Blog Monster Movie Review: Silent Hill

Silent Hill (2006)

Directed by: Christophe Gans
Written by: Roger Avery
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Jodelle Ferland, and Sean Bean
Production Company: Silent Hill DCP Inc., Davis-Films, and Konami Corporation

Movies based on video games always seem a bit peculiar to me, especially these days. I mean, think about it…It’s a movie based on a story from a game where you have to accomplish stuff to finish the story and beat the game, so a movie about a video game is kind of like watching someone else play a video game, which no one likes. Everyone wants to play the game…not watch.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good movies based on video games. Mortal Kombat was cool, and so were Super Mario Brothers and The Simpsons Movie (Based on the computer game Sims, right?). But then there are things like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil.

Rrrrrrr

My point exactly Bloggy. Just bad. So when I rented Silent Hill, I did so with trepidation. No, not the Trepidation Tyrant…with fear. No, not Mister Fear…argh, let’s just move on…

I wasn’t sure that Silent Hill, the movie, would be worth the rent or if it would live up to the video game. The game debuted in 1999 and was a smash hit. I played it a bit, but I’ll admit I had trouble finding time and the attention span necessary to complete the game. I did find the game creepy, which was impressive considering it’s a video game. It’s ability to limit your field of view made you nervous, and the music, by Akira Yamaoka, was eerie.

But Silent Hill, the movie, did a good job. They used the same music as in the video game, and limited everyone’s ability to see, similar to the game. The inability to see everything, not knowing what’s right in front of you, much less around the corner or behind the door, is essential to creating horror, and Silent Hill did a great job with the obscured atmosphere.

The story follows Rose (Radha Mitchell) who’s runaway with her adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) because Sharon sleepwalks and wakes up screaming “Silent Hill”. Rose is determined to find out what is wrong with her daughter by taking her to the town itself, Silent Hill, West Virginia.

But getting to Silent Hill isn’t that easy with husband Christopher (Sean Bean) trying to stop her and roads to Silent Hill are blocked off. See Silent Hill is a ghost town. A fire broke out years ago from coal deposits under the town killing many residents and driving survivors out. Rose gets to Silent Hill, but gets in a car wreck while being chased by a motorcycle cop. This is where the movie meets up with the game. Rose and Cybil, the police officer (Laurie Holden), follow clues leading the two to find out the town’s evil secret.

Along the way they encounter several demon things, which were quite well done. The armless man was suitably disturbing. The man wrapped in barbed wire was wonderfully grotesque. The best, though, were the Dark Nurses. Dancers were used to create the bizarre movements, which made these demon women the belles of the film. Anyone got a phone number for one of them?

While it doesn’t all make complete sense, and Sean Bean’s and Kim Coate’s characters were added to the script just to put some men in the film and it’s evident as their presence does little to add to the film, the movie, overall, is pretty good.

Well, I’m off to see if any of the Dark Nurses are looking for significant, sinister other over at the Demon Dating personals.

Rrrrrrr

Don’t worry, Bloggy. I’m not going in with any expectations. I know if I find one she might try and slice my neck, but it’s worth the risk for love.

And here's hoping M. Night Shyamalan get's the job to direct Tetris: The Movie

Until next time, Live Evil, or Not at All.