Dead Silence
| release date | March 16 2007 |
| studio | Universal Pictures |
| director | James Wan |
| writer | Leigh Whannell |
| starring | Donnie Wahlberg, Amber Valletta, Ryan Kwanten, Michael Fairman, Steven Taylor |
| rating | R |
| site | deadsilencemovie.net |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
2 Comments
boooo. this movie really made me sad. it to me seem like a rip off of the goosebumps book i read as a kid. kinda sad.
This could have been amazing, but lack of character development results in empty scares.
I really like this movie cause it had some original characters and actually got me creeped out, the unrated version is what ruins this movie. In the unrated version for some reason they put in a cgi toungue with completely ruins the eerie feeling the movie gives off. The silencing effect that eliminates sound after sound one at a time is a brilliant effect that made the thear silent, my heart was thumping like crazy lol. And why is the detective always shaving!!!!!
i thought it stunk i thought it was going to be so much better then that and even though i am glad it ended i thought it was a short movie
Atrocious. I’ve seen an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer dealing with the same subject matter that frightened me more. ‘Dead Silence’ is one of those films you realize you hate about 5 minutes in, but stay the duration to see just how bad it gets. And believe me when I say it folks, this floater collects more flies as the seconds pass. Donnie Wahlberg is hilariously bad as the smart-mouthed detective with an electric shaver (has to be seen to be believed).
I thought that although it was quite creepy and great scares and effects… it did drag a little.
If things had been a little more interesting and not so dull looking, the movie would have been so much more improved.
The story was great and could have been worked with so much more.
But i love this movie for the fact it is a ventriloquist doll movie, not many have been made, but this one by far scares the absolute shit out of me.
And the ventriloquist woman herself was amazingly scary. The effects are amazing with the look of the folm and the characters.
Dolls bring up the terror of your youth and the whole ripping your tongue out things surely was a hoot. I truly enjoyed this film.
Honestly,
The best ghost movie in the past 9 years (since House on Haunted Hill 1999). Unique character background and a “killer” twist at the end added to this fun Ring-esque film.
I think the reason so many people were disappointed with this movie was because it was childish . . . but that was the point. It was a more in-your-face take on all the old childish puppet movies. The ending plot twist was amazing and not one of the pathetic clichéd plot twists that everyone knows (such as the one in The Descent).
You’ll either enjoy it for the more balls-to-the-wall approach at a classic tale, or you’ll find it too childish. That’s your opinion. But I didn’t find this too childish whatsoever. Stephen King’s book IT, on the other hand, had me laughing at every part that was meant to be “utterly terrifying”. Now THAT is childish horror.
But I can understand why some people cannot take Dead Silence seriously. I can also understand why some people may find it terrifying. In the end, either way I look at it, I’m just glad someone is finally doing something that isn’t as predictable as 90% of horror movies out anymore.
Excellent
the 1st ten minutes was ood but but after that the movie was sucked. i turned it off at the 30 minute maerk.
I actually liked this. It was sort of boring in parts, but it managed a very good atmostphere and some decent thrills. Also, Mary Shaw’s make-up was very well done and effective. I’d say it’s one of the better recent horrors, and completely agree with BD’s assessment that it’s the best ventriloquist dummy movie ever.
This movie suck for real…
I am a big fan of horror movies and I like horror movies that have a different story line so if you are like me you will LOVE this movie. Most people are freaked out by ventrilaquist dolls, which that right there makes a great basis for a truly scary movie. I have seen ALOT of horror movies so I guessed the ending (I was Right!), but that doesn’t mean this movie is predictable. There were a lot of twists and turns. And some definetly scary scenes. I recomend this to anyone who wants to see a GOOD ORIGINAL horror movie. And remember don’t scream
I enjoyed the movie, great ending i did not expect the ending but something was just missing.
good movie, the end of the movie is great.
good atmostphere and good acting.
trash
I loved everything about this movie.
Great Director –> Check
Good Storyline –> Check
Originial Plot –> Check
Good End Twist –> Check
Super Violent –> Not Check
This movie was original. It wasn’t based on a book and it wasn’t a remake. It wasn’t super violent. It was gross in some parts but it wasnt super violent. Don’t get me wrong, I like blood in movies, but SAW III was almost too much for me… This i guess would be considered a Training movie for someone who wanted to start watching scary movies. I recommend it. Very Good.
i rate this movie a 9 because it was freaking sweet
I hate this film. boring.
Freakin sic movie!!!! Loved it… The ending is really good.
This is one of the weakest, low-budget-looking, stooopidest films I have seen in a long, long time.
