Week of March 21, 2007, Issue #596
FILM
Dead Silence: horror film for dummies
OMAR MOUALLEM / omar@vueweekly.com
I’ve always had a thing for homunculus killers, whether it be Chucky, Leprechaun or one of the many adorable puppets from the Puppet Master series. So when I heard about Dead Silence, the part of me that loves Woody Allen was smothered with an ether-soaked cloth by the part of me that adores Wes Craven.
Dead Silence takes ventriloquism so seriously that it begins with the etymology of the word, before introducing us to our hero, Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwantan). There are two things we learn about him: he has daddy issues, and his pregnant wife was gruesomely murdered. One thing has to do with the start and the other with the finish. Everything else functions like a dissected pancreas.
Right before her murder, the Ashen’s were delivered an unmarked package containing a dummy named Billy. But Billy’s just a harmless doll, right? Therefore, in the eyes of the police, Jamie is the prime suspect. He is stalked by Detective Lipton (played by the only New Kids On the Block success story, Donnie Wahlberg), who hangs tough with his pervy moustache and electric shaver.
Then there’s some stuff about crazy old Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts), the popular ventriloquist (yeah, popular) who suffered a mysterious death some time ago, and legend has it when you say her name, some very RL Stine stuff happens. To investigate, Jamie takes Billy for a road trip to his and Mary’s hometown, Raven’s Fair, a quiet place where the welcome sign literally says, “A quiet place to live.”
Dead Silence is directed by James Wan who struck gold with Saw. Saw’s success had a hegemonic influence on Hollywood horrors, turning them into suspense/gore hybrids that are more about grotesque puzzles than fear. Dead Silence is no different, but it also tries to relinquish traditional scary stories. It fails at both.
To be a mind-bending puzzle, you must withhold some information; however, Dead Silence makes no attempt. Wan thinks he can blow our minds with a tacked on twist ending that makes no sense and furthers no mystery—because if it worked for Saw, well ... it doesn’t here.
Billy as a little monster is underused. Instead of stabbing with his little hands and scampering with his little feet, he uses off-screen supernatural powers that are rapidly cut together with morbid images and jarring sounds. The creepiest he gets is moving his eyes very slowly or disappearing and reappearing in strange places.
After Dead Silence I snuck into the neighbouring theatre to watch the last 90 minutes of Fido. While the two movies have different aims, I couldn’t help but feel so much more involved in Fido. Dead Silence is too in love with its own premise and too self-indulgent to make any connection with the audience. Go see Fido, who, despite being a zombie, has a lot more brains. V
Now playing
Dead Silence
Directed by James Wan
Written by Wan, Leigh Whannell
Starring Donnie Wahlberg, Amber Valletta, Michael Fairman, Ryan Kwanten