Silent Hill — he said, she said — movie review — screener!
Kris and I drove deep into the ghettos of Milpitas (Mill-pete-ass), braving hip-hop kids, speak-and-spell readers, and pretentious cinematic greenhorns (aka: film students) to catch a late evening screening of Silent Hill. Was it any good?
SHE SAID
Thanks to my awesome awesome friend “CapnT”, Chris and I got to view this sneak preview. Now I know some of you are rolling your eyes at the thought of another poorly made videogame-to-film translation, but I have to tell you that Silent Hill is not one of them. A big fan of the videogame series, I have made it halfway through the recent SH4 and halfway through 1-3 (it’s that creepy!). I love collecting all the bloody notes from prior victims, squishing about on entrail encrusted floors, confronting dismembered demons and exsanguinated gimps with heavily bandaged, shrouded, or erased faces. Disturbing scenes on a palette of red red and more red, yah that’s the stuff. But it’s not just about the gore, Silent Hill is about uncovering secrets and the screenplay honors this.
The true villians of Silent Hill do not wield 20′ long swords like the famous triangle-hatcheted masked nemesis/”Pyramid Head” (pictured below); prayer beads are their weapons. The bible-thumpers believe they thwart herecy by implementing a strict staleness, ergo quickly pass judgement on newcomers who disrupt their little circle. They still believe in witch hunts, they still believe in stake burnings as cleansings, when really it is only to make themselves feel better. “Pew time” only briefly softens their religious rebellion. Who better to play their leader than Alice Krige, a perfect blend of civility and sadism, with her icy vocals and dark marble-like doll’s eyes. In this dusty little town, she epitomizes the sturdy little school marm from Hell.
Actually, all of the performances were true to the cinematic cut scenes from the video game and their over-the-top dramatic happenstance and posture. There’s the concerned wife/mother, the physically estranged husband (Sean Bean), the ballsy lady cop, the philosophical wackjob banshee (Debra Kara Unger). These actors are known for their mannequin-esque mannerisms and plasticine visages; it’s perfect! The soundtrack was awesome, drawing from the direct video game score meets Portishead (trip-hop) meets Michael Andrews (Donnie Darko soundtrack). It’s a tooth-grinding blend of industrial clanks and deep bass in lieu of the usual sweeping 
horror movie score cop-out. An unconventionally chilly ending is all we need to wrap up this pretty package and Roger Avary’s brilliant script delivers. Even though at times it dragged, I think those moments helped solidify the story and ensure balance. Don’t worry.. there’s enough shockers to make even hardcore horror fanatics gasp. I’d definitely make a return trip to Silent Hill.
HE SAID:
Silent Hill is one of the single most unnervingly creepy gaming experiences of the past decade. It’s disorienting camera, insanely effective use of sound, the pervasive fog, and just plain creepy visuals had me on the edge of my seat well into the late-late hours of the night. It was the type of game whose horrors were so effective, and so raw, they could easily manifest themselves in your dreams.
As a game adaptation Silent Hill definitely sets a new standard, but to relegate it to video game adaptation status is to marginalize its achievements. Silent Hill is not just a great videogame adaptation, but a great horror film, as intelligent as it is edgy. Silent Hill is the type of horror film that hasn’t been made since the late 80’s; the sort of horror that relies on mood and atmosphere, a sense of mystery shrouded in oppressive danger rather than any sort of simple boogeyman. There are no “town has been infected and now everyone’s a zombie” or “watch a tape and you die” type of logical connectives at work here. Rather, everything and everyone is a potential threat, from narrow-minded church-people, to pyramid-headed behemoths, to the ever-changing landscape of the town. In short, it’s the stuff of nightmares.
In the interest of remaining spoiler free, I’ll try to provide the briefest possible synopsis. The story of Silent Hill, the movie, follows Rose (Rhada Mitchell) who takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the Virginia ghost town of Silent Hill in hopes of remedying her sleepwalking (Silent Hill being the name she speaks on her dangerous nightly strolls). Upon reaching the town, and incidentally during a run in with a local cop, Rose ends up crashing her car and blacking out. Upon awaking rose finds Sharon missing, and sets off across the cursed land in pursuit. If you’ve never played the game, that’s really all you need to know.
