Horrific Inquiry: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER S4 E10: “Hush”

Welcome back to the scariest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry: Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join us as we dive deep into the heart of horror, but warning, there will be spoilers.

For the first time ever, and just in time for Halloween, Horrific Inquiry is tackling one of its first terrifying TV episodes! And while The X-Files and American Horror Story would seem to provide ample material to choose from, a personal holiday staple feels hard to shake. For season four, Buffy the Vampire Slayer would deliver a unique halloween watch experience, leaning into the absence of sound and the terror of a smile to delight audiences. Lead by the beloved Scooby gang and the incomparable Doug Jones, “Hush” is undeniably one of the eeriest episodes of the series.

A Nightmare of The Man Who Laughs

For fans of the series, episode 10 of season 4 works well as a catalyst for the remainder of the season, pushing the mythology of the Buffyverse forward into new romances and new alliances. Yet, “Hush” works well as a stand alone anthology insertion, leaning into the fairy tale horror for a weekly villain. As I stated earlier, this is a personal favorite. Rewatching the episode with a more critical eye this time around, I have found much of my connection to the episode lies in its homages to another personal favorite – A Nightmare on Elm Street.

source: The WB Television Network/ United Paramount Network

“Hush” begins with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in her psychology class, the lecture morphing into a potential Prophetic dream. For those not familiar with the mythology of the Chosen One, Slayers are gifted, randomly, with prophetic dreams that give them a heads up on our weekly or seasonal villain, many times holding the key to salvation. For “Hush”, an innocent lecture gives way to night, the eerie warning of The Gentlemen caressing the shadows of the college halls.

“Can’t even shout. Can’t Even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows, looking in doors, they need to take seven and the might take yours. Can’t call to mum, can’t say a word. You’re going to die screaming but you won’t be heard.”

As Buffy follows the eerie song, she discovers a young girl holding a small box at the end of a hallway. In an instant, “Hush” takes on a reminiscent feel of the warning Nancy and others received in their dreams just before the arrival of Freddy Krueger. As a hand reaches for Buffy’s shoulder, what originally was love interest Riley (Marc Blucas) snaps into a terrifying bald, grey man, a permanent smile fixated on his face. While not immediately recognizable, as the episode finds Buffy waking to the end of her psychology class, keen-eyed viewers will discover that the episode not only finds inspiration in the classic slasher of the 80s, but visually in the 1928  culturally inspirational The Man Who Laughs.

Shhhhhhhh

The beginning of “Hush” spends a lot of time laying out the current conflicts between each of the characters, allowing for the events and conclusion of the episode to propel each character and storyline into the second half of the season. The episode continues normally for so long, you almost forget the quick visual introduction of The Gentlemen as you wait for this new villain to descend upon Sunnydale. Yet, when they do, it is not only eerie, but beautifully crafted, its success hanging on both the visual construction of The Gentlemen and the undeniably memorable performance of Doug Jones.

source: The WB Television Network/ United Paramount Network

As mentioned, The Gentlemen scream a call back to The Man Who Laughs. The smile fixated on their faces, most notably the lead Gentleman played by Doug Jones, feels like a modern dead ringer for Conrad Veidt’s Gwynplaine. With this comparison to the silent film of the late 1920s, the silence of “Hush” rings even louder. Coupled with this smile is the tall and lanky build of The Gentlemen, the grey hues of their skin color, deep set eyes and long boney fingers giving the chill factor. With the formal introduction of The Gentlemen, the clock tower rings midnight and their leader reaches ever so delicately for the box that, once opened, will steal all the voices of Sunnydale. As Jones reaches a bony hand, he almost caresses the air, his fingers dancing in the air, the feeling of capturing sound just before opening the box speaking to a sense of an art within a fairy tale rather than the horror within a story.

As the voices of Sunnydale are locked away, the town awakens, the terror not in the unseen, but in the unknown. There is a sense of mass hysteria lingering on the precipice of sanity as the Scooby Gang discovers their voices gone, as well as the town. Each sound effect occurs piercing in the deafening silence surrounding the cast. There is a beauty to the acting in these moments, the interactions in the absence of sound giving way to a memorable and unique episode for the series, as well as TV history. And while “Hush” lingers on the discoveries of the day, darkness holds the biggest terror yet.

The evening following the “epidemic of laryngitis”, The Gentlemen made their way out into the town, the very delicacy of the movement in their hands transferring to their bodies. For the first time, we see the gentlemen in full form, their bodies floating down the street, henchmen in straight jackets running beside them. What is striking is not only the elegance of their movement as they walk down the street, but the casualness of their quiet conversations – the smiles forever fixed on their faces. Conversation, however, gives way to discovery as they ponder which home and dorm they should knock on. Jones leanes into each aspect, painting the sense of an art in the fairy tale, all while crafting an elegance within the movements of horror.

source: The WB Television Network/ United Paramount Network

We see only one murder, that of a college student within Buffy’s dorm building. As he opens the door, the light outside gives a full and bright view of the horror he is forced to face in silence. As the henchmen grab him and pin him to his bed, he screams into the void, his absence of voice making it impossible to call for help. With the delicate movement of a scalpel, the leader of the gentlemen pierces his chest, bringing the prophecy of Buffy’s dream to full fruition.

Conclusion

Following the murders that evening, The Gentlemen make their way back to the clock tower, Buffy and the gang working to solve the mystery. As the leader of The Gentlemen shows off the hearts, each of the others claps in victory for the prizes they had harvested. With Three hearts acquired, there are still four more to go – and more terror to enact the following night.

As Giles (Anthony Head) discovers, The Gentlemen is a fairy tale fit for the Grimm Brothers, with only the scream from a princess able to stop them. As Buffy makes her way through the town to bring an end to The Gentlemen, the climactic battle ensues, the mythology of the Buffyverse propelled forward while Buffy and friends fight for their lives and for Sunnyvale. Discovering the box from her prophetic dream, Buffy regains her voice, her explosive scream bringing an end to the silence and The Gentlemen.

“Hush” is a solid episode within the entirety of the Buffy Universe, as well as a standout in the annals of TV history. As the episode closes, our characters find themselves once again in silence as they struggle to pick ups the pieces from the episode’s revelations, The Gentlemen not only brings danger and fairy tale drama, but a sharp dose of truth. While unlikely to terrify as it once may have in 1999, Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s “Hush” remains a vital moment in TV history – and the perfect TV rewatch for the horrific holiday season.