Welcome back to the newest, and at times goriest, column here at Film Inquiry – Horrific Inquiry. Twice a month, I will be tackling all things horror, each month bringing two films back into the spotlight to terrify and frighten once more. And occasionally looking at those that could have pushed the envelope further. Join us as we dive deep into the heart of horror, but warning, there will be spoilers.
There are horror movies that stick with you, that resonate in the recesses of your mind, constantly threatening to terrify and invade your dreams. It drives you to run through the darkroom, check around corners, hid all reflective surfaces, and leave the light on. This is the power of horror, a power that is both feared and loved. For many, Dead Silence from director James Wan, has been a lasting terror when darkness falls and the room runs silent.
Dead Silence may not be the most known film from the brilliant horror duo of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, but it is definitely the creepiest. Continuing their intrigue with ventriloquist dolls (Billy the Puppet from Saw, who makes an appearance here), Wan and Whannell lead viewers through a terrifying haunting of revenge and misdirection – where one scream of terror could cost you your life.
“If anything happens, don’t scream.”
A new rule for horror fans. If an unmarked package arrives at your door, do not bring it in the house. Do not open it. Pick it up, and throw it in the trash. Nothing good can come of it.
As with most horror films, Jamie (Ryan Kwanten, best known for True Blood) and Lisa (Laura Regan) embrace the mystery package left outside their door, opening it revealing a case with a creepy ventriloquist doll inside. As they poke fun at the doll lightly, it draws memories of an old poem they once heard as a child – “Beware the stare of Mary Shaw”. They do not linger on the mystery of the delivery for long, as Jamie runs out to get them take out while Lisa stays behind.
While she waits for Jamie, Lisa plans the perfect prank with the doll, hiding it under the covers of the bed to freak Jamie out when he returns. Unfortunately for Lisa, she is the real dummy. There is an unsettling feeling as the sound is slowly leached from the film, the silenced thunder, teakettle, and music creating an eerie vacuum of space that is almost suffocating. The tinting of the film becomes bluer, almost death life, foreshadowing the horrific events that are to come. As Lisa is sliced by an unknown figure and thrown from the room, her untimely end becomes a truly terrifying discovery for Jamie.
Following Lisa’s discovery, Wan crafts a series of iris lens-shaped shots framed literally by the iris of Jamie’s eye, transitioning from the discovery of her mutilated body to the coroner’s removal of her body and landing audiences into the hot seat of the local precinct. As heavy as the film is on its creep factor at this point, it is aware of the need to lighten up the moment and inject a little humor into the film. Enter Donny Wahlberg as smart-ass cop Detective Lipton. With Wahlberg, his character gives the film not only an extra body for the film’s climactic finale but also an additional opposing force for Jamie. As he pursues Jamie’s culpability in his wife’s murder, he gives the film its needed “jerk” within the formula.
All paths lead home
Wan and Whannell do not keep the audience hanging for long on the gruesome murder and the mystery surrounding the dummy. Jamie, who returns home to Ravens Fair to bury his wife, is met with a deeper mystery surrounding Mary Shaw, her curse, and the “children” she crafted.
But all paths do not only lead home for Jamie but for Wan as well, reuniting not only with Whannell, but Saw‘s composer Charlie Clouser. You can hear the basic elements of the Saw theme and sound interlaced throughout the score, creating a connection beyond just the ventriloquism. But Clouser does not rest on the familiar, elevating the film by infusing it with a haunting and eerie spirit-filled chorus that fills the space and the mystery surrounding Jamie. As he searches deeper to find answers, the chorus becomes louder and more unsettling.
But it is not only the score that is unsettling. As the appearance and attack of Mary Shaw are on the horizon, the sounds within the room become leeched. And not just by turning down the volume, they feel literally sucked into silence – many times foreshadowed by the jaw-dropping on Billy the Dummy. Many times it’s reminiscent of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Hush” from its fifth season, yet it is uniquely executed in its own right. Just before the sounds are removed, some are heightened for greater effect. The creaking of the doll’s eyes, the dripping of water, and the screaming of a tea kettle are just as impactful when they are removed as they are when they return.
Wan continues to pull from his original success from Saw, the final moments of Dead Silence mimicking the editing style of its predecessor. The familiarity is comforting and strangely unexpected – and it fits just as well here as it did in the final moments of Saw. While the ending does not back the same memorable punch, it is nonetheless effective.
“Beware the stare of Mary Shaw”
There are elements of Dead Silence that did not stand the test of time, however. Specifically, the transformation and morphing of Mary Shaw and her dolls. There is a dated CGI effect that still grips that of the effects in 1999’s The Haunting. It no longer retains the terror it once possessed – yet thankfully, these moments are short-lived.
What does stand is the make-up, character design, and execution of Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts). While I think I have watched the film enough times to shake the fear of Mary Shaw, there is still the eeriness and feeling that resonates from my first viewing. The make-up design of her rotting and puppet-crafted face, lit with a deathly blue is still chill-inducing. Her appearances each time are given the attention required to make her effective. In the hotel room, the camera holds steady on her face, forcing audiences to look into her eyes. In the crawl space, her rotting hand creeps around the corner, a fully lit view of her face and the grotesque murder she inflicts shortly after. The scream erupts as she bursts into the mansion after Jamie, shattering the silence.
Mary Shaw holds the terror she gripped on these characters, becoming her own terrifying element of horror history. And while she might not have gotten all the attention she deserves, her terrifying make-up and performance will have a lasting effect for some time to come.
“If you see her in your dreams, don’t scream”
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.
Have you seen Dead Silence? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch Dead Silence
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