Saw director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell resurrect the concept of the malevolent dummy in this deliberately retro horror. The backstory reveals the fate of ventriloquist Mary Shaw, who went mad and was sadistically murdered by vengeful locals. But when the wife of former resident Ryan Kwanten is brutally slain, he returns to his still-cursed home town - convinced that Shaw's vengeful doll is the culprit. Detective Donnie Wahlberg isn't so sure. Old-fashioned scares and elegant visual style might suggest a homage to Universal's golden age of horror - the studio's famous monochrome logo makes an appearance - but sadly, this is no classic in the Dead of Night tradition. Failing to squeeze tension from the Grand Guignol theatrics, the film is fatally undermined by its predictable plotting and bland acting.

Jamie returns to his hometown in search of answers to his wife's murder, which occurred after receiving a weird package containing a ventriloquist dummy named Billy, which may be linked to the legend of ventriloquist Mary Shaw. Destined to find out the truth, Jamie goes to the town of Raven's Fair, where Shaw used to perform and is buried. But Jamie is in for more than he expected.