It is an unfortunate example of lazy writing, somehow making it once again onto the screen, keeping genuine chillers off the radar.
Avoid.
there’s no way this shit is better than MAGIC or TRILOQUIST!!!!!!!!
james wan sucks
this movie is TERRIBLE
I hate the fact the this movie(and anything else like it) are in horror.
it was cool but i like triloquist better
Over all the movie had an interesting plot to it. th e ending did surprise me and i would have to give it half a thumb up for creativity and def freaking the shit out of you with dolls..
James Wan, Leigh Whannel. Those two names together should have sold you on this movie alone. Its the duo that brought us Saw and their back with another original movie that in my eyes HAD to be at least mediocre. I was wrong. I’m a huge fan of the original Saw and honestly expected a lot more from these guys. The story is stupid, the movie is slow at parts, and generally doesn’t crave your attention. The only thing that made me go “OH there’s the saw guys” was the twist which was decent. I’d only recommend this if you’re bored or got a free movie pass. Cmon Liegh & James you can do better!
I loved this movie! I feast on horror movies daily and it takes a lot to really scare movie but this movie truly creeped me out and made me jump and it still does every time I watch it. I think because it plays on those fears most of us had as a child that our dolls or toys come alive at night while we’re sleeping and are up to no good! I thought the ending was great!
it blows my mind how people on here claim to be the biggest horror fans and like crap like this.
1/10
James Wan is an awful screenwriter/director
Absolutely excellent performance by Judith Roberts. She stole the show. I got chills from this film. Not the actual film, but the story itself. That woman is just plain creepy!!! I loved it!
This movie was friggin suspensful, the eerie music and scoring just added to the movie. Awesome job.
This was a great movie by James Wan and Leigh Whannel i was glad that the movie they did after saw was not a rip or bad piece of film. Mid way through the film I was wondering if there was going to be a great twist like in Saw, There was, and it did not dissapoint me. In fact, the twist made me want to watch the movie again so i can understand it a little bit better. This is a good suspense movie, as it is not too bloody and doesnt feel like a typical killer-doll movie like Chucky which made it more enjoyable for me
Thank god i saw the regular version. I thought it was an okay movie. The ending blew my mind, as it should. But the unrated cut! oh my god, it’s just plain stupid. They throw in the CG tongue added the the ghost and it’s the lamest thing i’ve ever seen.
I thought it was pretty good. It scared me a lot which is what i wanted. Normally in movies with dolls its like off the wall and just stupid, but this movie was’nt like that.Although i did crack up in the end with Mary Shaw’s tongue, i thought that was weird.It had good music too, very suspensful and creepy.
From the commercials, TV ads, trailers, and since this is directed by the guy who made Saw you’d think this would be awesome. Partially, that is a wrong statement. If you are looking for something clever, a good plot, and plenty of jump out surprises then you’re in the wrong direction. Dead silence is just purely a film for entertainment. It’s not meant to be clever or scary. Just something to watch on a late Saturday night. Overall I give Dead silence 5 out of 10 or 2 1/2 skulls out of 5.
I Love this movie. And not just because of the writer/director. I think it’s one of the most convincing ghost/spiritual beings I’ve seen, and I usually don’t go for that. But I believe this movie just has some requirements in order to get the full enjoyment.. with a name like Dead Silence, I think the obvious thing to be is quiet.. When I saw this in theaters it was awesome because everyone was quiet, and when you see it for the first time anything that pops out at you, and scares you – ACTUALLY scares you.
hmmmm i thought it would be alot better than this but, hey still better than a lot of horror movies latly
This movie is extreeeeemly creepy. After seeing the trailer, I thought it was going to be a joke, but it was ok. It was creepy, but that’s about it.
yes , dead silence is good movie for horror fans,
i really enjoyed the whole movie , great storyline , great acting , enough gore and scare for fans , totally different from their previous work Saw franchise , thumbs up for James Wan and
Leigh Whannell for delivering another good creepy story
this is a good horror film quite scary i suppose so good acting good acting good plot not much bad about it 9/10
Um, this movie sucks. One of those films where the twist ending almost makes sitting through the rest of it worth it. ALMOST.
This movie is upsetting. The guys from Saw decided to take advantage of their status and give us a crap movie even with having a nice budget. Whannell and Wan had the world at their fingertips and they gave us Dead Silence?
Mary Shaw… “Shhhh… we don’t say her name.” That line alone irritates the shit out of me. How cookie cutter bullshit is that? No effort went into this movie. Their casting was terrible. The script was bad. The final cut of the movie was too clean and precise.
A visceral movie needs to be shot in a visceral way. You can’t shoot a creep-style movie in the mechanical and crisp way that Saw is.
