Billy from Dead Silence (2007)
What’s spooky about dummies is that they rely on someone—a ventriloquist—to bring them to life. The human must surrender themselves to becoming the dummy by relaxing their face and throwing their voice. Controlled by Mary Shaw, Billy unhinges his jaw and snaps it shut, moving his body in stiff, jerky motions. Horror movies make you question who controls whom—the dummy or the ventriloquist?
Billy from Dead Silence looks like a classic dummy with his tuxedo, bow tie, and slicked-back hair, but he also has Victorian Gothic vibes with the heavy shadows around his eyes and his ominous smile. Dead Silence may not be the greatest horror movie from James Wan and Leigh Whannell, with scenes more goofy than ghoulish, but the ending twist plays on the idea of ventriloquism in the most grisly and absurd way.
