From James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the horror masters behind Saw, comes a thriller of relentless terror! Ever since Mary Shaw was hunted down and killed, the small town of Ravens Fair has been haunted by horrific deaths. When a local’s wife is brutally murdered, he returns home to unravel the terrifying legend of Mary Shaw and the reason why when you see her, you should never, ever scream.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/rfJ6aManTqo?t=322]

Video Quality

Dead Silence makes its 4K UHD Blu-Ray debut with the Theatrical Cut in a formidable 2160p Dolby Vision transfer from a new 4K master. It would have been nice to have the Unrated Cut as an option via seamless branching, even if it meant a small downturn in quality during the exclusive bits. Fans can watch the Unrated Cut on the included Blu-Ray. With that said, the new 4K UHD allows the film to look the best it ever has on home entertainment. The original Universal Blu-Ray was released eight years ago which looked very nice, but this new disc offers strong improvements across the board.

This new release preserves the perfect amount of natural film grain which allows this movie to showcase a lot of pleasing texture and detail. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly distinguish specific details within the makeup, backgrounds and production design that were at times poorly defined before. The various settings are also given much more depth which makes for a more compelling exploration. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are a standout aspect of the disc, especially when wading through such dark environments that have previously swallowed up detail.

James Wan employs a desaturated aesthetic which this disc recreates with accuracy, holding true to the stylistic influence on the film. The UHD has fun with certain splashes of bold colors such as a recurring thematic spotlight on red. The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever, as you have distinct lighting choices presenting with a lovely saturation. Highlights offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are much deeper which allows this transfer to provide a greater level of fine detail in darker environments. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you an impeccable amount of facial detail. This film does not scream out to be considered as demo material for your television, but it benefits immensely from the 4K UHD upgrade.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 lossless track that brings this film to life really well. This disc perfectly brings the unsettling thrills to life with a depth and clarity of sound worthy of the mix. The characters mostly stay situated in various interiors, and the sounds of each environment flow out of your side and rear speakers for a fully three-dimensional experience. Every sound is perfectly placed for maximum effectiveness. The track engages all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise that push the level of immersion for a 5.1 track.

Kinetic sequences are sporadic but have a dynamic sound design that springs to life without fail. The activity in the low-end is formidable and never lacks for strength. Dialogue comes through clearly in the center channel without getting overwhelmed by the music or any sound effects. The deeply effective score from Charlie Clouser utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Scream Factory has offered an ideal audio experience for this film. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided on this disc.

Special Features

Disc Two (Blu-Ray)

Theatrical Version (1:29:08) and Unrated Version (1:31:33)

Master Of Puppets – An Interview with Director James Wan: A brand-new 16-minute interview with Wan in which he discusses his love of ghost stories, his early foray into movie-making as a youth, the filmmakers who influenced him, his friendship with Leigh Whannell, trying to branch out after Saw, the look of the doll, the desire to interact with the audience, his feelings about the legacy of the film and more.

Dead Assignment – An Interview with Writer Leigh Whannell: A nearly 13-minute brand-new interview with Whannell in which he discusses growing up in Melbourne, his early interest in cinema, expanding his knowledge of horror film in film school, his friendship and creative process with James Wan, the development of Dead Silence, the research that went into the history of ventriloquism, the second life of the film and more.

No Children, Only Dolls – An Interview with Ventriloquist Dummy Creator Tim Selberg: A new 12-minute interview with Selberg in which he discusses his history with ventriloquism, getting approached to work on the film, the approach to creating the main Billy doll, the background information on how the controls work and more.

Alternate Opening: A minute-and-a-half alternate opening in which a mother tells her child the story of Mary Shaw is presented in standard definition.

Alternate Ending: A nearly four-minute alternate ending is provided here in standard definition.

Deleted Scenes: Four minutes of unused material is presented here in standard definition. Nothing much of consequence is here, but it is interesting enough to check out.

The Making Of Dead Silence: A 12-minute archival piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the macabre nature of the story, the classical approach to the aesthetic, the visual effects, the makeup work and more.

Mary Shaw’s Secret: A seven-minute look at the manufactured ghost story that has been cooked up by the creative team for this feature.

Evolution Of A Visual FX: A four-minute look at the progression of visual effects shots from their roughest stage to what we see on screen.

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Dead Silence is another formidable collaboration between James Wan and Leigh Whannel, who go beyond the simple “creepy doll” exterior and deliver a ghostly, giallo-inspired tale of murder and revenge. The pacing can be a bit inconsistent, but it offers fairly steady thrills and a finale which is so deliciously demented that it elevates the tale a whole star grade. The performances leave a bit to be desired, but they do not bring things down too much. Scream Factory has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation along with a great array of new and legacy special features. If you are a fan, the film has never had a better presentation on home entertainment. Recommended

Dead Silence is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.