YMMV / Dead Silence

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Is Edward Ashen merely the asshole father Jamie believes he is, or has he deliberately tried to distance himself from his son in hope that he would not become one of Mary Shaw's targets? Note that Jamie spent most of his childhood away from Raven's Fair: that may have been part of his father's attempt to keep him safe from Mary's vengeance, as she Would Hurt a Child.
• Awesome Music: The main theme by Charlie Clouser.
• Catharsis Factor: Granted, it doesn't stop Mary Shaw or save him in the end, but Jamie burning all of Mary's evil dolls to cinder can be rather cathartic after the wicked ghost has been using them to terrorize and murder for generations. Perhaps the only loss Mary takes in the whole film.
• Complete Monster: Mary Shaw was a ventriloquist in life who ended up murdering a little boy who had heckled her performance to turn his corpse into a "perfect doll." After being on the receiving end of vigilante justice, Shaw became a ghost that haunted those who had killed her, dedicating her un-death to killing them. She begins the movie by killing the hero's pregnant wife, as "she had the last" of his family line inside her. Using her dolls as mediums, Shaw revels in killing those in her way and whoever she encounters throughout the film, displaying nothing but cruelty and a desire to make her perfect doll.
• Cult Classic: Despite bombing among critics, box office and even the creators of the movie, it has quite a few fans in the horror genre, due to being considered an all around very fun movie to watch.
• Ham and Cheese: Donnie Wahlberg knows what kind of movie he's in and chews the scenery accordingly.
• Ho Yay: Not unlike Dr. Gordon and Adam, some shippers note this in Detective Lipton's constant tailing of Jamie.
• Narm:
  • If you get the Fridge Brilliance the first time you see the movie, then the part about Edward being turned into a ventriloquist doll, especially the scene with his back hollowed to make room for the wooden shaft can become really hilarious.
  • The entire film could be this to viewers who don't find puppets or dolls to be creepy.
  • "Now, who's the dummy?" It's very appropriate given the film's premise, but it comes off as Narmy when Mary Shaw/Ella uses it as a Pre-Mortem One-Liner.
• One-Scene Wonder: Mary's Monster Clown dummy shows up for one scene, but damn is it terrifying.
• Special Effects Failure: Mary's face appearing on the dolls' faces looks very off, especially for a movie that came out in 2007.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: Amidst the bad special effects and the hole-ridden plot, Judith Roberts' performance as Mary Shaw is one of the few saving graces of the film. The flashback in which she's still alive is considered by some as scarier than the scenes that feature her ghost.
• The Woobie: Jamie and Marion.

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