Dead Silence (2007) User Reviews

Better than many recent horror films

[spire65 · 7/10 · 19 March 2007]

Firstly, the story isn't bad at all, although it'll hardly win any awards. It's pretty difficult for horror movies to continually be original, and this certainly has some moments in it. The villain seems to have some originality; it's not some Chucky imitation. The story lacks depth, and the characters aren't fleshed out at all. The real point of this movie is to be a horror film and nothing more. After the first few (poor) scenes, this movie does one of two things: keep you waiting to jump or trying to make you jump. From the rest of the audience's reactions, I'd say it did a pretty good job at that.

The acting was nothing to write home about, but for this genre, it's more good than bad.

Overall, I would say this a horror movie that deserves a trip to the theater. Compared to many of the sad horror attempts that come out, this isn't too terrible. And it doesn't rely on an abundance of gore like many others do.

Still holds up well in 2019!

[abs-ghosh · 7/10 · 25 May 2019]

After watching the first few Saw movies, I kept thinking to myself that doll was creepy enough to have a horror movie based on itself and a few years later I found this gem and I have been revisiting it over the years since. Its 2019, and I just rewatched it again a few nights back with a friend and it was an entertaining ride.

The movie itself isn't any kind of a masterpiece. The acting, writing and plot are all rather average but there is some effective horror atmosphere and effects packed in and while the plot is nothing original or fresh its played straight in way that will keep you interested. Its a breezy movie that you can watch and enjoy with a roommate late night.

Pretty good

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 24 March 2007]

Story about Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) whose wife is killed--her tongue ripped out of her mouth--although there was only a ventriloquist's dummy in the house. Detective Jim Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) thinks Jamie is as guilty as hell...but he didn't do it. He traces it back to his home town and a dead lady ventriloquist named Mary Shaw and her creepy dummies.

This movie rightfully opens with the old Universal logo used in the 1930s. It fits--this is not a blood and guts movie. Heck it barely warrants an R rating! There's no nudity, sex, swearing and all the violence happens off screen. The views of the dead people--which are pretty gruesome--probably gave it the R.

This is a good solid horror film. It has some quiet creepy chills (especially at the beginning with the dummy on the bed) that really work on you--especially if you find dummies downright unsettling (like I do). There are some "jump" shocks with things leaping out at you--but not much. It has great music, nice direction (love how the maps become real) and has some truly eerie settings. The acting won't win any awards but it's pretty solid. Kwanten is good as the lead and Wahlberg has a few nice and purposefully funny moments in his role. It all leads up to a climax (on a dark and stormy night no less) and a final twist that works just great--even though it doesn't make a lot of sense. This is for those horror viewers that don't need blood and guts shoved in their face to enjoy a movie. I give it a 7.

Best line: "Who's the dummy now?"

Whatever Happens, Do not Scream!

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 16 November 2007]

In a rainy afternoon, the young couple Lisa (Laura Regan) and Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) anonymously receive a mysterious package with a weird dummy inside. Jamie leaves the apartment to buy Chinese food, and when he returns, he finds Lisa dead, totally disfigured and without her tongue. The snoopy detective Jim Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) blames Jamie as prime suspect. Jamie finds in the box a reference to their hometown and he drives to the decadent Ravens Fair for the funeral services of Lisa and to investigate the legend of the ventriloquist Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts). His father Edward Ashen (Bob Gunton) and his young wife Ella (Amber Valletta) disclose that the woman was accused in the glorious days of Ravens Fair in the 40's of abducting and killing a boy that yelled with her on the stage. The locals, including his father, chased her, cut out her tongue and killed her. On the next years, the cursed families and descendant of the killers has had mysterious and creepy deaths, with the tongues removed and faces disfigured. Jamie goes to the old theater in Lost Lake trying to find evidences of his innocence and discovers that Mary Shaw was constructing the perfect doll, and that the spirits have long memories.

I like ghost stories and "Dead Silence" is above the average of the genre. The film has a magnificent cinematography, reasonable performances but something was missing in the story to make it excellent. The surprising final twist does not give satisfactory answer why Jamie survived for so long. The explanation could be because he has not screamed along the story, but anyway I was not satisfied with the fast paced conclusion. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Gritos Mortais" ("Mortal Screams")

I quite enjoyed the evil exploits of the malevolently mannequin manipulating Mary Shaw and her supremely sinister 101 Dollnation!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 7/10 · 23 December 2021]

After a villainous ventriloquist's dummy is delivered to the home of handsome Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten), and his pretty wife Lisa (Laura Regen), this perfidious puppet very soon belies its inert demeanour, as 'Billy' utilizing murderous means most macabre dispatches Kwanten's pale Mia Farrow Lookalike wife in an especially jaw-droppingly diabolical manner! Thusly burdened with grief, our dishy widower high-tails it to his gloomily dilapidated Silent Hill-esque home-town in his ubiquitous Hollywood hero's muscle car in order to discover the possibility of there being some monstrous truth behind the childhood rhyme extolling the evil exploits of malevolent Mary Shaw and her supremely sinister 101 Dollnation had anything to do with his sinuous spouse's savage snuffing out! A goodly number of noughties 'horror' films are based on creepy urban legends, and James Wan's predictably jump-scare laden 'Dead Silence' rigorously maintains the zeitgeist. The sleekly fashioned fright-flick reeks of Hollywood artifice, from the screamingly obvious polystyrene tombs, plentiful usage of Fright Night fog, and delightfully hokey, hunchback-less Guignol theatre, wherein the grim-faced Mary Shaw's infamous legend was so menacingly born!

