Netflix Review: Dead Silence [2007]

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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In the wake of his young bride’s mysterious death, grieving newlywed Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) is forced to return to his haunted hometown, where he butts heads with the ghost of a creepy ventriloquist who was infamously murdered years ago. Amber Valletta and Donnie Wahlberg co-star in this chilling horror offering from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the same team that created the Saw trilogy.

“From the writers and director of Saw” begins the trailer (also, look closely at the DVD cover). Because apparently that’s the only way to get people to watch it, right? I mean, the main doll is named Billy, after the Jigsaw Killer’s tricycle-rider, and he appears in a cameo in the film’s third act. These two are signs of a classic.

Ryan Kwanten (True Blood’s Jason Stackhouse) stars in this thriller of a tale about a haunted dummy. It’s light on backstory and heavy on creepiness, as it plays with deviously creepy things in the fist place. Dolls. Ventriloquist dolls.

If you aren’t afraid of ventriloquist dolls, then this movie is just run-of-the-mill terror. Scares where they belong, a couple of weird characters, an estranged father, and of course, the scary old lady who is so good at her job that she can talk at the same time as the dummies.

I don’t remember why exactly the dummies were real living beings. Maybe the writers—remember, this came from the people who made Saw—couldn’t figure something out and hoped we wouldn’t notice. Or maybe it was deemed so farfetched they didn’t bother with one. Or maybe they didn’t think the audience would need one. Or maybe I missed it because I was getting bored in between frights. Or maybe they said it and I just thought it was so stupid I blocked it from memory.

Anyway, there are only two reasons I found to make this movie worth watching, though I even consider “worth watching” a stretch. The first is the flashback sequence, to the days of old, when Mary Shaw wasn’t a ghost story who ripped your tongue out when you screamed, but a little old codgerete of a ventriloquist. Her show is cute until the one kid in the middle of the audience points out her moving lips, and then it just gets creepy. In a good way. But only if you hate dolls.

The other thing I liked about it was the twist ending. It was the same kind of ending that made you want to watch Saw again with a more analytical eye, though in this movie it’s not as an exciting twist. But in the tradition of letting you discover that for yourself (should you want to), I will not reveal this movie’s ending.

Overall, this movie adds nothing new to the genre of killer dolls, and I’d only recommend it for the “wonderful” performances of the stars and supporting characters. Especially Donnie Wahlberg, who just can’t seem to get a clean shave throughout the entire movie.

Rating: 2/5