Latest news with #DeadSilence
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
James Wan's Ventriloquist Horror Flick Is Ready to Be Rediscovered
It's not the frightfest it was intended to be, but 'Dead Silence' is an entertaining foreshadowing of the director's later successes. In 2007, James Wan was a horror up-and-comer who'd scored a huge hit with 2004's Saw, which had by then already released its first two sequels with a third on the way. But before Insidious and The Conjuring he made a couple of one-offs: the Kevin Bacon vigilante thriller Death Sentence, and the ventriloquist horror tale Dead Silence. The latter was just added to Shudder, and though it was a bust 18 years ago, it's now a fun one to revisit—especially taking into account all that Wan and his frequent collaborator Leigh Whannell, who scripted Dead Silence, have accomplished since then. Though they were still just the Saw guys at the time, you can easily pick out certain narrative choices and imagery that would later become touchstones of their work. Saw's game-obsessed Jigsaw puppet was already entered into the record ahead of Dead Silence, and it's echoed here in Billy, the main ventriloquist dummy in a movie that gives him a lot of evil toy back-ups. The white face, the ghoulishly hinged jaw, and the fondness for bow ties are all shared characteristics, though Billy has luminous blue eyes that peer around in sinister ways the audience notices far before the characters do. Wan is notably a huge fan of cursed objects; the Conjuring cinematic universe is built around them. It can't be a coincidence that Annabelle—a doll even more ghastly than Billy—is the most charismatic escapee from Ed and Lorraine Warren's stash of occult treasures. (Wan's Instagram handle? 'Creepypuppet'.) Dead Silence also hints at stylistic elements that would enter Wan's later work, with eerie sound design that plays up silence as much as shrieks, as well as jump scares that predate the furious old-lady entity in Insidious, as well as the Nun's fondness for dramatically emerging from the shadows… then contorting her face to bring out her demonic side. You also can't ignore the fact that Saw mainstay Donnie Wahlberg is also in Dead Silence, playing a familiar sort of scruffy police detective. This version of the character is more skeptical than the corrupt cop in Saw; he's fond of issuing warnings like 'You don't want to make me chase you!' as he races after the protagonist into an abandoned theater full of haunted dolls. He also has a weird obsession with his battery-operated razor, a tic that leads nowhere despite being foregrounded as a key personality trait. Dead Silence's set-up also hints at Wan supernatural stories to come, with a malevolent figure in the past poking its way across generations to make sure a curse never dies. Unfortunately the main character, Jamie—Ryan Kwanten, just prior to True Blood—isn't as compelling as the central figures in Insidious or The Conjuring. He's just sort of an unmemorable dude, though he is a determined one. When his wife dies in an absolutely hideous way—the very night a ventriloquist dummy is delivered to their apartment from an unknown sender—he heads straight to his hometown, where his estranged father (Bob Gunton) lives with his suspiciously young and glamorous new wife (Amber Valletta). Though Dead Silence takes place in 2007, it's set in a reality seemingly devoid of cell phones and Google searches. There are land lines galore, and historical exposition comes courtesy of a mortician's extended flashback as well as a literal scrapbook that Jamie happens to come across. There's also a nursery rhyme that references the town's boogeyman figure: a theater performer named Mary Shaw so obsessed with the dolls in her act she insisted they be buried with her… each with their own tiny coffin and grave marker. There's even more to the backstory that surfaces as Jamie digs deeper—including a decades-old cold case involving a missing child, and an extended bit about tongues being ripped out that seems like it should tie into the 'throwing your voice' part of ventriloquism, but the details don't quite come together there. Still, 'Be careful! If you go looking for answers, you just might find them' is the advice the mortician passes on to Jamie (naturally, he never even considers abiding by that), and Dead Silence agreeably ties up most of its plot threads by the end. It also has an absolute scream of a twist ending that makes you think perhaps, just maybe, Wan and Whannell had campier ambitions for this story. As it plays out onscreen, Dead Silence skews a little too much toward taking itself too seriously, especially considering the sheer amount of dolls involved. It's also filmed with a relentlessly dour blue-tinged filter, which is maybe the greatest sin committed here, as well as what marks it so clearly as a mid-2000s relic. If you don't mind turning up the brightness to ease that gloom, though, you can have a jolly good time watching this one. Don't be surprised if you have the urge to watch a few more Wan flicks once you're done. Dead Silence is now streaming on Shudder.
