Dead Silence

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Dead Silence

R

Released Mar 16, 2007

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

83 Reviews

51%

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100,000+ Ratings

After his wife meets a grisly end, Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) returns to their creepy hometown of Ravens Fair to unravel the mystery of her murder. Once there, he discovers the legend of Mary Shaw (Joan Heney), a murdered ventriloquist whose eerie presence still looms over the town. As he desperately digs for answers, Jamie encounters the curse that took his wife's life and threatens his own.

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Critics Consensus

More tasteful than recent slasher flicks, but Dead Silence is undone by boring characters, bland dialogue, and an unnecessary and obvious twist ending.

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Nicholas Barber

Independent (UK)

Dead Silence is a guilty pleasure, especially if you have a gottle of geer beforehand.

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Wan and Whannell have a carnivalesque sense of fun and a sure instinct for recycling classic horror tropes, but their characters are so flat and their plotting so listless that this low-budget feature fails to generate much suspense.

Dec 3, 2007

Full Review

Adam Smith

Empire Magazine

For the love of Chucky, avoid this insipid attempt at reviving the killer doll horror.

Rated: 1/5

Jul 27, 2007

Full Review

Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

It ends up feeling like a horror experiment that is not lacking in interesting elements (such as stylized and attractive photography by the experienced John R. Leonetti), but that at the end of the day, falls short. [Full review in Spanish].

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 31, 2025

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A wan Wan offering.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 1, 2023

Full Review

Stephanie Archer

Film Inquiry

Dead Silence is a solid horror film and a look into the early works of James Wan and Leigh Whannell. And while it might have become a bit dated along the way, it is still a brilliant horror film to terrify.

Apr 17, 2021

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John R

The scariest movie ever.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

Full Review

Partha G

The best movie of James Wan till date..I have no idea how in the world even 1% people can hate this movie? Movie has everything gore, violence, creepy dolls, eerie theatre and most importantly scary looks of Mary Shaw..climax was jaw dropping.. it's my kind of a movie..being a horror buff it will always stay in my top 5 horror movies list.This movie deserves a sequel more than anything else.The most deserving sequel in the history of Hollywood.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

Full Review

Audience Member

James wan is one the of best horror directors out there and it shows in this movie. The films contains some great eerie and immersive practical sets, and very creepy scenes with no false jump scares. However, the film falls short with characters that feel hollow, obvious exposition scenes, and a plot twist that is surprising but unnecessary as a whole. It’s a perfectly fine disposable movie to watch that at times can be very tense and creepy, but overall forgettable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

Full Review

Gina S

Really interesting and creepy thriller. James Wan always makes good horror movies!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

Full Review

Audience Member

I don’t get how this movie has such a low rating. It’s a really effective horror movie with a cool production design. Mary Shaw was a super creepy villain and the twist at the end shocked me the first time I watched it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

Full Review

Julie W

It wasn't great, it wasn't awful. Decent amount of jump scares, the makeup effects are scary. All those dolls are always creepy. No better or worse than most other horror flicks.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

Full Review

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James Wan

Director

Ryan Kwanten

Jamie Ashen

Amber Valletta

Ella Ashen

Donnie Wahlberg

Det. Lipton

Bob Gunton

Edward Ashen

Michael Fairman

Henry Walker

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Kill Billy

1:33

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Now Who's The Dummy?

2:16

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Sleeping with the Enemy

2:35

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Our Family's Curse

2:06

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Attack of the Killer Dolls

2:05

Dead Silence: Official Clip - Mortuary Massacre

2:33

Dead Silence: Official Clip - The Perfect Doll

2:55

Dead Silence: Official Clip - It's a Boy

2:32

Dead Silence: Official Clip - White As A Sheet

4:08

Dead Silence: Official Clip - The Story of Mary Shaw

2:47

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Synopsis

After his wife meets a grisly end, Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten) returns to their creepy hometown of Ravens Fair to unravel the mystery of her murder. Once there, he discovers the legend of Mary Shaw (Joan Heney), a murdered ventriloquist whose eerie presence still looms over the town. As he desperately digs for answers, Jamie encounters the curse that took his wife's life and threatens his own.

Director: James Wan
Producer: Gregg Hoffman, Mark Burg, Oren Koules
Screenwriter: Leigh Whannell
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Twisted Pictures, Evolution Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: R (Horror Violence and Images)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.5M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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