While the shocks are somewhat muted, perhaps in an attempt to avoid the boggle-eyed wrath of hissy missy Mary, the film's more endearing qualities are the delicious comedy stylings of a deadpan Donnie Wahlberg as the wryly disdainful cop Detective Lipton, his colourful performance increasing the faux-Gothic campery herein. For me, as a horror film-maker, Wan is a somewhat pallid practitioner, but the dude has legit comedy chops, to whit, the blackly funny, wickedly witty 'Tales From The Crypt' twist, and if all noughties horror titles were replete with a similarly cartoonish cynical cop like Donnie I'd be more of a fan! While 'Dead Silence' is about as scary as a mislaid till receipt, it proved to be all so fabulously absurd I couldn't help but dig it! Usually I relish the dire misfortune that descends so fatally upon the expensively coiffed heads of Hollywood's perfectly plastic protagonists, but in this rare instance I had enormous empathy for the dotty old dear gibbering benignly away in the mortician's cobwebbed cellar, this truly darling, whimsical white-haired octogenarian Marion Walker (Joan Heney), and dynamic cop Donnie got me rooting for 'em right till the final curtain, mayte! One of the more aesthetically pleasing aspects of 'Dead Silence' is the splendidly evocative chiaroscuro photography of talented DP John R. Lionetti, this gifted fellow also lensed the deliciously skewed, greatly underappreciated Lindsay Lohan oddity 'I Know Who Killed Me'.

Despite the script's clichés and minor confusions, this is a great entertainment option for horror fans

[fernandoschiavi · 6/10 · 26 December 2021]

When, in 2004, James Wan and Leigh Whannell ran, with just over $1 million and in just under a month, Saw, perhaps they did not imagine that they were performing what would be one of the best and most well- successful thrillers of a whole decade. The commercial success allowed young people to produce, with a much larger budget, sequences that, more technically sophisticated (mainly the second and third parts, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) were absolute blockbusters, projecting the Jigsaw character (played brilliantly by Tobin Bell) to the post of first great horror film villain of this millennium.

The duo James and Leigh were filling their pockets with cash and becoming more and more powerful in Hollywood, gaining creative and financial freedom for what would be their next project: Dead Silence (as the sum of the budgets of the first three films in the Death Games franchise was approximately $17 and a half million, the resources available to the duo in their new venture exceeded $20 million). For all that, great expectations were created around the release of Dead Silence. The original script was developed by James Wan and Leigh Whannell themselves, and according to the authors' definition, it is closer to the classic horror, and would even be inspired by the productions of the legendary Hammer (English producer responsible for the first color adaptations of Dracula and Frankenstein). Therefore, the plot would develop much more atmosphere and explore violence less than Death Games.

The story is sure to make many remember the endless saga of Child's Play, Chucky. To start the plot, an interesting and convenient explanation of the origin of the word "ventriloquist" and the legends about it is presented, which makes the story more intelligible. Introductions made, we are led to the scene in which Jamie (Ryan Kwanten) and Lisa Ashen (Laura Regan), happily married and living far from their birthplace, Raven's Fair, receive a strange ventriloquist puppet, which reminds them of ventriloquist Mary Shaw, who was murdered in the city for being suspected of kidnapping and killing children. As expected, after something strange happens, Jamie leaves, leaving his wife at home alone. And to his surprise (not ours, of course), he finds his wife dead in his bed, her tongue torn out. And, of course, Jamie is suspect number one. To try to prove his innocence, Jamie returns to his hometown, even though he is banned by court orders, willing to face the legend and put an end to the ghost of Mary Shaw.

Dead Silence is perhaps the most significant film for understanding why James Wan's artistic vision has made him the most popular name in horror in the 21st century. The filmmaker, in addition to presenting an expert and skillful mastery of the camera, able to involve the viewer in his accelerated rhythmic and instigating mystery, while also valuing the atmospheric construction of the ambiance for the fright - which may or may not come and then he's one of the best at handling the jump scare feature - on top of that, he has a broad repertoire in the genre, used very well to his advantage to coordinate the haunting effect of his stories making them seem bigger than they really are. Wan and Whannell work with super established clichés in horror, especially in terms of plot. There is a pre-plot formula used in this regard, starting with as little information as possible at the base and supporting the plot hole on a growing mystery of figuring out what the main threat is. Through this, Wan manipulates the very lines of his text, essentially superfluous as it is a beaten string of elements of the genre that everyone knows and he has a lot of repertoire, but which are very well directed in stages in the film to base their main villain on an iconography visual that is the mainstay for the effect of distorting the supposed complexity of the story.