Geek Girl Authority
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
Underrated Horror Movie of the Month: DEAD SILENCE
Hello, horror fans! It is time for another edition of Underrated Horror Movie of the Month. If you're new here, welcome! Every month, on the second and fourth Fridays, I talk about horror movies I feel are underrated and underloved. No subgenre stone is left unturned. The films mentioned span horror history and around the world. In this edition, I dive into the 2007 creepy doll classic, Dead Silence . About Dead Silence Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) receives a strange package containing a ventriloquist doll. Soon after receiving the item, someone brutally murders his wife. The police see Jamie as the only suspect. Since the doll is the only clue to what may have happened, Jamie heads back to his hometown, Raven's Fair, to hold his wife's funeral. RELATED: Underrated Horror Movie of the Month: Mischief Night The town, like most small towns, has a local ghost story. Mary Shaw, a skilled ventriloquist, was hunted down by townsfolk after being accused of kidnapping a local boy. When the mob found her, they cut out her tongue and killed her. They buried her with all her dolls, which she called her 'children.' Ever since her death, the town has suffered many strange deaths. Can Jamie and the detective following him discover who or what murdered his wife? Or will he end up another victim? 'Beware the stare of Mary Shaw; she has no children, only dolls. And if you see her in your dreams, be sure you never, ever scream.' Dead Silence also stars Donnie Wahlberg, Laura Regan, Michael Fairman, Bob Gunton, Amber Valletta and Judith Roberts. James Wan directed, and he and Leigh Whannell wrote the story. RELATED: Every Saw Movie, Ranked This only film has a 20 percent Tomatometer rating and a 51 percent Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Fun Facts: This film is from the creators of Saw , and the doll from that movie makes a brief appearance in one scene of Dead Silence . Additionally, replicas of Edgar Bergen's doll Charlie McCarthy and Jimmy Nelson's doll Danny O'Day made cameos. My Thoughts on Dead Silence I love this movie. The atmosphere is eerie and suspenseful, the twist is intriguing and the dolls are creepy. It is everything I want in a film within this subgenre. I eagerly consume every movie I can find about haunted or possessed dolls. Some examples include Child's Play , Robert the Doll and Annabelle . A few are genuine hits, and others are epic misses. This one is an out-of-the-park homerun. RELATED: Movie Review: Child's Play First, let's get into the story. Mary Shaw is consistently portrayed as an imposing figure. Every scene has her shrouded in darkness and only associating with her dolls. After her death, she wants revenge on those who wrongly accused her and ultimately caused her demise. Then, we segue into Jamie investigating his wife's murder. At first, the two things do not seem connected, but as the story progresses, the connections fall into place. The final twist in the narrative is one of my favorite parts of the movie. I've noticed some critics have said the twist is predictable. Many years have passed since I watched Dead Silence for the first time, but I certainly did not see the twist coming. Now, it seems a bit more obvious. However, I have seen the film countless times and know it inside and out. Therefore, my ability to see the clues should not be compared to someone seeing it for the first time. RELATED: Top 5 Rules for Surviving a Horror Movie I am a fan of Ryan Kwanten, who did a spectacular job in this film. Likewise, all of the other actors did well. My least favorite performance is Laura Regan as Lisa Ashen, Jamie's wife. I can't put my finger on why, but something about her scenes made me cringe. The effects are, in short, incredible. The way Mary Shaw's ghost looks evokes a sense of dread. Another point for the effects team is the dolls. Without saying too much, there is a scene with all the dolls that is freaky. The effects are brilliant. Final Thoughts This is an epic, creepy film that is vastly underrated. I recommend any horror lover watch it at least once. Especially if you are a fan of haunted dolls; also, if you have a fear of ventriloquists, approach with caution. RELATED: Annabelle Comes Home Spoiler Review I can't talk about this film without mentioning one quick point of interest. The doll that Jamie and Lisa receive at the beginning of the film bears a striking resemblance to Slappy from R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. There you have it, horror fans, another underrated horror in the books. Let me know what you think of Dead Silence in the comments, and don't forget to let me know which movie you think I should feature next. Before you go, take a look at the Dead Silence trailer below. Stay spooky and watch more horror movies!
