Why George Bell From Them Looks So Familiar

Up until this point, Ryan Kwanten was taking relatively lighthearted roles and didn't stray too far from the drama genre, but in 2007, he took a starring role in the well-loved horror thriller Dead Silence, directed by James Wan. He played the role of Jamie Ashen, a newly married man who suddenly loses his wife under horrific and mysterious circumstances. He returns to the town of Ravens Fair for her funeral, and to unravel the truth that surrounds her mysterious death. 

Unbeknownst to Jamie, the town has an infamous curse involving a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts), who may have a lot to do with his wife's death. Jamie realizes that Shaw and her collection of dolls have returned to seek vengeance on the ancestors of those who used to mock her, and he's caught in the middle of it. 

Dead Silence didn't do as well as Wan had hoped, only grossing $16.8 million domestically. The film's estimated production budget was $20 million.