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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
- So close to a perfect horror film.
- Bring On The Sequel!!!!!