17 years before this movie was made, Tales From The Crypt did this better in The Ventriloquist’s Dummy with Don Rickles. TFTCrypt had less money, less time, and less resources at their fingertips.
What pisses me off most about this movie is that it takes it’s viewers for granted. They threw some concepts in a machine and this came out.
Dead Silence feels like the result of teacher telling his middle school students to write a story about a ventriloquist.
This is Dee Snider’s Strangeland in the form of a ghost story… which was not only better, but 9 years previous to this heap.
COME ON PEOPLE! THis is a film to just enjoy! It’s a really fun over the top horror! LOVE IT! The twist ending is fab and it has a fun interesting storyline.
****
OUT OF
*****
The “You scream. You die.” concept was a bit cheesy, but let’s see you make a horror movie where your only source of scares are puppets…
See what I mean?
And of course, James Wan rocks.
it was okay nothin special, mostly creepy
I really liked it I loved the twist ending
I liked this movie, it was different i’ll say that.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time! This movie is so great i dont knoew if it could be better, just love this movie and the special effects were just great i love James Wan’s movies! Just great
Totally a great film!!!
Although I do suggest you watch
the un-rated version instead of
the rated.
Great Story
This movie scared the crap out of me. I have a fear of ventriliquest dummies and Clowns. This was the first movie ever scare me, so bad that I actually had a nightmare haha. I loved the story, loved the killings and it was an awesome ending. I can usually predict horror movies cause they are always much the same, but this movie totally suprised me. I had to run out and buy a copy as soon as I saw this. I recommand this so everyone : )
10/10
i saw this in theaters with a friend. we ended up in the same chair holding each other. it was very fun, and when i got home i had to use the loo. i closed the door, pulled down my pants, sat down, and looked up. my mother’s italian marionette was hanging on the towel rod right in front of me. i screamed. must have been good.
I wasn’t terribly impressed with this movie. A bit creepy but not memorable.
One of my favourite movies It freakin rules!
Totally average, just a spookshow for the kiddies.
a great old-fashioned horror flick and for sure one of the best ventriloquist movies ever made
very old fashion.very original.very spooky.but not memorable!still fun but you will have to watch it ever so often to remember.But it makes it scary everytime.
A personal favorite of mind, I love this movie!!
It was alright. Not an instant classic. But great film!
Dead silence was a creepy movie. The kills in this movie were great just to few. This is one of those movies as a kid would give you nightmares, but as a grown horror fan it was just a pretty good movie. The story was good and had a nice ending. I personaly expected more from this movie.
This reminds me of Darkness Falls a bit. Not a really popular movie but I found it alright & I wouldn’t get bored watching it….well maybe I will, but if you like creepy films then this is for you.
this is a truly scary movie that creeps me out to the core….no real huge flaws and the whole movie makes plenty of sense…heck! there is even a good tiwst at the end!!!
I enjoyed this film. It was very similar to Darkness Falls, which was a contributing factor as I liked that film as well.
It starts off with amazingly, suspenseful and downright creepy. But after that, the scares are unfortunately generic and repetitive in nature. Worth watching, however.
Fantastic movie which scares at some point really much. Billie is such a scary doll with the hugh green eyes.
Creepy puppets!
But an average movie…
Are u people dumb. This movie was a pile of crap. Child’s Play 3 was better than this. The twist at the end was one of the lamest twist ever in movie history. Right next to white noise.
Thought the dummy action would be spooky in this, but the “ooh, the dummy moved it’s eyes” shots wore off after the first few times, and the rest was kinda silly. The old lady was a bit freaky until the CGI Gene Simmons-itis she had, which was dumber than the dummies. Actually liked the “twist” ending, which was the most interesting part of the movie…but definitely not enough to convince me it was a good watch. Found this more boring than entertaining—-no replay value, and not a keeper.
I Love The Poster, Tagline & The Trailer for the Movie(As that even Scares me), The Movie is one of the best ventriloquist horror movie ever (That I’ve seen soo far), as all the doll were very creep & life like (That why am never men to a Doll) & The Old lady I felt sorry for as she had no Children & just made some dolls to keep her happy (and when she died she buried them all with her to get sweet revenge on the town of the people who killed here). The Acting & Directing is brilliant; the Storyline/Plot is very clever & is a great spooky Ghost Story of a Movie. The Movie has great blend of Horror, Gore & Scary spooky that will make you jump. Loved the Movie sacred me & going to give me night Nightmare’s (Love it, True Horror/Mystery/Thriller Movie).
