User reviews

Yea I live in a cave. Not only am I over a decade late to the Silent Hill party, but I had no idea that it is an adaptation of the famous 1999 PlayStation game Silent Hill. If this describes you as well then read on because it might help you enjoy this flick more.

Silent Hill the movie has a distinctly cold, brooding vibe similar to the classic supernatural mindbenders like The Others, The Sixth Sense, or even going way back to The Shining. That is, it immediately puts us in a surreal state of mind, cut off from reality (in this case an abandoned ghost town) where anything can & usually does happen.

Where it gets crazy and possibly disorienting to newbies is when it incorporates some of the videogame elements which are never really explained. The terrifying monster Pyramid Head just sort of appears without any context, and similarly the famous Nurses From Hell scene happens almost randomly. These are excellent scenes, but still a bit disorienting if you're trying to relate everything to the narrative that's unfolding.

The story itself is about a woman searching for a child in the creepy ghost town of Silent Hill, and it becomes a sort of dysfunctional Alice in Wonderland type tale with random gruesome episodes and good scares, but underneath it is a consistent plot which slowly reveals itself. One unique angle worth mentioning is that this movie is almost entirely a female cast. I thought that was a really interesting diversion from the standard horror flick where men dominate the story as both heroes and villians. Here our protagonist is a strong female lead--not quite Sarah Connor Terminator 2 strong, but definitely not a squeaking damsel in distress. The antagonist is a female as well, a very creepy matriarchal character whom you totally wouldn't want to meet at Sunday brunch.

Just be prepared that not everything ties neatly into the story (due to the videogame elements), and that's my only real criticism. However, if I watch it a 2nd time I'll be better prepared, as I hope you are after reading this! Silent Hill is a great flick with some terrifying moments, nice creative gore (ever see someone get their entire skin ripped off? tune in) and a satisfying story with a really interesting twist. Definitely worth checking out.

I remember I sat down to play Silent Hill a couple of years ago because the mystery genre intrigued me and the game had an interesting look to it, so I started running through the abandoned town of 'Silent Hill' as the main player. I stopped playing very soon because, in truth, not a whole lot was happening. It was mostly an uncomfortable experience, eerily lit and hauntingly scored. I could feel an intense build-up in that foggy place but I never reached the culmination, so I gave up. OK, fine - I was scared.

Years later this film adaptation is bravely made by Christophe Gans and, even though I'd played less than ten minutes of the game, I immediately recognised the haunting visuals of the abandoned city. So 'well done' here is an understatement. It is superbly breathed new life into.

The plot has been glossed over slightly in a Hollywood fashion, but captures the essence of its characters and storyline - which is: as a last resort, a mother takes her ill daughter to a place she often mentions in her sleep - a place near where she was adopted from. But the hope the mother has for her daughter's recovery quickly shatters and turns into despair when the little girl vanishes in the misty mysterious old town.

I truly cannot credit the atmosphere of this film enough. Christophe Gans has successfully captured the eerie mood of Silent Hill and it is a nightmarish place - a fog-enshrouded hell that shifts between two modes: barren ashen daylight and a gruesome decaying state with fiery ember, demons and enhanced by chilling (and very sudden) sound effects. It's strangely fascinating, surreal and above all frightening.

The problems of Silent Hill (2006) are that there are not nearly enough build-ups. They should have been used not only to stay faithful to the video game upon which it was based but to wield tension in the right way and shock us when the build-up finally culminates. But here we are introduced to horrid creatures early on and often without much foreshadowing devices. Because they are presented to us so generously and clear-viewed, they are not that scary. At all. Some even manage a raised eyebrow, like the crawly CGI cripples.

In the end, I think this is quality horror entertainment and probably one of the better game-to-film adaptations, abut it is much too chaotic - too many monsters and too often and too clearly to be frightening. The mood and atmosphere are what is frightening and so it should have been used even more in Silent Hill, but instead the director feels pressured to introduce creatures to satisfy mainstream audiences' need for bloody gorefest and kinetic action.

7 out of 10

First of all, Carol Spiers deserved an Oscar for her production design. I'm not joking at all. It was so creepy and unsettling. It's worth watching for that alone. Unfortunately the storytelling aspect of it was pretty meh. Not a great script with some pretty lazy dialogue. In spite of that, I really liked this movie... surprisingly.

