10 Terrible Horror Movies That Had Unbelievably Good Endings

4. Dead Silence

As Above, So Below
Universal

Dead Silence reveals how a master ventriloquist, Mary Shaw, was left humiliated by a boy during a show. When the child wound up dead, the townsfolk accused Mary of murder and had her executed.

Years later, Jamie Ashen's wife is murdered immediately after receiving one of Shaw's dummies. Speaking to his stroke-stricken father, Edward, Jamie discovers Shaw is targeting everyone related to her killers, including him.

Dead Silence has an intriguing premise, but it shoots itself in the foot by stuffing every scene with cliches. Any potential scares are diminished by distracting CGI, and the few tense moments are interrupted by unnecessary jump-scares.

The whole film would've been a waste of time if it wasn't for the last minute-and-a-half. After seemingly destroying Mary Shaw's ghost, Jamie heads to his father's estate to let Edward know the nightmare is over.

Jamie is horrified to see his dad has been dead for years, and the "Edward" he spoke to before was a hollowed-out corpse. Edward's body was being controlled like a puppet by his wife, Ella, who had been possessed by Shaw. Before Jamie has a chance to react, Shaw possesses his body, completing her revenge.

Dead Silence's last-minute twist is so clever, it's a pity it wasn't in a better movie.

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James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85