Scan and Pan
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Dead Silence
After a ventriloquist's dummy is anonymously delivered to newlyweds Jamie and Lisa, Lisa is found dead with her tongue cut out, leaving Jamie as the prime suspect in the eyes of Detective Lipton. Jamie remembers a ghost story from his hometown about a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw, and returns home to unravel the mystery and clear his name, with Lipton on his trail.
Writer/director James Wan and co-writer Leigh Whannell redefined the horror genre with the clever Saw, but where that film disregarded genre cliches in favor of a fresh approach, this film unwisely turns that formula on its head. It's a solid effort in terms of production values, with a few effective scenes and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but the slow pace and overall lack of originality keep the whole from being as effective as those individual scenes. It's the kind of urban legend story that the television show Supernatural does well, but the film pales in comparison to that show. Even a homage to an older style of horror filmmaking shouldn't be so by the numbers.
Dead Silence is a Universal Pictures production, so credit is due to Wan for opening with the old 'plane flying around the globe' logo used in the studio's classic 1920s-1930s horror films. This film may not be a classic, but I appreciate the nod to film history. Also, the Jigsaw Killer's dummy from Saw makes an appearance if you look close enough in the final scenes in the old theatre.
John R. Leonetti (Child's Play 3, The Scorpion King) conjures up some atmospheric cinematography, while production designer Julie Berghoff (Saw) serves up some equally good sets. The score by Charlie Clouser (Saw, Numb3rs) is a surprisingly weak contribution and is obvious to the point of annoyance.
Australian actor Ryan Kwanten is a bland protagonist as Jamie, while Donnie Wahlberg is stilted as Lipton (although the quirks the script gives him don't help). The rest of the cast is passable, including Michael Fairman as the town's mortician, Bob Gunton as Jamie's estranged father, Amber Valletta as Jamie's step-mother, and Judith Roberts as Mary Shaw. The best performance comes from Laura Regan as Lisa, so it's a pity her character doesn't last long.
If you're looking for another original horror film à la Saw, you won't find it here. Not recommended, although if you do want to see it, wait for the video release.
The creators of the Saw franchise return with a disappointing new horror film.
After a ventriloquist's dummy is anonymously delivered to newlyweds Jamie and Lisa, Lisa is found dead with her tongue cut out, leaving Jamie as the prime suspect in the eyes of Detective Lipton. Jamie remembers a ghost story from his hometown about a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw, and returns home to unravel the mystery and clear his name, with Lipton on his trail.
Writer/director James Wan and co-writer Leigh Whannell redefined the horror genre with the clever Saw, but where that film disregarded genre cliches in favor of a fresh approach, this film unwisely turns that formula on its head. It's a solid effort in terms of production values, with a few effective scenes and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but the slow pace and overall lack of originality keep the whole from being as effective as those individual scenes. It's the kind of urban legend story that the television show Supernatural does well, but the film pales in comparison to that show. Even a homage to an older style of horror filmmaking shouldn't be so by the numbers.
Dead Silence is a Universal Pictures production, so credit is due to Wan for opening with the old 'plane flying around the globe' logo used in the studio's classic 1920s-1930s horror films. This film may not be a classic, but I appreciate the nod to film history. Also, the Jigsaw Killer's dummy from Saw makes an appearance if you look close enough in the final scenes in the old theatre.
John R. Leonetti (Child's Play 3, The Scorpion King) conjures up some atmospheric cinematography, while production designer Julie Berghoff (Saw) serves up some equally good sets. The score by Charlie Clouser (Saw, Numb3rs) is a surprisingly weak contribution and is obvious to the point of annoyance.
Australian actor Ryan Kwanten is a bland protagonist as Jamie, while Donnie Wahlberg is stilted as Lipton (although the quirks the script gives him don't help). The rest of the cast is passable, including Michael Fairman as the town's mortician, Bob Gunton as Jamie's estranged father, Amber Valletta as Jamie's step-mother, and Judith Roberts as Mary Shaw. The best performance comes from Laura Regan as Lisa, so it's a pity her character doesn't last long.
If you're looking for another original horror film à la Saw, you won't find it here. Not recommended, although if you do want to see it, wait for the video release.
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