This creepy and fantastic film gets a riveting script by Roger Avary. It's a spectacular piece and quite scary, so many levels, so many complexities and so many wonderful themes that are permeating throughout. It's like ¨Alice in Wonderland¨ meet ¨Dante's Inferno¨. It's based on known game and completely unique, absolutely frightening and, basically, one of the few games that actually could become a movie. Samuel Hadida , producer of the last three movie of Christophe Gans tells the game was conceptualized on the difficult way, because we had to go convince the Japanese people from Konami Corporation, they produced the game, to give us the right to make the film . The game has such a cult following, the fan base is very protecting. Christophe Gans is careful to maintain the suspense and all the areas , like the means of illumination in the darkness by a splendid cinematography by Dan Laustein and certain key of characters and antagonists, furthermore an appropriate music score by Jeff Danna. Gans has a very surrealist sort of vision of the game and the film itself sort of explores the boundaries of reality. The Silent Hill movie is a great experience, is something disturbing , it's not only about fear, it's also about emotion.

The cast is really exciting. There's a series of fresh faces, actors that you may be familiar with but you haven't seen then a thousand times before, they're going to bring life to the characters. The producers very deliberately went toward actors from independent film because they bring with them something different, a different quality. Actress like Radha Mitchell, Debora Kara Unger, Tanya Allen, Laurie Holden and Alice Krige, it's much more exciting to see somebody who doesn't used to do this kind of movie, but the audience of this type of film love that. For the role of Rose, Radha Mitchell, needed somebody with that blend of vulnerability but strength and determination as well. We have to feel her fear but also appreciate when she stands up to all these terrifying moments.In fact, the producers spent lots of time finding the perfect Rose. In terms of the sensibility that Christophe Gang was having in this character, Rose is sophisticated and very vulnerable and Radha Mitchell has both quality, she has a freshness and energy and excitement and life, there's this original look to her, all of which are precisely what the producers needed for the central character to lead us through this horrific environment. The director is focused on female character with just females leading the story in a way, with exception of two male characters: Sean Bean and Kim Coates. Christophe Gans is almost exorcised the idea of femininity by polarising it with the male characters, and all the women are in this kind of fantasy nightmare.

I don't think that a video game has been adapted in such a manner before. It's as if you're watching the video game in front of your eyes. And although I only have played one Silent Hill, I know that they achieved to transport the game on your screen (theatre) literally!!

But that is also the downfall of the movie (imo). It is very compelling in the beginning, but when it reaches a certain point (let's say the middle of the movie), the scares don't work anymore. The effects still remain great, but I'm just not feeling it. As a game that would work, because you're actively involved, but as a passive viewer, you get bored. So the best adaptation yet, shows us that there is more to the adaptation process, than filming a game ...

First off, the downsides: Some parts of the movie seemed a little drawn out, the film was two hours, and at certain times, you could feel that. It's far-fetched, and I can imagine some people rolling their eyes at the storyline, and there WILL be some people walking out saying "that was a stupid movie". (As many people responded to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.) Of course, some of them will be saying that in response to the sheer amount of gore and violence, which brings me into the 'upsides': This movie certainly had it's 'wow' moments with shock, anticipation, and gore, especially near the climax. Scenes and even alleyways and monsters from the games were almost identical. If you've played the games you will get a lot of deja vu. (For example, the camera goes crooked at exactly the same time and place it does in one of the scenes in the game.) Also, a lot of the sounds and music tracks from the games are used, and so are the monsters. The entire feel of the games is preserved in the film, and you will have trouble keeping your feet on the floor the entire movie. The creepy presentation works, and if you haven't played any of the games, this movie will scare you in new ways.

Horror? Try psychological triller and you might be closer to understanding why is it that I found Silent Hill such an amazing piece of work.

With that in mind, the reason why Silent Hill worked for me was because it had a story to tell. Granted some of us are already familiar with the storyline and are frustrated with the pace of the film. Others may gripe at how much of a disappointment the movie was because of the lack of certain monsters, the lack of development in the characters they liked best, the lack of answers to puzzling questions, the fact that the storyline was too convoluted and confusing et cetera et cetera.

Yet, the heart of the film lies mainly on one simple idea - Silent Hill is first and foremost, a physical manifestation of a child's mind that is shattered, tainted and shackled by an abuse so terrible that one is unable to articulate it into words. (Ever wondered why Silent Hill is called "Silent" Hill in the first place? If you think along the lines of language being an ineffective medium in the expression of "truth", *cha-ching*! You're right!)

