Dead Silence (2007) Starring Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta & Donnie Wahlberg Directed by James Wann Written by Leigh Whannell

The last time we saw a ventriloquist’s dummy this creepy was in the 1978 “Magic” with Anthony Hopkins. “Dead Silence” creates a suspenseful and terrifying mood with its original story and rapid pacing. Released in 2007, it did not receive a great deal of attention or credit but that does not do it justice. The market has largely demanded a repetitive plot line in the last five years, teens getting lost, getting slashed, dying creatively as possible. “Dead Silence” takes us down a different road towards a terror that originates not only in the mind but in the dark sins of the intolerance.

The main character, James Asher, has recently lost his wife to a gruesome slaying. He believes it is linked to the strange ventriloquist’s dummy that mysteriously showed up on his doorstep just a few hours before his wife is found dead, her tongue severed from her mouth. It gets off to a quick and bloody start, in the first ten minutes you have murder and gore to get the heart pumping. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the movie, quick pacing, short, tight scenes, effective scenery and more than adequate acting, along with sufficient but not overwhelming gore.

As we follow James’ fateful return to his hometown and his intense need to solve the murder of his wife by delving into the decades old legend of Mary Shaw, former owner of the dummy, the mystery and horror intensify. What he discovers about a long hidden crime and the bloody aftermath makes him realize that childhood fables (as attested to in countless horror films) usually have an origin steeped in evil and sinful secrets.

Cinematically it does not linger too long on any scene or drag it out with extraneous dialogue. Donny Wahlberg, as the detective determined to prove that James had a hand in his wife’s demise, is actually quite funny if not Oscar worthy. The home of our murderous wooden friend, set in an abandoned vaudevillian theater in the middle of a lake was probably one of the better “haunted house” settings I’ve seen in a while.

The biggest star of this movie though wasn’t the actors, it was clearly the dummy. Especially, when he would roll those big shiny white and black eyeballs or turn his head when someone wasn’t looking at him. And for a small lifeless guy, he sure did move around a lot.

There are a few suspended beliefs that make you shrug, such as why two rowboats are left at an abandoned lake, but they aren’t enough to seriously detract from the plot. The constant question of who or what is doing the killing, not to mention how seriously disturbing the dummy is himself, keeps you pretty jumpy throughout the film. The surprise ending is definitely killer, no pun intended, and even though I’m pretty good at figuring out what’s coming next, it caught me off guard.

This movie proves that whether it’s a creepy clown or a creepy doll, it can be pretty terrifying. I like a movie, such as this, where there’s an inventive plot and a give-you-the willies villain. In this case, there’s even a sing songy child’s rhyme(think Poltergeist closing credits music) to go along with a tale of murder, mutilation and mute witnesses’. This is a movie to enjoy for its creative story and fear factor, along with a twisted ending.

Go rent it, but not alone.