Product Description: A towns terrible secret is about to reignite a 30 year old battle with the ultimate evil when a desperate mother comes to silent hill insearch of her missing daughter. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/22/2008 Starring: Radha Mitchell Sean Bean Run time: 125 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com: A lot of movies can be described as "dripping with atmosphere," but in the case of Silent Hill it's literally true. Faithfully adapted from the Konami video games by French director Christophe Gans and Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary (both self-confessed video game addicts), this dark and grisly horror-fest is nothing if not a triumph of cinematography and production design, consisting of a minimal and mostly incoherent plot propped up by a mysterious maze of sets that literally seep, drip, and ooze with the atmospheric evil of past misdeeds. Welcome to the abandoned and perpetually foggy ghost town of Silent Hill, where grey ash falls like snow, a devastating coal-mine fire still burns in a hellish underground, and demons of various shapes and sizes make your worst nightmares seem like a walk in the park. It's here that distressed mother Rose (played by Pitch Black heroine Radha Mitchell) has taken her daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) in hopes of discovering the source of Sharon's sleepwalking nightmares. What they find instead is a burned-out legacy of unspeakable evil, as Silent Hill's dark secrets are revealed. As opposing denizens of Silent Hill's meta-morphing underworld, Canadian actresses Alice Krige and Deborah Kara Unger seem to be the only ones who recognize this morbid mess as campy comedy; Gans (who established his visual flair with The Brotherhood of the Wolf) and Avary take it far too seriously, and the entire movie is utterly devoid of any emotional hooks or plot logic that would make us care about anything that happens. In crafting a loyal big-screen rendition of Silent Hill and its Playstation sequels, they've forgotten that movies play by a different and more demanding set of rules. As a result, they've made an impressive-looking but ultimately hollow horror film that only Silent Hill game-players can truly appreciate. --Jeff Shannon
So close to a perfect horror film. I beg to differ with Amazon.com's review. While far from a perfect film, the imaginative visuals and the atmosphere of Silent Hill make it a thoroughly terrifying viewing experience. Though the plot is abstract the premise is simple enough, and some indiscretions in narrative are forgivable since this is a film dealing with the supernatural. My only complaint with the story was the utterly superfluous subplot involving Rose's husband, which did nothing for the film but break up the momentum and suspense of the main storyline.
I would venture that most horror buffs aren't looking for literary excellence but rather a good scare and an original idea in a genre that's become quite saturated with mediocre films. Silent Hill offers enough frightening visuals, a gentle foray into social commentary on the dangers of organized religion, and above average dialog, which earns it a respectable place in the horror catalog.
Bring On The Sequel!!!!! Usually I agree with the Amazon reviews--but not this one! I found that there is plenty of plot in Silent Hill. It's atmospheric, creepy, edge-of-your-seat presentation is nothing short of spectacular in the realm of horror flicks. C'mon now, the people giving this movie bad reviews must not be watching much of the rubbish that Hollywood has been sending down the pipe in the way of spooky movies. Silent Hill is far above most of them. I honestly didn't even want to like it going into it...but man, I sure was pleasantly surprised. By the time the movie was over, I felt like I had just come off of a wild rollercoaster ride! I was drained, weak, and mind-boggled. This movie rocks!
Silent Hill - The Devil's Playground STOP SCREAMING ! Okay, this has got to be one of THE grossest movies I've ever seen. Radha Mitchell screams and shouts enough times in this flick for 10 horror movies. Great special effects, and that dude with the GIGANTIC knife was pretty darn scary. If this movie was based on a video game, I'd hate to play that game. And I thought watching my son playing "Bioshock" was scary.
Great film adaption, script writing, acting, direction and special effects. Radha Mitchell's performance is on par with her part in Vin Diesel's "Pitch Black" (and she was good in Pitch Black). I just voted this movie as one of my all-time favorite horror flicks (SE7EN, Silence of the Lambs, etc). Very cool. Geez, I hope I never hear another air-raid siren again.
Now, That Is One BIG Knife!... I must admit that I have never played SILENT HILL, the game. Consequently, I was completely mind-f'ed by the gloriously gruesome visuals and über-nightmarish set pieces. I had to watch it a second time in order to pay closer attention to the actual storyline. I consider this movie to be like a much darker (considering what is required of anyone wanting to enter SILENT HILL in the first place), more adult version of LABYRINTH. Rose (Pitch Black's Radha Mitchell) loses her daughter in the ghostly town of the title, and must go on a life threatening / mind altering adventure through its many mouldering halls and alleys. Along the way, Rose is joined by officer Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden from The Mist and TV's X-Files), who is drawn into the same hideous encounters w/ the various demonic denizens of this hellish place. Together, they must not only face legions of demons, but also a crazed religious cult led by Kristabella (Alice Kriege from Ghost Story, Star Trek: First Contact, and Sleepwalkers), who is Jim Jones in a woman's skin. Rose and Cybil find themselves in the middle of a war between two dark forces bent on destroying each other. The monsters are memorable, especially the main demon (w/ his gigantic cheese-grater helmet and telephone pole sized butcher's knife!!), and those murderous, knife-wielding nurses! Highly recommended...
intriguing from many perspectives I am not a gamer had no expectations one way or the other about this movie. In all honesty was tempted to turn it off after 15 minutes but fortunately did not. This was well written, directed and acted and posed tremendous questions about choice, good and evil and the erroneous belief that all of our problems can be laid at the feet of someone else. It brought out some of the same feelings I had after watching "Wicker Man" or reading "The Lottery". Disturbing but not disgusting, not for the faint of heart.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Not Available Comics
Trevor
