A “sophomore slump” in art is a hypothetical event that feels almost illogical as a precondition rather than an ordinary event. Of course, many creators often follow innovative presentations with efforts that do not achieve the same quality and/or level of success. In some cases, these works take time to be fully appreciated, as a fog of hype and expectations can cloud judgment. These factors are only exacerbated by the amount of commentary from viewers and critics, who tend to participate in another trend commonly associated with later films: people want to pile on as much negativity as possible, perhaps to demonstrate how good an artist they are. . , or belittle them, or attribute whatever behavior you want.
Director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell experienced these problems firsthand when they released their film “Dead Silence” through Universal Pictures in March 2007, three years after the release of their breakthrough film “Saw.” That film was technically Wan's second feature film (his actual debut was 1998's “Stygian,” which is still hard to find today), but it was definitely his breakout film, the one that put him and Wannel on the map. terror. . “Saw” became a huge hit, earning 100 times its budget, while kicking off a new trend in horror cinema known as “torture porn” (a somewhat controversial term for Vaughn, Whannell and me). ).As a result of all this fuss, the duo attempted to make “Dead Silence” a completely different experience from “Saw,” which flopped at the box office, disappointed new fans, and was heavily attacked by critics upon its release. However, now we have received recognition. It is always deserved and it was time.
Dead Silence almost ended Van's career
James Wan is certainly not resting on his laurels after the massive success of “Saw”; As proof of this, despite the three-year gap between “Saw” and “Dead Silence,” Wan also directed the late 2007 thriller “Death Sentence,” starring Kevin Bacon. Releasing two very different films in the same calendar year would have been enough to solidify Vaughn's rank as a filmmaker as a new Hollywood staple, but some unfortunate (and unfair) blanket criticism arose, nearly derailing Vaughn's career. On the one hand, both “Dead Silence” and “Death Sentence” are genre films that shamelessly utilize the tropes and trappings of supernatural horror and action thriller, respectively, and traditional critics tend to pander to such violent genres. 00s. Another is that the way “Saw” filmmakers capitalized on the film's success by immediately launching a franchise (“Saw II” was ready for theaters in October 2005) left some critics unconvinced that “Dead Silence” It was just a passing fad. And Whannell tried to start another source of intellectual property income; Scott Tobias' review for AV Club says so.
Wan certainly had an agenda when making “Dead Silence,” but he in no way attempted to replicate the success of “Saw.” In fact, for Wan, it was about trying to get as far away from “cha” and “torture porn” as possible. As the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023:
“Well, with 'Dead Silence,' my second movie and my first studio movie, I was actually responding to the reaction that 'Saw' was getting, which was people talking about the torture aspect of 'Saw.' So I very consciously decided to move away from that style and make it a haunted house, a ghost story and it's 'Dead Silence'. A lot of people expected something like 'Saw' but in the end it didn't happen, it didn't do well financially and people didn't like it very much at the time.
Vaughn wasn't kidding about the financial disappointment of “Dead Silence”; It was made for 20 million dollars and its worldwide collection has not exceeded that figure. In addition to the film's poor performance at the box office, there was some controversy behind the scenes; Leigh Whannell, at least, has spoken out in the past about the way Universal interfered with the film, and those pressures must have fallen on Whan's shoulders as well.
Deadly silence deserves love and rewards your attention.
During his chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn marveled at how his 2007 films “Dead Silence” and “Death Sentence” were appreciated in retrospect:
“But now, strangely enough, a lot of fans tell me how much they love 'Dead Silence.' And the same goes for the 'death penalty'.”
To be fair, even without the weight of post-“Saw” expectations, “Dead Silence” is a movie that grows on you rather than knocking you out at first glance, and it's an effect that's almost etched directly into the film. To wit: The premise of “Dead Silence” indicates that it will be a “creepy living doll” movie based on the “Magic” or “Child's Play/Chucky” franchise, but the other doll movie Vaughn helped make. A franchise like “Annabelle,” “Dead Silence” is not about dolls, but what (or, in this case, who) is behind them. In its story involving a mysterious small town and its sinister history, “Dead Silence” is more like a lost Stephen King novel and is filled with various tropes. Van's shadow and his keen sense of time. When the final Shyamalan-style twist arrives, it's clear that we're watching a film with so many layers that it's all the more compelling on repeated viewings, and rewatching a film is one of the surest ways to gain a deeper appreciation for she.
In the end, Wan overcame the setbacks of “Dead Silence” and “Death Sentence” and came back strong with not one, but two films that were good enough to pay off the franchise: “Insidious” and “The Conjuring,” which which means Wan's work included three. The sole proprietors are still active today. Given the filmmaker's continued popularity and relevance, “Dead Silence” is sure to gain more fans in the years to come as it is revisited and rediscovered. However, the more things change, the more they stay the same: perhaps I or someone else will write a similar article about Wan's latest film, Unfairly Maligned. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is still a few years away.
