How can a ventriloquist dummy be scary? (Dead Silence (DVD))

Member Name: valve90210

Product:	Dead Silence (DVD)
Date:	12/01/09 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Scary, tense, atmospheric

Disadvantages: None really

One of several horror films I got my horror mad girlfriend for Christmas, the main motivation for buying this was from having seen that it involved ventriloquists dummies, which are far as my girlfriend and I are concerned, are creepy scary objects at the best of times, so when used in a horror film, should provide some serious creepiness.... we were not wrong.

The film opens with a young couple, Jamie and Ella receiving a strange, large parcel out of the blue, with nothing more than Jamies name on the wrapping. In the parcel is a box containing a ventroliquists dummy. The couple are rather confused as to where it has come from but it reminds Ella of an old childhood nursery ryhme from their home town though she can't remember it exactly. Jamie goes out to get some take away and Ella sets the dummy up to scare him. When Jamie arrives home, he find Ella dead having been attacked by something unknown.

As prime suspect in the murder case, and believing that the dummy has some baring on the case but with the police not believing hom, Jamie sets out to investigate his wifes murder and find who sent the dummy. From here, the story moves along, revealing more about the town Jamie and Ella grew up in and it's strange superstition about ventriloquist dummies...

This is one of the most creepy and chilling horror films I've seen for quite sometime. In recent years, with the exception of a few gems, the genre seems to have moved more towards the gore factor than the scare factor. Films like the Saw 1 through 15 or whatever they've got to now, and Hostel etc have set out to shock the viewer with ingeniously gruesome and horrific ways of killing victims. While I do enjoy these films (if enjoy is the right word) and they do have a great knack of making the viewer feel queazy, they don't give the viewer that creeping sense of fear, when the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and chills run down your spine, nor do they really deliver on those moments in horror films where you know something is about to make you jump but you're not sure wuite when....then blam the big jump moment and you need to be peeled off the celing, it is these moments which for me is what the horror film should really be all about.

Dead Silence, despite being from the producers of Saw which might lead you to think it will be more of the same ie big and gory, is actually much more of a traditional horror film. It has a very creepy atmosphere throughout the film, which is achieved by some lovely visuals and some great (if in places rather generic....but hey, if it works why not) shooting. The inclusion of the ventriloquists dummies, as mentioned, works really well both as a plot point, and as a tool for creating tension and creepiness. And mixed with the interesting and nicely paced plot, the film really does set out to give you the creeps and achieves this well.

The lead role is well played by Ryan Kwanten (who some may recognise as having been in Home and Away years ago) and is quite believeable in the role, though a little more backstory and characterisation might have been useful.

Donnie Wahlberg as the cop investigating the murder of Jamies wife, is a great, a character that is easy to warm to despite limited time on screen. His attitude and fairly light hearted way of doing things provides brief relief from the creepy atmosphere, though more tension is never far away.

The film uses an unusual and rather effective method of bringing about some really good tension and som decent jumps and it works really rather well. I would explain more but I don't really want to spoil the viewing pleasure for anyone.

If would heartily recommend this film to anyone who is a little bored of the gorey horror films that are getting to be the norm, and to anyone who loves the traditional horror film which delivers tension and creepiness and jumps. This is a good film with a decent plot and great atmosphere that I'm sure will have you clutching a cusion or pulling a blanket over your eyes or however you deal with that feeling of being scared!

Summary: Definitely wortha watch if you like horror films!