A lot of horror fans didn’t seem to like this, of course I have to be different. I loved this film for three reasons. 1.) Donnie Wahlberg. Sure, he’s not the best actor in the world, but you can’t tell me when he first sees the clown doll, and the dumb blond guy is getting closer to it, that the look on Donnie’s face didn’t make you bust out laughing in the theater! 2.) If you know my, you know I love scary dolls. I will watch any movie, no matter how bad it may be, as long as it got some creepy ass dolls in it. 3.) The song. I love a movie with great music to it, and the score for this film is awesome. The theme music it creepy, haunting, and beautiful. The only thing I didn’t like was the the way the ending was done. They story to the ending was great, but it was shot the same way the Saw films were, high paced camera movements. Now I know the same people who made Saw made this film, but I would have liked to see a different style to end it. Other than that, I think this film is well worth checking out
I thought that this movie was great. Because first of all, unlike most modern day movies, this movie truly scared me. Second of all I love the killer dolls. I mean that’s what made it scary. And third of all. Who doesn’t love Donnie Wahlburg.
(By the way, did anyone realize that the puppet had the same name as the puppet from the Saw films?)
A wittle spookster, but nehnahno it was like one of those boring candiez grandma gives you that taste alright at first and then you just wanna spit it out afterwards!
Reminds me of Goosebumps TV show I watched as a kid. Other then that its an alright movie
This movie actually made me scream out a few times, but I absolutely despise dolls. I thought the movie was well acted, well played out, and overall pretty decent. It’s not puppetmaster, of course, but it’s still decent to watch.
Surprisingly good. It’s very spooky and uses a lot of gothic elements. A great part is the odd detective Jim Lipton played by Donnie Wahlberg. Half the fun of the film is the unique transition’s it uses. It’s spooky-fun and has that Goosebumps/Camp-Fire-Tale feel…which is nice.
Fantastic old school style horror film with a fun storyline and brilliant last second twist. The ghost would have been much scarier without the Alien-like tongue but she was still pretty darn entertaining. Great work from the Australian gentlemen who brought you the generally excellent SAW series. Those boys clearly have a thing for scary dolls!
solid movie good concept and worth checkn out
Killer dolls at their best
An excellent movie.
A must watch for any horror fan.
Great Movie. Loved The Ending.
Awesome movie
This movie sucked.
This was an o.k fright film. The story wasn’t that great, though the acting was alright. And at times I thought the film was truly scary. (There is at least one or two things in this movie that will make you jump, and Mary Shaw is one scary looking bitch.) However, the ending was a bit disappointing. Overall I guess it was worth the rental.
I LOVE this movie. It’s one of my favs. It’s so cheesy, it’s brill. A few good scares and just a good idea overall. Love it.
Not a bad modern horror film. At all. Plenty of genuine suspense and a few great scares. I know Donnie Wahlberg’s acting wasn’t the greatest in this but I don’t care his brother’s a badass.
I’M IN SHOCK…THIS MOVIE HAS ACTUALLY RECEIVED GOOD RATINGS?!?! Oh my. This was the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Nothing is scary, nothing is clever, nothing is creepy. It’s just lame-o. And someone please tell Donnie Wahlberg that the acting bug does not run in his family, his brother Mark just happened to get lucky. Ugh!!!
dude. this movie was terrible. very stupid idea for a movie. bad acting. it kindof reminded me of those R.L. Stine books i read as a kid. it was extremely cheesy. and extremely boring.
one word to describe this sad excuse for a movie: laaaaame.
i liked it it was scary and unsettleing its worth a watch
Very good movie and very nice twist… but, if you miss even a couple of minutes of the movie then you won’t catch the twist to this movie. If you got a fear of dolls then this movie would give you a pretty good scare/thrill.
Think of a great episode of the classic “Twilight Zone” and you have a perfect “one off” cheeky little ghost story. Lovely cinematography and Ryan Kwanten (Jason form True Blood) is also pleasing on the eye. Decent little chiller, a perfect “Teeniebopper” first date movie.
Dead Silence
9/22/2010
May Contain Peanuts & Spoilers
When the movie “Saw” hit it big at the box office, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell where thrown a bunch of money to make another horror movie. They made “Dead Silence”. Inspired by the creepy tricycle riding doll from “Saw”, they made a ghost story about an old ventriloquist and her doll. Mary Shaw is sort of an urban legend they created; she had no children just dolls, if you scream she’ll rip your tongue out or something like that.
