Universal | Review by Mike Wood
Directed By James Wan and co-written by Wan and Leigh Whannel, the team behind the SAW series, DEAD SILENCE features many aspects of those films, including the fascination with the evil potential of puppets and dolls, as well as moral tests and revenge. There is even a flashback toward the end of the film that recaps the action as it reveals the true shock of the plot, a device famously used in SAW. That is not say that this film rehashes that series nor points to a flaw in Wan and Whannel’s aesthetic; in fact, this film gives one a deeper sense of the world-view of the film makers, and surprisingly shows it to be a powerful addition to horror mythology.
After finding his wife murdered shortly after they received a weird ventriloquist dummy in the mail, Jamie (Ryan Kwanten) returns to his hometown to check on a hunch, followed of course by a detective who is sure that the man murdered his wife. The dick is played by SAW veteran Donnie Wahlberg, who is underwhelming as usual. Once back home, Jamie learns more about the local legend of Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who was murdered by the townspeople under suspicion of having abducted and killed a little boy who heckled her at a performance. Shaw had in her a will a stipulation that all 100 of her dolls be beuried with her.
Is the killer one of her creations out for revenge? I’m sure there are spoiler reviews all over the web, so I will take the high road and not give away much more, as DEAD SILENCE is an old fashioned thriller whose treats don’t deserve to be spoiled. This is an eerie film that is gory when it needs to be, and chilling when it plays its hand closer to the vest. That the doll or clown will forever scare the shit out of anyone given the proper dark lighting is a given; it is a primal fear from childhood, and works every time. Wan does a great job framing his dolls in such a way to play into that fear. The only area where atmosphere is not effective is in the framing of Jamie’s hometown; rather than seeming creepy, it just seems like a shitty little burg that needs to up the wattage on its lighting; dim bulbs to not a scary scene make. The genuinely shocking ending makes up for any laziness however.
Remember: "Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls. And if you see her do not scream, she'll rip your tongue out at the seam.”