In this light, I cannot understand why so many people had a problem with the pacing of the movie because in the first place, such apparent "meandering" is necessary to the entire film. And why not? The inability for any one character to get to the heart of the problem is prevalent during the entire narrative framework of the film *No one* character dared to talk about it and those who sought the truth are met with an air of secrecy. The "truth" therefore, is oppressed by a *complete breakdown of words* and all that is left is to "show" and let the people "experience" what had happened themselves. (Such is the path that Rose must take because she "chose" to seek out the truth surrounding her daughter's psychological problem and since language fails in Silent Hill can the "truth" cannot be communicated through "words" it must be "shown".)

The same rule applies to Christopher. He tried to uncover the "truth" but was thwarted by people who are reluctant to talk about the town. Everyone who had prior knowledge of the town was unable or unwilling to describe what happened because they 1) are suppressing their guilt 2) are afraid of opening up a can of worms that is best left forgotten. Even Rose and Cybil are faced with a group of people who were so adamant into seeing things in their point of view that they have "blinded" themselves to the atrocity of what has taken place in Silent Hill. (Notice how most of the monsters i.e. Nurses, Pyramid Head, Janitor, are in a state of blindness? Coincidence? I think not.)

And still at the heart of all THAT, a child's horrifying story is desperately waiting to be told. The meanderings are not meant to be a flaw in the plot, in my opinion, but an attempt to show how the outside world tried to suppress and confine the deepest desire of a little girl - the desire for "truth" to be known. Therefore the "truth" cannot be "told" because words will ultimately fail in Silent Hill. It must be "shown". That was why Rose had to go through all the various stages of her journey to seek out the "truth". That was why it was crucial the narrative had to be mapped out thus and it reached its summit in the dramatic finale where the fanatics were reluctant to accept the "spoken truth" but was forced to accept it nevertheless through a physical manifestation of "truth" - the manifestation of their past deeds.

Hence in my opinion, this film isn't about monsters, busty characters, bloodshed, storyline or whatever it is that one normally looks out for in a film of this genre. This film is about a little girl's story that is struggling to surface in a world dominated by a viciousness she could not comprehend but fall victim to nevertheless. Think about it. To be thoroughly abused in a world that you never fit in and cannot comprehend. And later to want to seek vengeance for the wrongs that had been done to you but are unable to articulate it into words because there is no one out there who understands or listens to you. The intense hatred due to the complete lack of control that one is forced into, the desire to achieve "satisfaction" at any cost and the obsession with "vengence" - now that's a scary thought for a little girl of 10 to have, wouldn't you say?

So was it good? Heck yeah. And I'm going for another round of this when my next paycheque comes in.

I didn't expect much in the way of storytelling or suspense in a film based on a video game, but this was an embarrassment. All the lurid horror clichés are on offer; ravens flying round the church, witch burning. I don't even know what I just saw. There's no story, just one mindless action sequence after another. Sure, the beginning is promising and the first half hour it still got my attention, but soon it becomes clear that no effort was made to draw characters who have any resemblance to human beings and pretty soon it all becomes an alarmingly senseless excuse for and endless string of computer generated gory effects.

This is also a film that takes itself way too seriously, some in-joke reference could have made this slightly more bearable. We have undefinable creatures that are lurking in some underground tunnel complex, where for the last thirty years a coal fire is raging under the ground. At first I was intrigued - a little - but since it is absolutely impossible to grasp what these "things" are and no explanation is given, it becomes nothing more than a video-game side-show. The final scene in the church, where the whole cast suffers from some incredible over-acting, has some spectacular effects, I'll admit that, but eventually goes WAY over the top and takes so long, it soon becomes downright ridiculous. Going over the top can be fun, but not without humor.

Former Tarantino video clerk-buddy Roger Avary penned this thing down and assembled some bad Canadian actors. He should be so lucky he got co-story credit for RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION, since he clears things for us here. He can't write, he's got no idea whatsoever that a motion picture has very little in common with a video game. You need to have actual human beings in a motion picture, or present some interesting visual ideas. We get neither.

And the dialog...? I can't remember all the mumbo jumbo I've heard. The second half of the film is full of hysterical lines like;

"The Truth is clear for those who see."

"We drew a line in the sand and said: Demon, do not cross!"

And I thought THE VILLAGE was a new low in pseudo satanic reli-crab.

Sean Bean was top-billed but he only has five minutes screen time with - again - mind-bogglingly awful dialog.

Skip this big-budget overblown piece of junk.

Camera Obscura --- 2/10

So the positives:

-they used Akira yamaoka's incredible score from the games -designs are mostly scary and accurate to the games

The cons:

-acting 😅

-plot. Yes I know the game is convoluted but it could have been simplified without falling into cliche horror tropes. Silent hill isn't about the Salem witch trials. However, that seemed to be the biggest inspiration for this film's plot.