The script, however, suffers from some structural problems and creates some unlikely situations, such as the "avenger" husband, who seems more interested in unraveling the mystery of the strange puppet, than suffering the violent death of his recently murdered wife or the policeman who pursues a murder suspect with no real commitment to arresting him. The little credibility of the characters and their motivations, as said, are not noticeable when we are involved in this atmosphere, conducted in the sequencing of scenes that may or may not cause fright, being those that yield this compensation for the fear created by being frightened, working because they are really very well-orchestrated, hidden to be released at the right moment when our psychological kind of gave up on them and the ones that don't, being an integral part of this process of momentary and atmospheric involvement that binds us to the film. This is because Wan's manipulation always keeps us very comfortable in terms of information that is given to us, where the director provides it on a platter, through flashbacks well fitted in the outline of the narrative, which makes us think that we are with him in the resolution of the mystery which invited us at first to participate, but actually makes it one step ahead, or at least provides a hiding place for a great piece of information, used in the climax as a twist.

This big turnaround is built more on the effect of quickly tying everything together in the edit by reminiscing about scenes than on the surprise, the revelation itself and how it fits into the storyline. It doesn't matter whether or not it makes logical sense or not, the Dead Silence doesn't do the slightest thing, but it closes the line to what he prioritizes as terror, which is to say what is the threat. In this way, the public ignores any breach of verisimilitude and concentrates on the ultimate confirmation of Mary Shaw's dangerousness, which he sustained the atmosphere to emphasize her iconography. The icing on the cake was not proving that the story was smarter than we were invited to immerse ourselves in it - even if that is a bit of the feeling when we didn't notice the connections beforehand - but rather that we were afraid while it was. Being told. The lack of verisimilitude only fits this, as the supernatural and the unknown, which were the minimal basis for investing in the mystery, are also confirmed. Apart from Charlie Clouser's soundtrack, which even derived from Mortal Games, is very good.

The great asset of "Dead Silence" is, without a doubt, the look. What we see on the screen is a real candy for our eyes. Everything works: the photography is chilling, the settings are extremely luxurious and the atmosphere old-fashioned. The kills are stylish, the makeup is really well done, and the special effects are great. From what our eyes see, the script could be a little more generous with our intellect, especially when it comes to the Wan/Whannel duo, much more was expected. The story, despite its immensely inspired points, is by no means innovative. Just the fact that you, when watching a movie, immediately remember another, already shows that the idea has already been used, and well explored. Any horror movie that involves puppets will take us back to "Toy Killer", which marked horror fans in the 90s. But that is not the greatest resemblance. The number of dolls, 101 in all, is unnecessary (here, 101 dolls are practically the same, and they do absolutely nothing). Despite the relative passivity of the puppets, the main one, Billy (Mary Shaw's great partner in her shows), gives the viewer good scares. But the main scene of the film, apart from the ending (which I'll tell you below), is when one of the duo's performances is shown in a flashback. It's from her that we can be sure that Mary Shaw's stories are, yes, true, and that her favorite doll isn't exactly just a doll.

The film becomes technically interesting due to the well-known combination of James Wan and the atmosphere of a script that seeks the right light for the final immersion. The quality and guarantee of a somber presentation of scenarios proposed as belonging to this category is the bastion used here to finish the great tale about Mary Shaw with style and without burning too much the balance line between the imaginary and the real revelations that for a short period of discovery orbit the main character. Like "Saw", presents an ending that leaves any spectator awestruck (of course, not in the same magnitude as "Saw" does), and this ends up being the highest point of the plot. Despite the script's clichés and minor confusions, this is a great entertainment option for horror fans. Just don't forget one thing: "Never, ever scream!"

Meh.

[DarthPaul85 · 5/10 · 16 March 2007]

What can I say...I liked Saw, I'm scared of Ventriloquist Dummiess, this movie was a sure hit, right? Well...

My expectations were fairly high, I suppose. I was expecting a more intellectual, (or maybe just more interesting) plot. Let me cover the things this movie did well and what it lacked.

On the good side, the movie had a nice style to it. There were some legitimately scary scenes (cinemagraphically). The music was also appropriate, and they definitely took some chances, which is nice to see.

However, the entire movie is based on a fairly generic concept, and a very uninspired script. Don't get me wrong, the movie "works," but there is nothing to this movie beyond its base concept- no depth, no real characterization, and honestly, very few explanations at all. The end should tie everything together, but instead reveals how shallow the story really is.

Bottom line, it's the kind of movie that could easily be lost in the sea of other generic horror movies out there. I almost feel the story may have worked better as a farce, because it just didn't try hard enough as a horror.

Nightmare fuel with something creepy for everyone

[MessyStinkman · 8/10 · 17 March 2007]

If you have nightmares easily, I suggest staying away from this film: it's pure nightmare fuel. If you have an active imagination, you could have trouble sleeping with the film's imagery burned into the back of your eyeballs.

The story's intriguing enough. There just aren't enough horror films these days about menacing old ventriloquist ladies that are buried with their creepy dolls, who have come back from the dead to seek vengeance on the families that put her in the grave, by tearing out their tongues. The atmosphere is heavy, the creepy music is provided by SAW'S Charlie Clouser, the colors are washed out, and the sets are surreal.

