Dead Silence (2007)

Acting:		Partying:		Girls:
Blood:		Language:		Gore:
Violence:		Humor:		Sexuality:
Torture:		Predictability:		Overall:

What so many horror movies are missing these days are a nice honestly creepy intro. Dead Silence is odd and gives you creepy from the very beginning. Remember that old 1978 psychological thriller Magic? It starred Anthony Hopkins, Ann Margaret and an absolutely terrifying ventriloquist dummy. Nightmares! No really! Puppets make me pee out my ass! So just the sight of the movie poster for Dead Silence and I was ready to wet the seat, but in a good way. I love a good scare rooted in childhood fear.

We open on a very happy bright eyed couple. So sweet you wanna gag a little, so you know someone is getting cut up real soon. No one deserves to be that happy. There's a knock at the door. Someone has left a box on their doorstep addressed to Jamie Ashen played by Ryan Kwanten (Flicka, Summerland). The box is opened and inside rests a dummy. I'd like to say it looked innocent enough, but, if a ventriloquist dummy shows up anonymously on your doorstep...it's gonna swallow your soul. Duh. Jamie goes out to pick up dinner leaving his new wife Ella played by Amber Valletta (Premonition, Hitch) all alone with the doll which she kinda taunts and flirts with...creepy. The following scene is pretty great and leads to Ella's inevitable demise at the hand of what we think is the dummy. You see why the movie gets its title, cuz right before all the gory shit goes down...it gets dead silent. Get it? The mistake Ella makes is screaming, leaving the impression that if you keep your mouth shut you just might survive. Jamie comes home and finds Ella's body terribly maimed, tongue ripped out, and hidden under the bed linens. He calls the cops and is instantly considered the prime suspect.

During Jamie's questioning we meet the hardnosed Detective Jim Lipton played by Donnie Wahlberg (Saw IV, Dreamcatcher) who is positive that Jamie is the killer. Jaime is advised not to leave town ...

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