Dead Silence

A film that might have scared me when I was ten, but other than a very creepy soundtrack doesn’t offer much. I can't shake the feeling that the whole thing comes across as too B-ish and silly, whether it's because of the main character's "horror idiot of the year" behavior, the lack of emotion and character portrayal (his wife dies and he clearly doesn't care), or the boilerplate and sterile plot. It had a few moments, but overall it's a largely unsuccessful horror film with no atmosphere and not a single element that deserves the viewer's attention. The attempt at a solid ending, which was partially successful, still couldn’t save it. (08/05/2019)

Almost 4 stars. If it wasn't for the bland script and the not-so-interesting Ryan Kwanten, it would have been great. James Wan decided to try his hand at a classically futuristic atmosphere and succeeded brilliantly as a director. Suspenseful, atmospheric but unfortunately a bit too simple. Definitely interesting though. (08/30/2007)

Dead Silence definitely doesn't tarnish the reputation of both creators, but rather is further proof that they are good horror creators and have a sense for individual scenes, both for those meant to scare or chill you and for those that provide some mild relief. Even though the characters are somewhat clichéd, in this case, it doesn't matter at all, as they fit into the whole. (11/09/2015)

Within the genre, this film is definitely above average, combining both the often-used motif best developed in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, the motif of a hatred reaching beyond the grave, as well as the motif of a hero consumed by the world of darkness, leading what seems to be an equal battle, as seen in Angel Heart. Dead Silence has, above all, an excellent atmosphere created by the music, the artistic execution of the puppets, and decent directing, slightly spoiled by the clumsier performance of the main actor and certain worn-out genre clichés. Overall impression: 70%. (07/14/2011)

James Wan is one neat filmmaker. After his feature-film debut which kicked off an endless tidal wave of R-rated horrors filmed like music videos, he decided to take a break and now he’s back with another horror. Surprisingly, this time he chose to build the atmosphere like in the old days. And he does well at it too. Dead Silence is inventive, a quality production, gorgeous music and everything a good horror should have. But still it is some way short of perfection. Mainly because Wan as a director failed to learn a lesson from his last movie and again cast actors who lack the slightest hint of charisma or acting talent. But in Dead Silence this matters much more than in Saw, where it was still just about bearable. On the other hand, Wan learned a lesson as a screenwriter. Again he didn’t refrain from giving us a moral, but at least it’s not so superficial as Saw’s moral. It true that it isn’t the most shocking of revelations, but in the context of the entire movie it makes sort of sense. And that’s worth something too. (07/30/2007)