Ryan Kwanten, who now stars in HBO’s “True Blood”, plays Jaime a grieving widow investigating the mysterious murder of his wife. That’s right a horror movie without a hot female lead. What gives? Donnie Walhberg plays the detective on the case; he also plays the lead cop role in “Saw 2″. He plays the usual gruff investigator who always seems to using his electric razor. Jaime comes from a wealthy family and his step mother, played by former super model Amber Valetta, is only there to be apart of the big final twist ending. The whole Mary Shaw myth and legend is not that scary and her back story is completely unoriginal and feels tacked on. The filmmakers use a lot of effects and bullshit to mask that fact that this story is pretty weak and not all that scary.
Billy is the name of Mary’s ventriloquist doll (also the name as the “Saw” doll) that seems to briefly come to life somewhat by Mary’s spirit or something. The other dolls just seem to move their eyes, which is creepy, but it has been done so many times that it does very little to actually frighten you. This is your basic gothic ghost story, which is code for boring. The whole male lead thing really through me off. Coming from the guys who made “Saw”, I guess I was expecting a whole lot more. This known as the M. Night Shyamalan effect. It sets the bar pretty high which will inevitably set you up for disappointment. This movie is really nothing special as it floats in a sea of mediocrity. Check it out if you find it on cable or satellite, but don’t pay any money to see it.
Reminds me of goosebumps.
A good popcorn muncher; don’t go in expecting anything more
James Wan helms this film about a demonic ventriloquist who cuts people’s tongues out. He directed “Saw”. He’s a talented filmmaker. But he’s not a talented story-teller. And that’s why “Dead Silence” comes off as weak as it does.
I don’t mind “Dead Silence”. It’s entertaining, visually impressive, and is way, way better than I expected (or wanted) it to be. James Wan’s filmmaking is as ambitious and skillful as ever, and I somewhat admire what he has tried to make here. But poor characters, uninspired dialogue, and a generally disappointing plot with stupid twists prevent the film from being as good as it could have been.
If there’s one major aspect that I really liked about “Dead Silence”, then it was the look and the feel of the film. This is one of the best looking “modern” Gothic horror movies. “Repo: The Genetic Opera” attempted such a look, but went into such aggressively ugly territories. It made me sad. “Dead Silence” does not. With all due respect, it gets the Gothic Horror look right. But that’s about it.
Creepy, twisted, interesting and fun! It’s way better than the “Saw” series!
Wan and Whannel step away from the small set of their debut and make an extremely fun film.
this film is twisted…just how i like it!!
Pretty cool movie with some creepy moments. I mostly liked the look and the feel of the movie more than anything else.
Don’t expect too much and you’ll walk away glad that you watched it.
Hobo Approved(TM)
Awesome flick overall. The old lady was creepy
Scary flick, great scares. Good cast, creepy setting, and a killer twist. James and Leigh have done it again!
I really liked this movie. This movie had scares, plot, and decent acting. My favorite part of this movie is that there is no happy ending. Anyone who has read my reviews before knows I usually can’t stand horror movies with happy endings so this is a huge plus for me. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be entertained.
For the easily scared and entertained. Not for me.
When this first came out in theaters years ago, I was totally excited because the concept of creepy dolls coming to life seems scary, right? Absolutely not. I make fun of this movie usually once a month at least, and it’s just because of the lack of real character development and unbelievable story line. Not to mention that it wasn’t scary at all. I’m pretty sure there were no jump scares, let alone anything too horrible. I thought the makeup on mary shaw in her ghost form or whatever was beyond horrible, and I just see this movie as a cheap money maker for the guys that directed or produced Saw, I really don’t remember. Maybe it was the writers of saw that came up with this shizz. In any case, it was bad.
creepy, with a decent twist. I like it.
Not too bad. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s a nice little creepy movie. Great twist ending. Lots of creepy moments. Good atmosphere. All in all, definitely worth a watch. Better than most ghost type movies that come out nowadays.
An excellent movie that was decently scary at times!
Dead Silence tells the story of a woman called Mary Shore who was a puppet master back in the 30s and who mastered bringing dolls to life. Cut to years later a young man whos wife is murdered is forced back to his old hometown where he has to face off with Mary Shaw once and for all. It sounds cheesy and it is, but in a good way.
The effects are good and there is generally a creepy atmosphere much like Insidious. James Wong has done himself proud once again here. There is also a great twist at the end which I will not spoil.
Overall, this film will not disapoint, I remember going to a supermarket last at night looking for a DVD to watch with my friend and picking this up cheaply and not expecting much, but was I wrong!
You will find this creepy and compelling.
A great movie, and they dont make em’ much like this anymore! 8 out of 10.
The story was ridiculous and the only thing creepy or scary was Donnie Wahlbergs acting.
This movie is so underrated. This is problaby one of the best horror movie of the decade.
I remember seeing this movie in theatres! I loved it them and I still love it today.
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