Sound of Silence

After Emma's father ends up critically incapacitated, in what she deems a freak accident.

She returns home to investigate.

Only to discover that it has something to do with a haunted radio.

The radio isn't just haunted by one ghost - but three.

A young girl, who repeatedly turns the radio on.

Her mother, who repeatedly turns the radio off, and incessantly hushes anyone making noise.

And an extremely violent man, who tries to strangle anyone who makes, even the slightest, sound.

After realizing that she can only see the entities when the radio is turned on.

She attempts to make contact with them, to learn more about who they are, and what exactly it is they want.

At first, it's hard to understand why she puts herself through the torment...instead of just leaving the house.

Or getting rid of the radio, for that matter.

But, to the credit of the writers, they do offer an explanation as to why the violent man demands absolute silence.

And why she can't just destroy the radio.

Even if the process to get there is relatively frustrating.

Mainly, because the acting is really, really bad.

The ambience is overwhelmingly dark.

You can tell they were trying to establish a symbolic atmosphere - about darkness having taken over the house.

But it comes off a bit forced, if not alienating.

Though, I imagine they felt they had to do this, because there isn't a whole lot of dialogue in the film.

Another problem the film suffers from, is that it plods on rather slowly, especially at the beginning.

And, when things do start to actually happen- after the ghost of the violent man possesses her boyfriend- the acting is way too over the top.

Rendering it more laughable, than it is scary.

I will give it to them, though, that they, at least, managed to tie up all the loose ends.

Which is it's only redeeming quality.

Though, they use this as an oppoutunity to set themselves up for an, arguably unwanted, sequel.

I'm actually surprised to hear (pun intended) that this actually made it to theatres.

As it seems more like a straight to Shudder - or even TubiTV- type feature.

So it's understandable to see so many paying viewers leaving notably upset - and feeling ripped off.

Because, as I previously mentioned, the acting is really really bad.

Which is hard to get over.

That being said...it's definitely not the worst horror film of 2023 (so far).

But it does suffer from a number of fatal flaws, which make it a struggle to sit through.

3 out of 10.

I normally don't go by reviews because sometimes their made by either paid trolls or simply haters against the production but after watching this amateurish bad acting film, it is truly safe to say that the negative reviews are spot on. This was by far one of the worst films I've watched in a long time. After an entire hour and a half of nothing and ridiculous dialogue, just to found out that this is nothing but a ghost story about domestic violence. Italian actors at their very worst, I kid you not. It's like watching dress rehearsal for people audition for a part and were cast who knew they was no real paycheck involved. Believe every last negative review because this film was just awful.... UGH!

This might have been made on someone's hand held video cam. Just fyi I hate most found footage films that aren't Japanese flicks from the early 00s or Hell House LLC. I walked out of The Blair Witch. So I'm not going to sit through something that looks like a very talented home movie, first of all.

It is hands down the worst cinematography I've ever seen in an Italian film. Some American trends aren't worth copying, folks.

The terrible cinematography can't even be saved by convincing acting that would allow even a slight suspension of disbelief that is IS a home movie. The acting is so bad and that's not all.

The director has to point out that the flick begins in America by waking the main character up to the most obnoxious 1992 sounding radio talk show host mentioning that it's America.

Then laughably the scenes of Italy almost could be the US. Of course I live in California and we have some of that Tuscan architecture here with the Spanish tile, but the opening Italian parts are about as distinctively Italian as having a mouth or a nose. There's a hospital, a street and a food truck that appears to be in a sprawling Walmart parking lot that says Bar in English!

I just gave up. I really wanted to see this flick too because I've had a fear of haunted radios since I was like 4 and I thought dead people were talking through my grandma's bedroom radio when it turned to static.

First, let's address the elephant in the room. This film doesn't have Oscar worthy performances. The acting isn't so bad that it takes away from the overall movie but it certainly leaves something to be desired. Now that we've got that out of the way. The remaining aspects of the film where actually quite good. I'm a horror fan and I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. While this film was obviously done on a smaller budget, at least compared to today's blockbuster standards, the effects are modest but well done. What starts as a simple ghost story soon leads to a film that is a commentary about people who are trapped in abusive relationships, or in situations in which they have no power. If your a horror buff looking for something that is lightly thought provoking and not the standard blood and guts fair. This was a very enjoyable film. The bonus horror short at the end, while not directly related to the events of the main feature, adds a nice surprise.

Sound of Silence begins with a promising concept that, unfortunately, fails to live up to its potential. The film has its strengths, but notable shortcomings and absence of crucial elements that don't meet its promised expectations, I would like to delve into the fundamental points and concerns with why this film fails to entice the audience.

One glaring issue is the significant reduction in horror features. While not necessarily expecting excessive blood or gore, the film lacks deeply disturbing moments, jump scares, psychological emotions, or heightened tension. It opts for a soft touch approach, emphasizing more realism over supernatural in moments like deft human strangulation. However, it feels placid, and this choice fails to genuinely captivate the audience, leaving a lingering sense of disappointment and missed opportunities.

The film introduces intriguing props like static from a haunted antique radio, ghostly voices, the sound room, which could have had a more substantial impact on the story. Unfortunately, they feel underused and undervalued, failing to make a significant impression despite being catalysts for the narrative.

Acting performances were reasonable, contrary to some user reviews, the cast delivers without any significant faults. The scenery, except for the sound room and isolated kebab van, is monotonous and feels like you have seen the same setting hundreds of times before. There's an irrelevant scene involving a local Italian resident stealing a bike, and while he is seen in the final scenes of the film it adds little to the overall plot.

There is theme within the story being Angelica (Lucia Caporaso) being an impressive wannabee singer, again there is never discussed in acute depth and is throughout disconnected to the happenings concerning the main story.

The ending with the tormented picture is a nice touch, but it comes out of nowhere and contributes largely to the film's confusion. It feels like the director attempted to bundle multiple stories into a single film, resulting in a semi-lacklustre and disjointed experience.

While the concept of the antique radio is intriguing, the film lacks strong foundations. The initial potential is squandered due to a lack of a good story, flimsy information, poor character development, a safe and predictable story, and an ultimately clichéd ending.

In summary, Sound of Silence falls well short of recommendation. It hesitates to fully embrace its horror field and remains too safe to be classified as a thriller. Although it concludes on a somewhat positive note, venturing into more dangerous and engrossing territory could have significantly enhanced the experience.

Rating: 3/10.