Many will dismiss it as a formulaic, clichéd horror film. The SAW creators, who are huge horror fans, have fun making their own version of the American horror film by throwing in plenty of classic tropes such as the wise-cracking detective (Donnie Wahlberg) and the crazy old lady that knows more than she should.

I was pleased that the film didn't shy away from gore: it wasn't gratuitous, but it did enhance the horror. Most ghost stories tend to be separate from the gore flicks (I'm a fan of both), but I always enjoy seeing them combined. Another aspect that was interesting was the "silence" mode that signaled the presence of evil.

It's got plenty of horror elements to provide scares: aged film, folk tales, singing children, antique furniture, voice recordings fading out, flickering lights, dead loved ones beckoning from beyond the grave, photographs of dead families, cackling old women, wide-eyed dolls, billowing curtains, plenty of thunder and lightning, open caskets, dank crawlspaces, and a pervading sense of evil throughout.

Critics won't dig it, but I've shown it to two groups of friends and the majority were terrified and claimed it to be one of the scariest movies they'd seen. If you're a fan of atmospheric horror that aims to creep you to the bone, you should be more than pleased.

To make the perfect doll. Creepy.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 29 June 2007]

James Wan, who gave us SAW, writes and directs this creepy ghost story. Jamie Ashen(Ryan Kwanten)receives a ventriloquist dummy in the mail. Sender unknown. Moments later, as he is out of the apartment, his young wife Lisa(Laura Regan)is murdered and her tongue is ripped out. Jamie returns to his hometown of Ravens Fair to unravel a children's nursery rhyme that may give him clues to his wife's death. The rhyme is about a woman named Mary Shaw, who was a ventriloquists that was murdered and buried with 101 or her "children", a collection of hand made dummies for her act in vaudeville. The small town at one time lived in fear because of mysterious and haunting deaths possibly related to Mary Shaw. Tension is thick as bricks. The atmosphere is creepy. Perfect for a good scare. Also in the cast: Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Fairman, Amber Valletta and Judith Roberts.

Entertaining for all the wrong reasons

[slicedbread · 5/10 · 17 March 2007]

I have come to expect one thing from horror movies; stupid characters. It's sort of a compromise. I suspend disbelief that anyone would really be as stupid as people in horror movies because if the people in horror movies where smart, there wouldn't be nearly enough horror.

This movie, however, starred a PAINFULLY stupid protagonist. It will seriously blow you away. You've most likely heard the proverbial "Don't go in there!" in a movie theater during a horror film. This movie was more like "Don't go into the creepy haunted mansion while making sure that you don't have any weapons and no one knows where you are".

I'll give you a few examples (in case you couldn't figure it out SPOILERS COME HERE). At one point in the movie, Henry (a mortician who encountered the evil scary ventriloquist lady during his childhood) finds his mentally disturbed wife trying to talk to the creepy ventriloquist lady's doll (which, he finds entirely reasonable to keep inside his house). He puts the doll "back where it belongs" and then continues to go about his business. He then hears what he thinks is his wife crying in a crawl space (for lack of a better term) that she likes to hang out in. He goes in to apologize, and unsurprisingly the door shuts behind him. Also unsurprisingly, this dude doesn't make it to the end of the movie. This scene had me screaming "BUT HE KNEW SHE WAS BAD!" Okay, in words his actions sound a bit more reasonable, but wait, there's more.

The movie begins with our hero and his new wife receiving a mysterious package that is merely dropped on their doorstep. They open it, creepy doll. Our hero walks out to get takeout. Of course it wouldn't be a good idea to talk to the police now that someone is leaving random dolls on his doorstep, oh yea, did I mention the package had no stamps or addresses on it? Couldn't be that maybe whoever left this random package here might come back, right? Our hero gets home to find a bunch of blood on the floor. His wife's voice beckons him into their room, where he finds her dead. The cops (actually cop) clearly think that our hero is the killer. The next day our hero returns to the house to pick up the creepy doll. After all, it's not like he could tell something creepy was going on by virtue of the fact that he heard his DEAD wife talking to him.

Let's keep going. At one point our hero is trudging his way through the creepy theater (more about the theater in the last paragraph). They both know something is going on, they have both realized (at least I hope they have) that the creepy ventriloquist lady intends to kill them. While investigating a scary noise, our hero hands his lantern to the cop, who has a shotgun. Now, this action was already dumb enough, the cop needs two hands to use the shotgun effectively. But the cop is even dumb enough to take the lamp with his right hand! So if they should suddenly get attacked they wouldn't have a prayer of getting a shot off.

All of this, however, is NOTHING compared to the horrendous stupidity that occurs near the end of the film. The cop shows up to arrest our hero, announcing that all the dolls have been dug up (by the way, creepy ventriloquist lady had 101 dolls, sounds like a Disney movie!) and accuses our hero of being responsible. Unsuccessfully he tries to arrest our hero, but then his stepmother walks in with a telephone, announcing he has a phone call.

Okay, prepare for this.