Toronto Star
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
In new sci-fi novels, artificial intelligence causes problems and the moon somehow turns into cheese
Cold Eternity S.A. Barnes Tor Nightfire, 304 pages, $38.99 S.A. Barnes has become the go-to name for creepy SF-horror, and 'Cold Eternity' follows previous books like 'Dead Silence' and 'Ghost Station' in going off-planet to tell a techno-ghost story. The main character is a young woman named Halley who is on the run from the political powers-that-be, who are also her former employers. Desperate, she takes a job as a sort of security guard on board the Elysian Fields, an ancient spaceship filled with cryo-chambers. It's a lousy gig, but the ship makes a good place to hide from the authorities — at least until things start taking a turn for the weird and Halley finds herself facing off against a next-generation evil. Barnes does this kind of thing very well, and there are parts of 'Cold Eternity' that are genuinely suspenseful and scary. Halley's backstory is complicated, though, and there are too many pages devoted to a romance angle with an AI. It's a chillingly effective read, but one that also makes you wish there was a little less of it. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Rose/House,' by Arkady Martine, Tordotcom, $27.99. Rose/House Arkady Martine Tordotcom, 128 pages, $27.99 Rose House is the name of a structure built out in the Mojave Desert by a famous architect who designed it as both his masterpiece and the final repository of his crystallized remains. As things kick off, the resident AI that runs Rose House, and that 'is' Rose House in a deeper sense, calls the local police to let them know that there's a dead body inside, which is something that should be impossible since there's only one person who has been given access to the building and she's out of the country. What follows is a spin on the classic 'locked room' murder mystery. It's also a ghost story, as the AI (which is 'not sane' in the best Hill House tradition) haunts Rose House in complicated ways. Multiple layers of what happened are revealed to the pair of women allowed inside: the detective investigating and the building's legal heir. This all makes for a great buildup, and if the payoff isn't quite on the same level, it's at least something different and unexpected. 'Where the Axe Is Buried,' by Ray Nayler, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $37. Where the Axe Is Buried Ray Nayler Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 336 pages, $37 Though this is only his third novel, Ray Nayler has already established himself as a must-read for intelligent, near-future speculative fiction. 'Where the Axe Is Buried' is a political thriller set in a New Cold War version of Europe where Russia is ruled by a president who can live forever in a series of new bodies into which his consciousness can be ported, and artificial intelligence programs called prime ministers run a 'rationalized' Western Europe. Unfortunately, technology has not set us free, and both sides are post-ideological authoritarian surveillance states — places where insect-sized drones carry messages of hope or death, and when you look out into the streets, the street is always looking back at you. There are underground resistance movements, though, and scientists, spies and politicians trying to tear down the system and build something better. It's a complicated story that hops around a lot among many characters in many places, but Nayler's world-building is top notch, creating a plausible and deeply realized vision of the future that also feels scarily close to home. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye,' by John Scalzi, Tor, $39.99. When the Moon Hits Your Eye John Scalzi Tor, 336 pages, $39.99 The premise is everything: suddenly, and all at once, the moon turns into cheese. Indeed, not only the moon itself, but all the moon rocks on display in museums and in private collections here on Earth. Of course, Luna's transformation into Caseus (Latin for 'cheese') is ridiculous. At first, none of the characters in John Scalzi's latest can believe it's happened. But the novel works by taking the great cheesification event literally, though not seriously. If the moon were to turn into cheese, we're led to ask, what would happen next? Each chapter tells the story of a different character, progressing daily until the book has covered a full lunar cycle. The question each section asks is how politicians, scientists, business leaders, the media and the broader public are affected, and how they might respond to such a bizarre event. This is just an entertainment, with little hard science and not a lot of deep thinking behind it, but it's all good fun in Scalzi's typically playful hands.
