An all-American family inherits a spooky Swedish mansion in this bizarro feature from director Peter Borg, whose only other film is the even more obscure 1987 production Scorched Heat. Peter Nelson (The Last Starfighter) plays lucky legatee Peter Mitchell, who immediately decides to visit his new digs with girlfriend Sarah and deaf brother Dennis (Kristen Jensen and Dennis Castillo). The locals give them the cold shoulder, and the family soon learn of their new home's deep, dark secret courtesy of creepy housekeeper Margareth (Vanja Rodefeldt). (If you're an American planning to take a trip to Sweden, remember this important piece of advice: never mention the name 'Annie Holst' to anyone, unless you don't mind folks giving you dirty looks whilst scurrying away from you as quickly as possible.) There are a few decent Innocents-style scares along the way, but by and large, Sounds of Silence is a pretty sedate affair.
7 Reviews
Cheap Swedish horror
Leofwine_draca2 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
SOUNDS OF SILENCE is a very cheap Swedish horror flick with a budget only a little higher than that of your typical homemade independent feature. The story has an American family moving into a new home in Sweden after it's bequeathed to them in a will. The kid is deaf and soon finds himself entranced by a gang of spooky and mysterious children who seem to be part of a sinister conspiracy that exists in the rural community. You can guess the rest. There are a few scares here reminiscent of THE WOMAN IN BLACK and the like but mostly it's talky and long-winded, too low budget to do the subject matter justice.
Ghost Orphan Children
BloodTheTelepathicDog23 April 2023
A struggling, immature Los Angeles-based photographer named Peter (Peter Nelson) discovers that he has inherited an estate from a distant relative in Sweden. His girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Jensen) has just completed her latest novel, so Peter, aware that she could use some R&R, suggests they take a vacation overseas to evaluate what he has inherited. Sarah agrees, but the primary hangup in their relationship is Peter's role with Sarah's deaf and mute son, Dennis (Dennis Castillo). Sarah muses to Peter, who has a habit of teasing Dennis, that her son needs a father figure and not a big brother. Perhaps a new setting and the responsibility of homeownership will ground the flighty shutterbug.
In Sweden, Peter is astonished to discover that he's inherited an impressive mansion. However, there seems to be a force unseen that interests Dennis, who is drawn to a nearby abandoned orphanage. Dennis mentions that he has befriended a boy named Bill, yet neither Peter nor his mother can see his new friend. They learn that the former owner of the house had a son named Bill who died with a handful of orphans courtesy a disease. Bill and his fellow child specters have a plan for Dennis...
STORY $$$: The haunted orphanage at the center of the story offers plenty material for thrills and chills and makes for an interesting and engaging focus. However, there's a general lack of eerie atmosphere here, for the bumps that occur are often bumps in the day, and not the standard "bumps at night." Be that as it may, this film is rather gripping, thanks to the youthful protagonist, who can neither hear nor verbally communicate with others, rendering him almost adrift, unable to detect when help is on its way.
ACTING $$$: None of the actors really standout, either by giving a great or poor performance. Peter Nelson does a fine job with his man-child character, aware that he is supposed to provide for and protect Dennis, but the boy is akin to the nuisance of a kid brother, and Nelson passes off this sentiment well. Kristen Jensen, a cover girl who shows more talent here than most models-turned-actresses, gives a quality performance. Her acting resume is rather light, but the bombshell proves a more than capable actress.
SEX/NUDITY: None. This is a rather tame ghost flick, albeit the scene where Sarah is assaulted by the deranged handyman, who feels that since he fixed the sink, he's entitled to grab her breasts.
In Sweden, Peter is astonished to discover that he's inherited an impressive mansion. However, there seems to be a force unseen that interests Dennis, who is drawn to a nearby abandoned orphanage. Dennis mentions that he has befriended a boy named Bill, yet neither Peter nor his mother can see his new friend. They learn that the former owner of the house had a son named Bill who died with a handful of orphans courtesy a disease. Bill and his fellow child specters have a plan for Dennis...
STORY $$$: The haunted orphanage at the center of the story offers plenty material for thrills and chills and makes for an interesting and engaging focus. However, there's a general lack of eerie atmosphere here, for the bumps that occur are often bumps in the day, and not the standard "bumps at night." Be that as it may, this film is rather gripping, thanks to the youthful protagonist, who can neither hear nor verbally communicate with others, rendering him almost adrift, unable to detect when help is on its way.
ACTING $$$: None of the actors really standout, either by giving a great or poor performance. Peter Nelson does a fine job with his man-child character, aware that he is supposed to provide for and protect Dennis, but the boy is akin to the nuisance of a kid brother, and Nelson passes off this sentiment well. Kristen Jensen, a cover girl who shows more talent here than most models-turned-actresses, gives a quality performance. Her acting resume is rather light, but the bombshell proves a more than capable actress.
SEX/NUDITY: None. This is a rather tame ghost flick, albeit the scene where Sarah is assaulted by the deranged handyman, who feels that since he fixed the sink, he's entitled to grab her breasts.
Unable to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this.
