Dead Silence (1991)

Three young students go into a holiday which rapidly turns into horror as they hit-and-run a lonely hitchhiker in desert. They decide to keep the accident a secret, but as more and more ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter O'Fallon

Writers:

Bob Bibb (story), Lewis Goldstein (story)

Stars:

Renée Estevez, Lisanne Falk, Carrie Mitchum

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Renée Estevez	...	Zanna Young
Lisanne Falk	...	Joan Reducci
Carrie Mitchum	...	Sunnie Haines
Steven Brill	...	Tommy
Claudette Nevins	...	Mrs. Stillman
Tim Russ	...	Dep. Ryan
Beau Starr	...	Det. Barton
Bryan Cranston	...	Prof. Harris
Steven M. Gagnon	...	Auto Inspector
Al Ruscio	...	Reducci
Andrew Zeller	...	Eric
Robert Ackerman	...	Mechanic
Laura Bastianelli	...	Margie
Bojesse Christopher	...	Diver
A.J. Freeman	...	Repairman

Storyline

Three young students go into a holiday which rapidly turns into horror as they hit-and-run a lonely hitchhiker in desert. They decide to keep the accident a secret, but as more and more evidence begins to turn up, they face the contradiction between morals and friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

hitchhiker | desert | student | hit and run | accident | 

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Taglines:

They were lifelong friends until they killed a man. Now no one's talking.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Death in Palm Springs

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

FNM Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (PFL)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Joanie jumps from the roof and dives into the swimming pool, an obvious stunt double can be seen.

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Soundtracks

Something Just Ain't Right
Written by Amber, Tommy Girvin & Brian Wayy
Performed by Amber

User Reviews

There are no absolutes in Law

**SPOILERS** Driving south to Plam Springs to spend Spring Break the three UPNW, University Pacific North West, collage students Zanna Joanie & Sunnie, Renee Estevez Lisanne Falk & Carrie Mitchum, expect to have nothing but a good time in the Pacific Coast town. With Sunnie a top reporter back at her collage newspaper landing a job at the local TV station KLCA channel 8.

Renting a car and getting a bit drunk the girls later take a ride out in the desert with Sunnie behind the wheel. Taking her eyes of the road for just a second, with Zanna and Joani horsing around, Sunnie hits a homeless hitch-hiker who after going thorough the windshield falls to the ground dead. The three girls panic-stricken at what happened and how it would effect their lives, Sunnie already had a DWI conviction, and their future as law students don't do the right thing and report the accident right away to the state police.

The movie "Dead Silence" shows how trying to hide a crime, hit and run, and live without any feelings or consideration for the person that was killed, treating him as if he were just road kill, in the end catches up with those involved. The accident causes more hurt heartbreak and even, in the case of poor and terrified Jaonie, suicide for the girls then if they just turned themselves in and let the chips, and the law, fall where they may. Not that the girls were insensitive toward the poor homeless man they just felt that their future was far more important, since they were alive, then the hitch-hikers, who's life was dead and buried in the empty and broiling desert.

Joanie feeling a bit queasy about the fate of the hitch-hiker, wondering if his body was discovered , goes to the scene of the accident to see if the hitch-hikers body was still there, it wasn't. With the windshield of the car fixed to hide the proof that the car was in an accident it became obvious that it was since it didn't have an ID number on it, the new windshield, which all rented cars have.

Time passes, three months, and eventually the hitch-hikers remains are found by the state police. As they slowly put all the pieces, and bones, together the clues reach all the way up north to the University of the Pacific North West and Joanie Reducci who's paper trail from renting the car, that killed the unfortunate hitch-hiker, lead straight to her dormitory door.

Only Sunnie who had the most to loose, she was employed as a Plam Beach TV reporter, and the person who was driving the car when it hit and killed the hitch-hiker was willing to turn herself in to the police. Zanna not wanting to end up behind bars and lose her chance to be a member of the state bar,that a criminal record would disqualify her from practicing law, tries to manipulate both her friends Sunnie and Joanie into not turning themselves. This cause Joanie to have a serious emotional breakdown that leads to her killing herself by jumping off the roof, of the hotel that she and Zanna were staying at, and into the hotel swimming pool.

Zanna still trying to make a deal with the police to save her freedom and career implicates her best friend Sunnie in the hitch-hikers death even though Sunnie was just about to turn herself in! By Zanna doing that, ratting out Sunnie before she gave herself up, gave the desperate Zanna immunity from prosecution.

With one friend, Joanie, driven to her death and another, Sunnie, facing prison and nothing to look forward to when she gets out Zanna now has all the time in the world to reflect on what she did. By her doing everything to keep from going to the police that lead to her two friends ending up even worse off then the homeless nameless and dead hitch-hiker, that they left in the lonely and inhospitable Western Desert.