The caller is Henry (the mortician), who has a terrible connection, Henry announces that he has a way to prove our hero is innocent of the murder of his wife. Henry asks our hero to meet him at the abandoned theater that the creepy ventriloquist lady once performed in, immediately, at night. Apparently our hero concludes that this miracle evidence the mortician found to clear our hero's name can't be revealed to him in broad daylight at, I don't know, maybe Henry's FLIPPIN' HOUSE?!?!?! Seriously, what is this guy thinking? If the evidence is SO urgent that, for some reason, he has to be told about it TONIGHT, then how does he ever expect to keep it until HIS TRIAL? Remember, our hero should have learned early on that the creepy ventriloquist lady can mimic voices, she mimicked his wife's voice when he found her dead body.

Not only this, the theater sits at the opposite side of a creek from the rest of town. There was once a bridge, now one must take a boat (for some reason some person sees fit to leave a perfectly good boat for the mere purpose of crossing from one side of a creek to another. And the two boats that sit there, seemingly not tied to anything, never seem to drift away). Our hero is so dumb he doesn't figure out that Henry requires a boat to get to the theater too, and there are only two boats, both of which are on the opposite side of the creek from the theater.

The problem with the whole last 20 minutes of this movie is that it seems as though our hero wants to get killed. In fact the movie in general made me appreciate the intelligence of all the other horror movie characters I've ever seen.

That being said, this movie actually was entertaining. The scares were solid (mostly), and the stupidity of the characters actually added to the entertainment value. I don't know if I can say I got my money's worth, so I suggest you wait for the rental, but I would at least say it is worth watching.

Oh my God... I missed this kind of movie.

[nanafanboy · 8/10 · 22 March 2007]

I thought the age of the horror movie was coming to an end. Occasionally there are a few gems (The Descent was excellent)but for the most part horror has been replaced by torture porn (saw, saw 2, saw 3, The Hills Have Eyes, and especially Hostel). Dead Silence has thankfully come to show us that Hollywood can still make a scary picture.

This movie is a throwback to the golden age of horror films. This is a Williams Castle sort of movie... a Vincent Price sort of movie. The filmmakers realized that all a horror movie actually has to do is be scary... and that is exactly what this movie is.

Atmosphere, jumps, startles, and eerie dolls. This movie is creepy as hell.

A little note though... don't go into this film with the attitude that it will suck... and don't pick it apart bit by bit. Just sit back and enjoy. The movie wants to to take you on a ride. You should just strap in and feel the terror that is Dead Silence.

Ignore others poor ratings

[Misss25 · 7/10 · 19 February 2022]

I loved it. For me it is best after Conjuring movie series. At least it has story. Otherwise, all horror repeat the same storyline again and again. It's worth watching and keep me at the edge of the seat whole time.

Too many storylines, and yet still not enough

[aidanratesmovies · 5/10 · 3 May 2021]

A bizarre tale jammed packed with too many storylines, Dead Silence is far from a bad film, but it's too much of a mess to be a good one either. I feel like Dead Silence would much better work today as a small limited series on Netflix or HBO, someone with the budget to handle it, and the lack of studio interference that so obviously corrupted this film. The worst thing about Dead Silence is that it could have been a great film, there are quite a few good moments at opposite ends of this film, but sadly it's just rather bland. The cinematography is a bland gray all the way throughout, and the CGI we see towards the end is absolutely horrendous. The makeup, and special effects with it (when its not using CG) is absolutely excellent- and we have some truly great moments of imagery and costume design which I largely credit to the designer- who of course is a Cronenberg. The performances vary from mediocre to odd, no one really sticks out, and the film never truly decides how it wants to portray its characters- except for that of Mary Shaw. The flashback scenes containing her are fascinating, and the opening scene with our main character's wife is fun and terrifying. There is some fun to be had with the film, some delightfully creepy moments throughout. However, this is largely overshadowed by the films mundane way of telling its story, dragging out so thin it can be painful to watch. It's also full of cliches and awkward lines that you can tell just don't sit right. It feels unfinished, and it feels rushed, and I know Wan and Weighnell certainly didn't intend it to be that way. In the end, Dead Silence is a studio mishmash that will most likely be forgotten- but hopefully in the future, better things will come for it- in one reboot I wouldn't mind seeing.

My Rating: 5.3/10.

Underrated

[DJ2_Freeman · 7/10 · 5 November 2022]

Okay let me start off by stating that this isn't the greatest horror movie or amazing by any means. But I think it's underrated or not given enough credit. For a film that is 15 years old it holds up pretty well except for the CGI and the plot isn't great. Dead silence is a film about the curse of Mary Shaw, where if you scream she'll kill you (I don't want to spoil much so I won't say to much) and she targets Jamie ashen, and Jamie must find out why she is targeting him by going back to his old home ravensfair to uncover the secret. The plots pretty simple and nothing crazy, but where this movie shines is it's atmosphere, Cinematography, acting, soundtrack and tense slow build scary moments. Now there still are jumpscares in this but there's also lots of slower intense moments and very disturbing parts which makes it way scarier to me rather than having constant loud jumpscares that are mainly scary because of the loud sound, and again this movie does have one or 2 but there's way more creepy moments that will have you at the edge of your seat or creeped out. The shots are also done very well and the transitions are awesome. The soundtrack is definitely memorable and fits the movie well. The acting is decent enough and I think the flashback scene in the theatre is one of my favourite scenes in the movie for its tone and the acting of judith Anna roberts, genuinely creepy scene. The film style/look is a bit dark and colourless which fits perfectly for such a dark movie like this. And the ending will definitely surprise you! Overall it's a pretty decent movie that is worth the watch if you haven't seen it already. It gets a 7/10 from me, I came in not expecting something good but I was surprised and creeped out. I can agree with people who do give it 6. It's understandable for those who thought the plot was boring. I think this movie could've been better if it was 2-2.5 hours to expand on the characters and the story and backstory. I hope one day they revisit this series and make a sequel or remake that it deserves.

