Writer/Director, James Wan, gained a cult following with his SAW horror film series. His recent attempt to distance himself from the SAW serial killer, Jigsaw, is in the new film, Dead Silence.
Newcomer, Ryan Kwanten, plays the lead role of Jamie Ashen. After a ventriloquist dummy mysteriously appears on his doorstep, his wife is killed and her tongue ripped out. Ashen then remembers a childhood poem from his home town about a woman named Mary Shaw:
Beware the stare of Mary Shaw.
She had no children, only dolls.
And if you see her, do not scream...
Or she'll rip your tongue out at the seam.
This poem then entices Jamie to head back to his old town of Raven's Fair, to discover the ghost killer of his wife. Donnie Walhberg plays Detective Jim Lipton, who has followed Jamie to make sure he doesn't try and skip town.
The film does have its creepy moments. After all it is a known fact that everyone in this world has some fear of walking, talking, murdering dummies. However, the few brief scenes of eeriness is unable to make up for the fact the film falls short of anything memorable. Also the film constantly keeps building and building up for a dramatic climax that never comes, and the ending happens too quickly and leaves the audience scratching their heads.
Wahlberg provides some comic relief throughout the film with his constant need to shave with his electric razor in every scene, and Kwanten does average as the endearing protagonist. However in this day in age, not even scary dummies, creepy ghosts, and interesting camera angles can save this film from being another disappointing, wanna-be horror flick. Sorry Mr. Wan... maybe we'll go see Saw 4 instead.
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