Dead Silence

Wan and Whannell prove that horror is not only about extreme violence, and so they made an old-world horror film with all the trimmings. The straightforwardness of the plot verges on the primitive (though Whannell still maintains a standard point on paper), but Wan's sound-image compositions work wonders that made my humble horror self overflow with bliss. However, it’s too bad that they cast either themselves or their friends for the roles... Ryan Kwanten is incredibly wooden. (30/05/2008)

Almost 4 stars. If it wasn't for the bland script and the not-so-interesting Ryan Kwanten, it would have been great. James Wan decided to try his hand at a classically futuristic atmosphere and succeeded brilliantly as a director. Suspenseful, atmospheric but unfortunately a bit too simple. Definitely interesting though. (30/08/2007)

James Wan is one neat filmmaker. After his feature-film debut which kicked off an endless tidal wave of R-rated horrors filmed like music videos, he decided to take a break and now he’s back with another horror. Surprisingly, this time he chose to build the atmosphere like in the old days. And he does well at it too. Dead Silence is inventive, a quality production, gorgeous music and everything a good horror should have. But still it is some way short of perfection. Mainly because Wan as a director failed to learn a lesson from his last movie and again cast actors who lack the slightest hint of charisma or acting talent. But in Dead Silence this matters much more than in Saw, where it was still just about bearable. On the other hand, Wan learned a lesson as a screenwriter. Again he didn’t refrain from giving us a moral, but at least it’s not so superficial as Saw’s moral. It true that it isn’t the most shocking of revelations, but in the context of the entire movie it makes sort of sense. And that’s worth something too. (30/07/2007)

Within the genre, this film is definitely above average, combining both the often-used motif best developed in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, the motif of a hatred reaching beyond the grave, as well as the motif of a hero consumed by the world of darkness, leading what seems to be an equal battle, as seen in Angel Heart. Dead Silence has, above all, an excellent atmosphere created by the music, the artistic execution of the puppets, and decent directing, slightly spoiled by the clumsier performance of the main actor and certain worn-out genre clichés. Overall impression: 70%. (14/07/2011)

"The Sinister Silence" definitely does not spoil the reputation of both creators, but on the contrary, it is further proof that they are good horror authors and have a sense for individual scenes, both for those that are supposed to scare or chill you, as well as for those that provide some relief. And even though the characters are somewhat cliché, in this case it doesn't matter at all, as they fit into the whole. (09/11/2015)