WisdomsHammer27 October 2022
I love ghost story movies, but this one is so poorly written and directed that I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. It was obvious that it had some decent production behind it - the cinematography and sound were pretty good, I thought. Great atmosphere and mood around a story that isn't original but isn't a bad premise to build a good ghost story on. This one is very talky and drawn out, unfortunately.
Some people aren't going to have the same problems I did with this and might actually like this movie quite a bit, so let me try to break it down briefly to give you an idea what's in store without any major spoilers.
A young couple and their deaf son move to a house they've inherited. The young boy starts seeing ghost children in tattered clothes who lead him to an orphanage nearby where the guy who ran it still lives with his, uh, "assistant" or caretaker I guess, Frank. It's not difficult to guess where it goes from there, but we figure it all out WAY before any of the characters do, which makes the rest of the movie kind of a slog to sit through.
All the kids and the old guy do a pretty decent acting job in this, but everyone else is pretty bad. Frank is so laughably over the top that it's almost funny. The mother is on the verge of hysteria throughout most of the movie and seemed to be written as more of an obstacle to the progress of the story than anything else. I feel kind of bad for the actress because I think if the character was written to be more relatable, likeable, and less of an obstacle, her performance and the movie as a whole would have been better.
There are events in the movie that are horrific but bloodless and actually done quite well - a great example of letting the audience fill in the horrific details without needing to actually show them.
So it's not ALL bad, but the way the main characters are written, portrayed, and directed, I cringed through too much of this. It was so bad. I actually liked the ending, even though it was a little hokey, but sitting through the rest of the movie for it is not worth it, in my opinion. 3/10.
Some people aren't going to have the same problems I did with this and might actually like this movie quite a bit, so let me try to break it down briefly to give you an idea what's in store without any major spoilers.
A young couple and their deaf son move to a house they've inherited. The young boy starts seeing ghost children in tattered clothes who lead him to an orphanage nearby where the guy who ran it still lives with his, uh, "assistant" or caretaker I guess, Frank. It's not difficult to guess where it goes from there, but we figure it all out WAY before any of the characters do, which makes the rest of the movie kind of a slog to sit through.
All the kids and the old guy do a pretty decent acting job in this, but everyone else is pretty bad. Frank is so laughably over the top that it's almost funny. The mother is on the verge of hysteria throughout most of the movie and seemed to be written as more of an obstacle to the progress of the story than anything else. I feel kind of bad for the actress because I think if the character was written to be more relatable, likeable, and less of an obstacle, her performance and the movie as a whole would have been better.
There are events in the movie that are horrific but bloodless and actually done quite well - a great example of letting the audience fill in the horrific details without needing to actually show them.
So it's not ALL bad, but the way the main characters are written, portrayed, and directed, I cringed through too much of this. It was so bad. I actually liked the ending, even though it was a little hokey, but sitting through the rest of the movie for it is not worth it, in my opinion. 3/10.
Actually a great plot
swedeboy-054055 July 2018
horror one of the best in the genre
dtrenkov6 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
A family with one kid (8-10 years old) that cannot talk and hear arrives at a small town for vacation if I remember right. The small deaf boy start hearing tiny voices seeing things and little by little the story of torture and violence of a group of kids without parents is revealing for him. He visited the old house where they lived and they showed him what happened and who were their executors which are still alive. They asked him for help to punish their torturers in the thrilling final of the movie. A masterpiece of the horror genre. One of the best. The music also is remarkable. Unfortunately I have seen that movie 15 years ago can,t find it since then.
Engaging Swedish Horror
ladymidath13 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I found Sounds Of Silence on Amazon Prime and having a fondness for 80's horror, I decided to give it a watch, and I am glad I did.
I can't remember seeing this before, an American family travel to Sweden as the husband if told that he had inherited a property from.an elderly relative. The house is next to an old abandoned orphanage and their son, (the husband'd step son,) who is deaf.
The locals shun the house and the orphanage and are cold and unhelpful towards the young couple. The son starts to.see a young boy, then other children who are abused, half starved and dressed in filthy rags. Ge also sees two others, a cruel man and an older boy who morph into old men.
At first the parents don't believe their son, until his step father sees the evidence in his photos, a boy standing at a window of the abandoned orphanage.
The film is very entertaining, containing some tense moments and genuine scares without being too gory. The acting was competent, the child actors were particularly good and the music and photography added to the somber mood of the movie.
This was one of the better 80's horror and well worth the watch.
I can't remember seeing this before, an American family travel to Sweden as the husband if told that he had inherited a property from.an elderly relative. The house is next to an old abandoned orphanage and their son, (the husband'd step son,) who is deaf.
The locals shun the house and the orphanage and are cold and unhelpful towards the young couple. The son starts to.see a young boy, then other children who are abused, half starved and dressed in filthy rags. Ge also sees two others, a cruel man and an older boy who morph into old men.
At first the parents don't believe their son, until his step father sees the evidence in his photos, a boy standing at a window of the abandoned orphanage.
The film is very entertaining, containing some tense moments and genuine scares without being too gory. The acting was competent, the child actors were particularly good and the music and photography added to the somber mood of the movie.
This was one of the better 80's horror and well worth the watch.
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