Dead Silence is a 2007 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell, and starring Ryan Kwanten, Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bob Gunton. The film follows a young widower returning to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's mysterious death. Dead Silence was released theatrically in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on March 16, 2007. The film was widely panned by critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing $22.4 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.