VOD of the Dead - SOUND OF SILENCE (2023)
Do you believe in ghosts? Given the nature of our site and the kind of content you no less have seen us post, it’s fair to say that some of the staffers here at Macabre Daily believe in the possibility of ghosts. As skeptical as I am, and in spite of my failed attempts to rationalize, I still don’t rule it out even if I haven’t personally experienced anything that would provide me with any proof. The reason I won’t rule it out is probably that there is a part of me that isn’t entirely scared of ghosts, not that I see them being cohabitants, but I don’t perceive them as malevolent even if the idea of a dead person appearing in any form as seemingly alive is inherently creepy. What I always liked about J-HORROR is that their ghost stories represented the apparitional manifestation of significant harm or trauma. It was as if the act was so profound it created a spiritual tear in the fabric of reality until remedied. It’s poetic in a way, but I don’t think that ghosts are here for that either. In SOUND OF SILENCE, the newest supernatural horror film from XYZ FILMS and the Italian Directing Trio T3 (ALESSANDRO ANTONACI, DANIEL LASCAR, and STEFANO MANDALÀ) we are asked to question the intent of spirits and what they are really trying to say, or not, to us. Is it successful in being both creepy and compelling, or is this another in a long line of meddling ghost stories?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When her father is gravely injured, Emma returns to her family home in Italy. Alone in the house while her father recovers, she encounters a haunted radio – and the evil entity behind it. With the supernatural force growing stronger by the hour, Emma must reveal the dark secret behind the radio’s curse to survive the night.
HOW IS IT?
The supernatural sub-genre is just as hit/miss as any other in the horror genre, with most modern films riffing on JAMES WAN’s now 20-year-old THE CONJURING in some way or another. SOUND OF SILENCE wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve, and among them are WAN’s seminal supernatural flick as well as the more recent A QUIET PLACE and the short-turned-feature LIGHTS OUT. Bringing elements from those films together, SOUND OF SILENCE is a beautifully shot and acted ghost story that falters only by sticking too close to a formula rather than doubling down on some of its more interesting ideas.
As far as ideas go, SOUND OF SILENCE has quite a few layered throughout the narrative and aesthetic. There are elements of family drama combined with your run-of-the-mill haunted item that brings a malevolent ghost. In this case, Emma (PENELOPE SANGIORGI) goes back to Italy to see her parents after her father ends up in the hospital and her mother has bruises that infer possible domestic abuse. What we know from the cold opening in the film is that there is a haunted radio that Emma’s dad fixed and soon enough, Emma comes across the same radio. Emma is joined by her boyfriend, Seba (ROCCO MARAZZITA) on the trip home and both of them are a delight to watch. There is an authenticity to the way the two play their parts and how their relationship functions, which certainly helps with some story beats that occur in the last act. The strong acting is also supported by some really fun and exciting technical work as well. From the cinematography to the sound design, everything about this production looks polished and professional. Some of the shots are quite disorienting and further add to what we are seeing happen on the screen. Finally, SOUND OF SILENCE really knows how to stick a landing. Even though getting there presents a few challenges.
While I overall enjoyed SOUND OF SILENCE, one of the challenges I had with it was the pacing. After a really stellar cold open and some genuine tension in the first act, the second act starts to really drag. To some extent, this could be explained by the runtime. Even at 93 minutes SOUND OF SILENCE could easily stand to lose about 10-15 of them and be a much more effective film for it. And while the ending is really well done, it introduces concepts that would have been more interesting had they played out sooner. There are times when it feels like we are seeing the same cat-and-mouse chase scene over and over, so bringing some of the ideas at the end forward sooner could have helped keep things fresh and build towards a similar climax.
LAST RITES
While SOUND OF SILENCE isn’t necessarily treading a lot of new ground, the ground it does tread is elevated by strong performances from the entire cast and a slick technical polish that keeps the visuals exciting even if the story does have a saggy middle.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
THE SOUND OF SILENCE WILL BE AVAILABLE ON VOD & DIGITAL ON MARCH 9, 2023
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