Scream all you want is the tagline for Tony Glazer's new release, Dead Sound. This genre staple claims to be inspired by true events. Writers Jon Adler and Ted Weihman serve up a unique take on the teen horror film, where the killer is not just another faceless monster.
Four friends from boarding school miss the last ferry to Block Island and the blowout party of the year. While drinking at the local watering hole, they arrange passage on a fishing boat with a shady townie. Things go bad very quickly once they are on the water. John Behlman and Jeff Kober are terrifically menacing as sadistic fishermen Bobby and Stone. They have no intention of delivering them to the party, and the teens are suddenly in for the fight of their lives.
Jake (Noah Gaynor), Ashley (Sophie Faulkenberry), Nicki (Matthew Gurnley) and Carson (Max Miller) round out the cast as the four ill-fated friends. They could have been plucked from Central Casting-the spoiled rich kid, the jock, the high school princess. There wasn't a lot of emotional depth or chemistry here. Only Faulkenberry's character Ashley had more nuance, as she struggles with addiction and the unwanted attentions of Bobby.
The film was slow to get moving, but once it did, it dished out enough thrills and gore to keep me interested. Unfortunately, this did not occur until halfway through the movie. We were treated to the unlucky quartets drunken, rude exploits for too long. I also found the ending silly and possibly unintentionally funny. For a film that was trying to differentiate itself with serious social commentary on class and addiction as the motive for the killers, I would have liked to have seen a more complex exploration of these issues. Overall, an entertaining but average thriller.
Premiering on DVD and Digital this March from Uncork'd Entertainment.
Patricia Pirillo