Darkness Falls Meets Childs Play

[canadian_roughneck · 7/10 · 18 July 2007]

You Know, These days there is not a lot of good horror movies coming out. But this one actually surprised me in a good way. The plot wasn't bad, the acting was pretty good and it managed to be pretty creepy. I Noticed that this movie resembled Darkness Falls in a certain way, the way that it was an old woman who was murdered for a crime and came back to haunt those who represent those who did wrong to her in the past. In Darkness falls, if you look in her eyes, you die..In Dead Silence, if you scream, you die. It was still a pretty good movie with a good twist ending.

Go give it a try. It may surprise you.

7/10

Creepy movie with a really good twist

[atinder · 7/10 · 6 June 2010]

This was entertaining movie at part it movie dose drag but not for long , i did find the doll to be really creepy , this movie did have great atmosphere in every scenes which i really liked,.

The deaths in this movie not gory but there are some bloody death, saying that wasn't even that much blood in this movie.

The acting in this movie was really good from the whole cast.

I really liked the movie but wow the twist at the end of the movie shocked hell out me, i did not see that coming at all, it was one hell of a twist and it worked really well, the twist at the end of the movie made the movie a little bit better.

I going to give this movie 7 out 10

Starts With A Promise But Only Goes Downhill After That

[CinemaClown · 6 August 2021]

From the creators of Saw comes a supernatural terror that begins on a promising note but soon gets bogged down by issues of its own makings. Dead Silence features an interesting premise and even impresses with some of its horror elements but the idiotic characters the story inhabits & the awful decisions they keep making continues lowering our investment in the outcome.

Directed by James Wan (Insidious & The Conjuring), the event that sets the plot into motion is executed rather well as Wan employs old-school setups that deliver the results. Yet it doesn't take long for the shortcomings in the script to be exposed. Wan does quite well to bestow the surroundings with a disquieting feel & chilling aura but the narrative unfolding at the centre is too bland & predictable.

The protagonist is never for once compelling and his actions throughout the picture are just facepalm-inducing. What works in the film's favour is the phantasmic atmosphere, effective build-ups, smart camerawork & Charlie Clouser's excellent score. But it's just not enough to mask all the glaring problems. Performances are forgettable from all and the roles they play are also devoid of any personality whatsoever.

Overall, Dead Silence opens with a thrilling sequence and only goes downhill after that. The germs of a potentially terrifying genre flick are there but when the basic storytelling aspects aren't properly covered then even the good parts don't amount for much. Wan's deft eye for horror helps make the ride bearable to some extent but all in all, this is one dull, derivative & disappointing product that starts with a promise yet only gets worse as it progresses.

Just Another Doll Movie

[zmaultsby · 1/10 · 26 October 2007]

I love horror films and have seen tons and although this movie starts out great I must say, it was one of the hokiest horror movies I've ever seen. This statement sadly made considering the entertaining writing duo of the 'Saw' series. I can't wait for number four! I guess creativity is difficult to come by and originality even more so because there are other doll-comes-to-life horror genres. There was just too many instances that reminded me of 'Saw'. The final dummy near the end, looked more like a clown and very close to the talking doll in the 'Saw' franchise. Using Wahlberg again only hindered in tying the two films together comparatively. Can't he find work elsewhere? The frozen horror, facial masks were very reminiscent of 'The Ring.' The acting was not all that superb either. Wahlberg portrayed pretty much the same character as before and the lead character of Jamie hit a couple of rough spots when he didn't seem to know what he was suppose to be doing. When Jamie first heard Mary Shaw's name from Marion, Henry's wife at the cemetery - it didn't occur to him to question what Marion knew then. He waited until much later but even in her state of dementia, she knew what to do and what not to do.

It was so ridiculous how the old man Henry, kept saying that the town doesn't dare speak Mary Shaw's name and he did it over and over. It took a lot of the sting out of any believability that all the residents were afraid. The scenes where Henry describes Mary Shaw's dying wish to be made into a doll herself was/is completely unethical for a mortician to do. I understand the 'suspension of disbelief' but shouldn't even fantasy appear to be as close to reality as possible - so that it is scarier? Having the final dummy say to Jamie that it wants to whisper something in his ear was just plain bogus. They are supposedly so afraid of the thing and then all of a sudden, he becomes brave enough to get close in order to get a good face licking? Please.... And since the wife was murdered, there would have been an inquest and the autopsy would have revealed she was pregnant, way before we find out near the end.