Hamilton Spectator
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
In new sci-fi novels, artificial intelligence causes problems and the moon somehow turns into cheese
Cold Eternity S.A. Barnes Tor Nightfire, 304 pages, $38.99 S.A. Barnes has become the go-to name for creepy SF-horror, and 'Cold Eternity' follows previous books like 'Dead Silence' and 'Ghost Station' in going off-planet to tell a techno-ghost story. The main character is a young woman named Halley who is on the run from the political powers-that-be, who are also her former employers. Desperate, she takes a job as a sort of security guard on board the Elysian Fields, an ancient spaceship filled with cryo-chambers. It's a lousy gig, but the ship makes a good place to hide from the authorities — at least until things start taking a turn for the weird and Halley finds herself facing off against a next-generation evil. Barnes does this kind of thing very well, and there are parts of 'Cold Eternity' that are genuinely suspenseful and scary. Halley's backstory is complicated, though, and there are too many pages devoted to a romance angle with an AI. It's a chillingly effective read, but one that also makes you wish there was a little less of it. 'Rose/House,' by Arkady Martine, Tordotcom, $27.99. Rose/House Arkady Martine Tordotcom, 128 pages, $27.99 Rose House is the name of a structure built out in the Mojave Desert by a famous architect who designed it as both his masterpiece and the final repository of his crystallized remains. As things kick off, the resident AI that runs Rose House, and that 'is' Rose House in a deeper sense, calls the local police to let them know that there's a dead body inside, which is something that should be impossible since there's only one person who has been given access to the building and she's out of the country. What follows is a spin on the classic 'locked room' murder mystery. It's also a ghost story, as the AI (which is 'not sane' in the best Hill House tradition) haunts Rose House in complicated ways. Multiple layers of what happened are revealed to the pair of women allowed inside: the detective investigating and the building's legal heir. This all makes for a great buildup, and if the payoff isn't quite on the same level, it's at least something different and unexpected. 'Where the Axe Is Buried,' by Ray Nayler, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $37. Where the Axe Is Buried Ray Nayler Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 336 pages, $37 Though this is only his third novel, Ray Nayler has already established himself as a must-read for intelligent, near-future speculative fiction. 'Where the Axe Is Buried' is a political thriller set in a New Cold War version of Europe where Russia is ruled by a president who can live forever in a series of new bodies into which his consciousness can be ported, and artificial intelligence programs called prime ministers run a 'rationalized' Western Europe. Unfortunately, technology has not set us free, and both sides are post-ideological authoritarian surveillance states — places where insect-sized drones carry messages of hope or death, and when you look out into the streets, the street is always looking back at you. There are underground resistance movements, though, and scientists, spies and politicians trying to tear down the system and build something better. It's a complicated story that hops around a lot among many characters in many places, but Nayler's world-building is top notch, creating a plausible and deeply realized vision of the future that also feels scarily close to home. 'When the Moon Hits Your Eye,' by John Scalzi, Tor, $39.99. When the Moon Hits Your Eye John Scalzi Tor, 336 pages, $39.99 The premise is everything: suddenly, and all at once, the moon turns into cheese. Indeed, not only the moon itself, but all the moon rocks on display in museums and in private collections here on Earth. Of course, Luna's transformation into Caseus (Latin for 'cheese') is ridiculous. At first, none of the characters in John Scalzi's latest can believe it's happened. But the novel works by taking the great cheesification event literally, though not seriously. If the moon were to turn into cheese, we're led to ask, what would happen next? Each chapter tells the story of a different character, progressing daily until the book has covered a full lunar cycle. The question each section asks is how politicians, scientists, business leaders, the media and the broader public are affected, and how they might respond to such a bizarre event. This is just an entertainment, with little hard science and not a lot of deep thinking behind it, but it's all good fun in Scalzi's typically playful hands.