-unnecessary changes from the game. When adapting a game into a film (a hard task it's own right), changes are bound to happen. However when those changes don't seem to improve the story in any meaningful way then we wonder why they exist at all. In the original game, Harry mason is looking for his adopted daughter. A father trying to find his daughter is compelling. Why did it have to be the mother instead? Why change the fathers name from Harry mason to Christopher Dasilva? Especially when the sequel establishes that he is in fact Harry mason? Also, of course pyramid head is legendary but he doesn't make sense being here or in the sequel. Pyramid head is a construct of james Sunderland's mind in SH2 and has nothing to do with Harry or Heather.

Let's hope Gans understands these flaws and goes harder on SH 2.

I first watched this movie when I hadn't yet heard of the terrible ratings by most critics, and when I finally did look up the ratings, I was dumbfounded for a moment. Yes, this is not a perfect movie, and if you hate logical inconsistencies or borderline incomprehensible character behavior, this one probably isn't for you.

Well, what does it have going for it, then?

For once, atmosphere. The visuals are amazing throughout, drawing us into the action and, in my case, making me forget to even think about whether the plot was making much sense. I first started questioning some of the movie's logic when I watched it for the third time.

The second part of the atmosphere is the music. Almost all of the music was adapted from the video games, and I would argue some of the best atmosphere comes from the shots with no dialogue, where the pieces have our full attention.

The second major thing it has going for it is the concept of the story and way it tackles questions like: What makes people evil?

While the movie is certainly confusing (as has been argued by many reviewers), digging deeper into the movie and why certain things appear the way they do makes the movie richer and doesn't take away from it (an important feat in my opinion, especially when it comes to rewatchability) - however, this only goes for digging deeper into the concept, not so much the story we're presented, that sometimes feels too truthful to video game logic, even though the movie doesn't adapt the story of either of the.games.

I recommend to give the movie a watch despite what critics have said and written about it. It's a movie I espect to polarize - if the atmosphere and the nexus of the plot manage to immerse you in a sufficient manner, you're most probably going to enjoy it and even go out of the movie with this wonderful feeling of having seen something special.

If the atmosphere doesn't captivate you enough, if your thoughts get stuck in the plot more than in what's going on below the surface, you'll wonder what's going on at times.

I'm not sure what the original comment leaver saw last night, but it certainly wasn't Silent Hill.

I saw a critic screening last night, and must say I was highly impressed. As a fan of the games, and anything related to them, my faith has been firmly established in Gans and Avery, and I can only wish for sequels.

The atmosphere was perfect, the acting was on point, the creatures were amazing, well, everything was amazing.

The town itself looks just like the town we love, and it's almost like coming home again. You'll see what I mean when you finally get to see the film.

Just be prepared for a disturbing, bloody (oh man, the blood), and genuinely creepy ride.

I'd say more, but giving spoilers would be like slapping you in the face.

Go see it!

The little Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) is a sleepwalker, who frequently speaks the name "Silent Hill" in her trances. After a research, her stepparents Rose (Radha Mitchell) and Christopher da Silva (Sean Bean) finds that the place is a ghost town. Rose runs away home with Sharon without the agreement of Christopher, and drives to "Silent Hill" trying to solve the mystery. Along her trip, Rose has an incident in the road with the police officer Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden), who chases her. She speeds her car and crashes, and Cybil has an accident with her motorcycle. When Rose wakes up, Sharon has vanished and Rose searches her. Later, Cybil joins Rose and they find that they are trapped in the town. Along their investigation, they disclose the dark secret of the place.

When I finished watching "Silent Hill", I had not understood the story. Fortunately, I read the excellent explanation of "TensersFloatingDisk" in the IMDb Message Board and I now can see that the story is good. My conclusion is that the screenplay of Roger Avary is completely flawed, since it is based on the premise that the viewer plays (or at least knows) the game. For those like me that do not play the game, the story is absolutely confused. The cinematography, effects, performances and direction are great. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Terror Em Silent Hill" ("Terror in Silent Hill")

You have to approach any movie adaptation of a video game with extreme trepidation. Think of the other corkers we've all caught on TV in the past: Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil. Stinkers, one and all. Doom was vapid, but at least got close to the source material.

So what about Silent Hill? The movie opens with music lifted straight from the game itself - in fact, the entire movie contains original tracks from the game as well as some remixed score. Just as it was a fantastic and brooding background when playing the game, it works very effectively on screen.

