Dead Silence (2007)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

James Wan

Writers:

Leigh Whannell (screenplay)
James Wan (story) ...

Release Date:

16 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You scream. You die.

Plot:

A widower returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist.

Plot Keywords:

Ventriloquist | Ghost | Detective | Dummy | Revenge

Cast

Ryan Kwanten	...	Jamie Ashen
Amber Valletta	...	Ella Ashen
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Det. Lipton
Michael Fairman	...	Henry Walker
Joan Heney	...	Marion Walker
Bob Gunton	...	Edward Ashen
Laura Regan	...	Lisa Ashen
Dmitry Chepovetsky	...	Richard Walker
Judith Roberts	...	Mary Shaw
Keir Gilchrist	...	Young Henry
Steven Taylor	...	Michael Ashen
David Talbot	...	Priest
Steve Adams	...	1941 Detective
Shelley Peterson	...	Lisa’s Mom
Enn Reitel	...	Billy (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and images.

Runtime:

89 min | 92 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #42784) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M (unrated version) | Australia:M | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Elora, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

"Billy" was not only the name of one of the dummies in this movie, but also the name of the puppet used by the Jigsaw killer in the "Saw" movies, also created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan.

Goofs:

Continuity: During scene in motel room, Jamie's wedding band switches hands and disappears several times.

Quotes:

Det. Jim Lipton: [walks up to Jamie] Can you help me with a missing persons case? I’m looking for a male.
[points to Jamies Head]
Det. Jim Lipton: Bout this tall. Sometimes seen with a hand up his ass.

Movie Connections:

References Saw (2003)

Soundtrack:

Who's Holding You Now?

Traditional ghost story with enough scares to keep you entertained

If you have nightmares easily, I suggest staying away from this film: it's pure nightmare fuel. If you have an overactive 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 music is provided by Charlie Clouser (from Saw), the colors are washed out, and the sets are creepy.

Many will dismiss it as a formulaic, tired, 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 stock characters such as the witty detective (Donnie Wahlberg) and the crazy old lady that spouts omens.

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, nursery rhymes, folk tales, singing children, antique furniture, voice recordings fading out, lights not working, loved ones disappearing when you need them the most, dead loved ones beckoning from beyond the grave, photographs of dead families posed on chairs with their tongues cut out, a grinning old dead woman with white hair and a colonial black dress floating towards the screen, wide-eyed dolls, blinking hotel lights, billowing curtains, thunder and lightning, open caskets and graves, funeral homes, dank crawlspaces, and a pervading sense of evil throughout.

I'd give it between a 6 and 7. Critics won't dig it, but if you're a fan of creepy horror (like me) you should be more than pleased.