I agree with an earlier post that the story could have been flushed out more. In addition, there should have been more scenes of Mary Shaw because she was creepy enough all by lonesome. That doll Billy had nothing on her. There should have been flashback scenes of Mary Shaw doing gruesome things so the audience could appreciate a good scare, or at the very least give the appearance that she had something to do with the little boy's disappearance. Jamie couldn't even remember the fairy tale, let alone who Shaw was, so how could viewers be frightened unless we were privy to how sick Mary could really get? The best part of the entire film for me was when all sound completely stopped; while waiting to see what happens next.

I didn't understand the ending and why the step mother became the perfect doll or what she had to do with the families' history. And since she lived, she apparently was never really a part of the Ashen clan. I mean if she was actually a doll that Shaw created and she was obviously helping Shaw, then this could have been clearer and not so confusing in the film's finale.

Refreshing Horror Tale.

[drownsoda90 · 9/10 · 16 March 2007]

"Dead Silence" is a movie that I had been highly anticipating ever since I saw the trailer for it. I just got back from seeing it and I wasn't disappointed at all. The film follows Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten), who, after receiving a mysterious puppet, returns home to find his wife, Lisa (Laura Regan) murdered. With a detective (Donnie Wahlberg) convinced he is the murderer, Jamie returns to his childhood town of Raven's Fair, where a legendary ghost story is told. The story is about a woman named Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who was murdered after being suspected of murder. She was buried with her massive amount of dolls and puppets as well. After her death, it seems she has been taking revenge on the townspeople, when numerous families are found dead with their tongues missing. Jamie takes it upon himself to solve the legend and curse before he becomes the next victim.

Directed/co-written by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, the men who brought us the successful "Saw" series, are also behind this splendidly spooky horror film. Originality is a hard thing to find in the horror genre these days, but this film manages to sluff off most of the typical horror set-ups and create an interesting and compelling story. This is quite a turn around from the "Saw" franchise, which, while it is a good series, has become more of a gore fest than anything. On the other hand, "Dead Silence" is a supernatural horror film with a very well written story. Character development is strong, and the acting helps that out as well, which is always a plus. Ryan Kwanten, an Australian actor, plays the lead role and is very believable. Donnie Wahlberg (of "Saw II" and "Saw III") plays a skeptical detective, and Amber Valetta ("What Lies Beneath") plays Jamie's new stepmother. All of the acting was really believable, I didn't see any below-average performing here.

Puppets and ventriloquism are main themes in the plot, which might sound a little clichéd. I suppose it is, puppets and dolls have become almost a joke in the genre because they are so over-used (as well as creepy little children, among other things), but since they are in the core basis of the plot, they actually come off as being scary. People who have that fear of dolls and/or puppets would be advised to steer clear of this film. There is some great sets in the film as well. The entire town of Raven's Fair has a heavily Gothic tone to it, almost to the point of complete surrealism. The sets are spooky and appropriately so, because it really adds the atmosphere of the movie. The villain/ghostly ventriloquist Mary Shaw, was actually quite terrifying. Her makeup effects made her one creepy looking woman. As for the gore, those expecting anything close to the over-abundance of violence in the "Saw" films will be disappointed. This film doesn't contain much gore - it has a little, but it doesn't use typical violence and graphic gore to get some scares out of the audience. I loved the way the movie ended as well. It's a twist-ending, but don't let that put you off - it works well with the rest of the movie, it's not one of those "bad movie twists". It was very unexpected and very well-written.

Overall, "Dead Silence" is a refreshing, semi-unique horror movie. The storyline is original enough, and the creepy themes and atmospheric setting add to its overall effect. Don't expect a gore fest though, because the violence is pretty tame compared to what you'd see in the "Saw" films. If you like James Wan and Leigh Whannell's work, I'd really recommend seeing this - it's a pleasant change from your typical horror films, and a nice change of pace from their previous work. It has a few flaws here and there, but it's such an enjoyable movie that all of that is forgivable in the end. Very refreshing. 9/10.

Raven's Fair-A Quiet Place To Live.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 14 March 2012]

Dead Silence is directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. It stars Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg, Bob Gunton and Judith Roberts. Music is by Charlie Clouser and cinematography by John R. Leonetti.

"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children, only dolls, and if you see her in your dreams, be sure to never ever scream"

Autonomatonophobia-Fear of ventriloquist's dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues - anything that falsely represents a sentient being.

The Autonomatonophobia angle is important in the context of how much you enjoy/get scared by Wan and Whannell's first venture out of the Saw franchise they created. On that level, along with a sprinkle of menacing clown play for the Coulrophobic, Dead Silence knocks it out of the park. The imagery of freaky dolls and dummies is excellently handled by Wan, who along with his deft knack for spooky atmospherics and setting of a scene, shows a gushing obligation to chill his viewers. Production design is a blend of Universal Studios old school and Lynchian weird, with the town of Raven's Fair a wonderful ghost town creation, and the vengeful Mary Shaw ghost at the centre of proceedings is high on the old hag scary scale. The surface of Dead Silence is excellent, but what lies beneath is shallow and unlikely to induce Autonomatonophobia in those fortunate to not be spooked by model critters.

