Tales from the Darkside: “Hush” (S4E18)

As Tales from the Darkside inched toward its series finale, it delivered one of its most unexpectedly inventive episodes with “Hush.” This entry leans more into the “Twilight Zone”-style morality play than traditional horror, and it’s all the better for it. With an imaginative premise, a solid performance from a future star, and some well-executed suspense, “Hush” manages to be both chilling and strangely sweet.

Plot Summary

“Hush” revolves around young Billy, a boy tormented by an obnoxiously loud baby brother. Billy can’t concentrate, sleep, or do anything without being assaulted by nonstop wailing. Enter Aunt Belle, a slightly eccentric family member who gifts him an odd contraption: a bizarre-looking vacuum device that she claims can suck up sound.

Billy, curious and desperate, uses it on the baby’s cries—and it works. But as you might guess, the power to silence the world has darker consequences than just a quiet nursery. When Billy’s babysitter and others start to experience the device’s effects, the episode takes a sinister turn.

What Works

High-Concept Simplicity

The central gimmick—a machine that vacuums up sound—is pure speculative fiction gold. It’s simple, memorable, and instantly unnerving. The eeriness of silence becomes the real horror here, especially as the stakes escalate. In that sense, “Hush” channels the kind of minimalist genius found in short stories by Ray Bradbury or Roald Dahl.

Solid Direction and Pacing

The episode’s direction is tight and efficient, managing to make a relatively small-scale story feel increasingly tense. The use of silence (of course) is well-integrated into the suspense. The scenes where characters discover they can no longer speak—or hear—are surprisingly unsettling.

A Young Jared Rushton

Billy is played by Jared Rushton (best known for Big and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids), and he turns in a strong performance. He’s sympathetic and believable—not an easy task in an episode that could’ve easily turned him into a cliché brat or horror-movie villain.

Aunt Belle – Mysterious and Memorable

Aunt Belle’s role as the enigmatic gift-giver is just the right amount of cryptic and charming. She’s like a blend of Mary Poppins and the shopkeeper from “Needful Things.” Her motives are ambiguous, which makes her final appearance all the more eerie.

What Doesn’t Work

Slightly Rushed Ending

The biggest flaw with “Hush” is its conclusion. Once the machine’s true power is realised, the episode ends rather abruptly. We’re left with a haunting image, but it would’ve benefited from an extra minute or two to let the fallout breathe.

Limited Exploration of the Device

The sound vacuum is such a brilliant concept that it almost feels underutilised. We see it used on the baby, the babysitter, and briefly on a phone, but the episode hints at more potential chaos than it fully delivers.

Themes: The Desire for Silence, and the Price of Control

“Hush” plays with a classic idea: Be careful what you wish for. Billy wants peace and quiet, but the episode deftly explores how removing something unpleasant (like noise) can also strip away what makes life feel alive. Sound isn’t just an annoyance—it’s communication, connection, even comfort.

There’s also a subtle commentary on power and responsibility. Giving a child a device that removes others’ ability to speak or scream? That’s a pretty loaded metaphor. As Billy begins to understand the machine’s potential, he also confronts the ethical limits of control.

The Ending (Spoilers Ahead)

The final moments pack a low-key punch. After a series of soundless incidents—including a disturbing scene where someone is left unable to scream—Billy turns the device on his nagging mother. She falls silent… possibly permanently.

The last shot implies Billy is beginning to understand the consequences of his actions, but it doesn’t spell anything out. It’s an ambiguous, morally grey fadeout that fits Darkside’s best traditions.

Final Thoughts: Subtle, Smart, and a Little Spooky

“Hush” might not be a gorefest or ghost story, but it’s one of the cleverest entries in Season 4. It’s a bottle episode in the best sense—focused, well-acted, and centred around a single chilling idea. The horror here is psychological and conceptual, not visceral.

With a tighter ending and just a touch more exploration of its sci-fi element, it could’ve been an all-timer. But even as is, “Hush” earns its place as one of the standout episodes from the later seasons.

Who Would Enjoy This Episode?

• Fans of speculative fiction and high-concept horror
• Viewers who like eerie, moralistic stories in the Twilight Zone mould
• Parents who need a reminder that peace and quiet may come at a price

Who Might Not Enjoy It?

• Viewers who want jump scares or overt supernatural horror
• Anyone looking for fast pacing or heavy plot twists

Final Verdict: An Inventive, Quietly Haunting Tale with a Killer Concept

If you’re into creepy parables that use simple sci-fi gadgets to unpack big ideas, “Hush” delivers. Just don’t use it on your baby brother—unless you’re ready for the Darkside to respond.