Dead Silence

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Dead Silence

R

2007

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

21%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

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

Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

Dead Silence agreeably ties up most of its plot threads by the end.

Jun 6, 2025

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

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Alexander S

I admire the eerie atmosphere of Dead Silence, expertly crafted by the legendary horror director James Wan. Although the story is clunky and may not appeal to everyone, a horror film with puppets and a puppeteer entity will undeniably bring you multiple fright nights. Grading: C+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

Full Review

Lindsey W.

It honestly sucked the storyline didn’t even make sense idk why it scarred me for 18 years but now im done with it

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/25

Full Review

Resurrect on J

Listen if you don't think this movie is at least decent I don't even want to see what is on your list of 5 stars and I barely trust you as a person. Dead silence is the perfect mix or campy and horror. We follow great characters down a rabbit hole of dolls and the paranormal possibilities of inanimate objects caring out a plot of epic goosebumps per portions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

Full Review

Caleb L

This is a good film that could have been great if not for the studio forcing the film makers to make a very 'Saw' inspired final product.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/06/25

Full Review

Justin T

The movie started with what was supposed to be a scary killing but was really a bit silly. The movie never really picked up through nearly an hour of slow plot development until there was another death and the movie really started to get scary for the last half-hour. There were some good scares and the monster is pretty damn horrific. There was also a twist at the end that I did not see coming although I never thought that there could have been a twist. Worth watching for some great scares although it did not feel particularly original. It reminded me of Night of the Demons (1988) and The Relic (1997). A good final thirty minutes evens out a slow starting jumpy horror.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/25

Full Review

Stoner J

The best “doll horror” movie out there, out of them all and criminally underrated. James Wan killed it here. And the first time I saw it, I was shocked at the twist ending, contrary to the critics consensus. The doll effects are the best I’ve seen in any doll movie too. The music and cinematography are stellar. Great movie

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

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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