As for the film itself, the story is a composite of story elements from the first and second games, but the final act is a monstrous and highly original thirty minutes that kept me guessing (as well as being completely grossed out). Indeed, the violence is pretty gruesome.. clever mixtures of CGI and fully made-up monsters which really add to the foreboding atmosphere.

At first, I felt nervous watching this.. not because of the visuals (which are absolutely SPOT ON.. I've never seen ANY movie adaptation that is this close to the source material.. all the comic book movies from the past few years still stray furiously).. but because of the weak opening. After I'd resigned myself to the fact that the movie was going to be disappointing, I was pleasantly surprised as soon as the main character Rose gets to Silent Hill itself. If you're a fan of the game, you won't be disappointed. If you're a horror hound, you'll love the creatures and the visuals. If you're expecting a deep movie about the relationship between estranged mother and daughter.. you're in the wrong theatre.

Highly recommended. Best horror movie I've seen in a long time.

Dang, why aren't they making movies based on video games that I'm actually familiar with? Anyway, this really is one of the better video game movies, because it honestly does have really good atmosphere. I am at least familiar with some of the characters from the "Silent Hill" games, especially Pyramid Head. Oh come on, everyone's heard of Pyramid Head! So this happens to be the longest movie ever made based on a video game...until "Ace Attorney" came along. This film really was genuinely creepy at many times. Now, I think you did have to be a fan of the games to really enjoy it.

I would recommend it to people who are. For people who aren't, it's just alright. I admit that the CGI is actually pretty bad at many times in this movie. Well, there are other shots that are just fine. I do kind of like the characters in this movie even if they're not that great. It actually gets confusing in the middle of the film. It's when all of these other people show up and the tone of the movie starts to change. Again, probably something from the games. It's hard to find a video game movie that would appear to fans outside the series. Still, a very nice try. **1/2

"Silent Hill" is an excellent example of a computer game that has been adapted with great attention to detail by an obvious fan. The tone, the plot and even the musical score remain faithful to the game, which results in a visual world that instantly feels familiar. However, the same could be said for Uwe Boll's glorious computer game adaptations. The difference between "Silent Hill" and "House Of The Dead", for example, is this film's ability to stand alone without prior knowledge of the game.

Christophe Gans begins his film with an ominous sequence that shows Rose frantically chase her sleepwalking daughter, Sharon, to the side of a cliff. Sharon wakes up and says "Silent Hill", the name of an abandoned town. Such is the simplicity of the film's premise - a mother decides to take her daughter to a town that she has mentioned in her sleep. This seemingly innocuous set-up belies the twists and turns that occur when Rose and Sharon finally arrive in Silent Hill. In fact, the film begins much like an Asian horror movie, deriving suspense from random creepy events and an ominous tone. "Silent Hill" works very well on this level, due to the stylish cinematography and creative art design.

The first half of the film moves slowly enough for the audience to learn more about the characters and appreciate the depth of Rose's maternal instinct for Sharon. Australian actress, Radha Mitchell delivers her best performance since moving to Hollywood as Rose. There is something wonderfully ordinary about Radha, which in turn makes Rose sympathetic and credible, despite the incredible scenarios in which she finds herself. This part of the film also introduces Officer Cybil, played with flair by Laurie Holden. Cybil is initially suspicious of Rose but turns out to be her only ally in the world's least friendly town. The supporting cast is bursting with gifted character actors like Sean Bean, Alice Krige and Deborah Kara Unger but their roles are too small to make a significant impact on the film.

"Silent Hill" transforms from an eerie thriller into a fast-paced, supernatural horror movie when Rose loses Sharon to the Silent Hill locals. The second half of the film plays like a demented cross between "Aliens" and "The Village", only with more violence and gore. The segments, when the alarm sounds and the world literally turns to hell, contain some excellent special effects and editing. There are a couple of examples of poorly realised computer graphics but as a whole the visuals are stunning. The scene where Rose crawls past light sensitive drones in the basement is brilliant. The gore is surprisingly plentiful with victims being ripped apart and a mattress enacting a particularly painful revenge on one of the faithful.

There is much for gore hounds and gamers to enjoy in "Silent Hill". The majority of the film holds up very well for casual viewers; however the ending is destined to leave some people scratching their heads in confusion. Christophe Gans has displayed enough originality and flair to announce himself as a talent to watch. Bring on the sequel!

If there's one thing to take away from this, it's that it perfectly captures the spirit and mood of the game. Though it doesn't offer much more than that.