“Dead Silence” is a supernatural horror flick involving a ventriloquist puppet. Ventriloquists puppets can be unsettling, just watch “Magic” from 1978 or some of the episodes of the original “Twilight Zone” series. “Dead Silence” ultimately fails to work because the plot and the killer’s choices make no real sense.

A young man (Ryan Kwanten) returns to his hometown after his wife is murdered shortly after a mysterious ventriloquist doll arrived at his door. His hometown is a place with a sinister urban legend involving a deceased ventriloquist. Is somebody playing a sick joke or is the spectre of the ventriloquist on the loose?

The main character, Jamie, is rather forgettable. He’s thankfully not as annoying as most protagonists in horror movies but he’s hardly entertaining to watch. The dolls in this movie are somewhat spooky at times. I cannot really explain too much without spoiling the movie but let me make it clear that the killer’s moves have no logic to them. The killer has way too much power for the story’s own good. Bob Gunton (“Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls”) is enjoyable as Jamie’s father. This movie was directed by James Wan (“Saw”) so watch out for the very brief appearance of the doll from the “Saw” franchise.

It’s a shame that this film is not very good because there are some disturbing moments here and there. The problem is that there are just way too many stupid ones. Had they opted for something less supernatural and more psychological, this could have been a great movie because Wan knows how to create tension. If you want a great film about a ventriloquist then watch “Magic” instead. As it is, “Dead Silence” is a mess of a movie and even the “Child’s Play” movies are more entertaining to watch than this.