The story itself is just a little old hat, even if the doll/dummies angle adds a fresh spin on it. Be it Woman in Black (Herbert Wise), The Drop of Water (Mario Bava), Darkness Falls (Jonathan Liebesman) or Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven) for a handful of examples, regardless of the quality of film, stories of this type have been well enough served already. Whannell's distinctly average script adds some jolts and twists, which apart from the daft reveal at the finale (seriously it's on a par with Orphan's WTF twist), keeps the undemanding horror faithful entertained. But it's a missed opportunity to instill a new fear into those horror fans searching for a new high, it's lazy writing and forces the roll call of dolls and dummies to carry the movie on their own. Too many occasions crop up that bewilder the viewer, the opening kicks it off by having two people barely bat an eyelid when a Ventriloquist Dummy is mysteriously delivered to their home! And on it goes from there, without a semblance of thinking outside the Autonomatonophobic box.

Sadly the cast aren't up to the task of imbuing the weak plot with any amount of human drama. Kwanten isn't strong enough to lead the picture, Wahlberg struggles in a barely realised (and near pointless) role, Gunton is wasted: a victim of plot dynamics as it turns out, and Valletta, whilst pretty as a picture, is just filing in for a role that any pretty blonde actress could play on any given day. Support players Laura Regan and Michael Fairman do better at performance level, and Roberts adds a bit of creepy class for the Mary Shaw flash back sequences. Sound work is well orchestrated, with Clouser's score able to fray the nerves and Wan's decision to use silence to herald impending terror works clinically well and Leonetti's photography is suitably at one with the atmospherics required for the Raven's Fair segments, with lurid reds, shifting shadows and filtered fog all hitting the spot.

As someone who is tinged by Autonomatonophobia and Coulrophobia, I had a scary old time with the film, often finding myself breathing heavy and peeking through fingers when the camera fell on one of Mary Shaw's model creations. But that's about the level Dead Silence plays at, it's restricted in who it will scare. Meaning that even allowing for some undoubted technical flourishes (Wan undeniably has a horror talent), Dead Silence rates about 7/10 to people like me, but below that for the non dummy phobics.

Another cartoonish horror film!

[Maciste_Brother · 1/10 · 28 January 2008]

The state of horror films keeps deteriorating with the release of DEAD SILENCE, a super slick looking horror film which is as scary and deep as an episode of Scooby Doo.

The idea of ventriloquists and horror have already been used in previous films, so the concept is not that original but the film's pursuit of a "surprise" ending, which wasn't really a surprise, is THE only thing going for it and it is so lame and improbable that whatever credibility the film had before evaporated in an instant. The ending is truly one for the books.

Who keeps making these god-awful horror films that look like a forgotten episode for a cheesy TV show on The CW?

An Amazing Horror Movie

[Grojniar · 9/10 · 28 March 2022]

This was awesome. The writing was amazing and the cast was perfectly picked. The atmosphere was great and the mood was consistent. At the risk of sounding bias I want to say that I love movies about puppets, dolls and dummies, so this movie had my attention for awhile and I'm glad I finally got around to reviewing it. This movie was honestly the highlight of my day and I recommend it to anyone that has already seen it.

Yawn... should I be scared yet?

[acoker529 · 3/10 · 29 June 2007]

I'm a lover of the full gamut of scary movies. Thrillers, gross-out, cheesy... I see the strengths of each. I put Dead Silence on my list of movies to see when I saw the trailer. How can you go wrong? Creepy Dolls? Check! Scary old ladies? Check! Haunting local urban legend? Check! Sounds like the formula for a good nail biting, edge of the seat night. Except... after the initial creepiness factor quickly wore off, the whole movie became dull. What tried to pass as suspense came of as slow pacing. What tired to pass as flashes of horror came of as laughable. While I commend the director for not jumping to the go-to over the top gore factor that has become so common, I found myself silently urging the movie to "do something!". Even the big reveal ending was boring as easy to figure out ten minutes into the film (using the term loosely, of course).

Dead silence is an apt name for the film. Not a scream, a giggle, or a gasp escaped my lips during the viewing.

DEAD SILENCE will not disappoint

[swingerscf97 · 16 March 2007]

Haven't seen a better horror/thriller/amazing movie since the original SAW. Wan and Whannell are truly gifted, the movie had people jumping out of there seats. We laughed, we cried, we crapped ourselves, what a blast. A brilliant 360 from SAW where the W's really go back to the glory days of horror. The soundtrack alone will scare you and I don't even want to mention the dolls because i don't want to have nightmares again tonight. From start to finish this is nothing but a joyride. Donnie Wahlberg is hilarious and is perfect for the role written by Whannell. The sound design triggers that "oh s*it" part of your brain and when it hits, you'll know it. FORCE your friends to go with you, no one will be disappointed. GO SEE THIS MOVIE.

Underappreciated

[lornastone · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

Grieving his murdered wife, a young man returns back to his childhood home to investigate the story of a local legend who might have something to do with his wife's murder.

Filled to the brim with foggy small town atmosphere, Dead Silence is an unusual film in the cannon of James Wan's horror work. It's far from the brutality of Saw and it's not quite the crowd pleasing jump scare festivals from The Conjuring universe. It does feature a few truly scary and haunting images and an amusingly odd final twist.