ladies with one dying. It was re-shot following bad feedback from test audiences.

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Goofs

When Helen and Alice are at the retirement home feeding ducks, the shot pulls out and you can see the ducks in the pond at the bottom of the screen. They are swimming in backwards circles suggesting the shot was originally moving in, not out and was reversed.

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Quotes

Martha Baring: What lies did you tell her? Answer me!
[Alice just looks at her]
Martha Baring: Answer me!
Alice: I am, you just can't see my finger.

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Connections

Spoofs Rosemary's Baby (1968)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
Traditional; lyrics by Robert Burns
Played and sung at the New Year's party

User Reviews

Better Than the IMDb Rating

I agree with several other reviewers that this movie is underrated here.

It keeps your interest, especially if you like horses, and the contrast between hectic, noisy, frustrating, randomly violent, dirty, inhumane city life and the clean air and soothing charms of the "simple life" in the country (which now costs much more than most of us can afford).

I think both Jessica Lange and Gweneth Paltrow handled their roles with aplomb. Anyone who's seen Lange in "Blue Sky" with Tommy Lee Jones will not be a bit surprised at her ability to successfully carry off a full-on lunatic.

I think people may be a little put off by the happy ending from a lower budget, non-mainstream film, but what do I know?

Well, I know I liked it more than it's rated on here, and I'd recommend it to friends. A masterpiece, it isn't, but I'd consider it entertaining and worthy of your time if you like mystery/thrillers set mostly in beautiful country surroundings with good acting.