The Konami developers listed Jacob’s Ladder as a major influence on the overall look and feel of the game. The film, 
however, also borrows elements from all ranges of horror classics. The blood-thirsty cult of The Believers, the surreal mystery of Carnival of Souls, the dreamlogic nightmares of Posession, the barbed wirings of Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, and the herky-jerky female monsters of J-horror. Furthermore, the sort of stilted, dreamlike acting (sure to be the target of many a horror-hating critic) is as typical of the games as it is with many of the European horror films. Take any Dario Argento piece, Suspiria or Tenebre for instance, or a Ken Russel piece such as The Devils or Lair of the White Worm. If the film were cuisine it’d be dubbed “fusion.”
And then there are the visuals. Gans, whose amazing skill was evidenced in The Brotherhood of the Wolf, has got the look of the game down pat. The first major sequence in Silent Hill, as the protagonist chases her daughter through a pitch black alleyway, mimics the similar sequence of the first game right down to the fluid, arcing, twisting, over the streetlamp shot that so impressed me on my original playing of the game. It’s as if the Gans was saying “you know silent hill? Well I do too. And this is Silent Hill.” But don’t think he’s just aping the camera from the game, Gans makes sure to infuse the project with his own visual panache (a wonderful change from the lazy filmmaking that was Hostel, which I had watched just prior to this screening.) crafting some of the best filmed terror sequences in recent memory. And speaking of terror, some scenes are downright shocking, even to this jaded duo, such as when pyramid head decimates a woman with his bare hands.
Roger Avary (aka: the unsung talent behind Pulp Fiction and True Romance) delivers an amazingly literate script. First and foremost a fan of the series, Avary seems determined to do the video game film right. Pulling plot points from the first and second games, he has crafted a narrative that consistently intrigues. Opting to divulge only those elements necessary to further the plot, he does not bash the audience over the head with endless exposition and ad nauseam explanation. Instead elements are left unexplained, or merely alluded to. And then there’s Avary’s dialogue. Sure, there are a few awkward lines here and there, notably the monologue of the little girl, but for the most part it’s the type befitting a regular drama rather than than your average afternoon horror show. Granted, this combination of dialogue and 
story may serve to alienate the simpleminded legions who had trouble understanding the words of The Matrix’s architect, or those who found Mission Impossible impossible to understand, but I found it to be quite refreshing. Lastly, there’s even a thread of political critique running through the mix, what with terrorist searches being the new witch hunts. The sort of sweeping, irrational, “If you’re not with us, you’ve obviously joined the ranks of the enemy,” sentiment that gave rise to the Patriot act, or the preemptive strikes that characterize our Iraq policy.
If anything Silent Hill may be too smart, and too innovative for its own good. Critics are bound to hate it. Religious fundamentalists will target its heavy violence content. Average Joe on the street probably won’t understand it. The fans, of the game and horror alike, however are bound to love this film. Me? I’m seeing it again.
Special note:
We’ve received a couple emails so far asking about the ending to the film. In the interest of remaining spoiler free we won’t provide our explanation here. However, you may email us and we will help you out.
About the Authors:
While I wouldn’t go as far as saying the dialogue was superb, (Krige’s character got a little repetitious and annoying) this is a kick in the ass to everyone who thinks videogame movies have to suck. A visual masterpiece and audio assault on your nerves (good thing, for sure). I will definately put more money into this movie. I loved it. Oh, and the scene with Krige getting her dues… oh my god, it’d have been rediculous if it weren’t so freaking awesome. Chris Gans… my hero.
3 more hours! 3 more hours! 3 more hours! Your reviews have me STOKED!!!
And Ebert was confused! This is gonna be awesome!
I’ve just come back from the cinema after having watched it…What an amazing experience. It tuly deserves the title of it’s source, unlike other game adaptations.
I’ve played Silent Hill 1 through 3 and really loved these games. However, I didn’t care for the movie that much. I’d probably give it 6 out of 10. The production values were great. There were some interesting visuals, atmosphere, and some tense scenes. It was actually pretty true for the most part to the source material. However, I just felt that it didn’t work as a movie. The ending was a little too over the top and the explanations and dialogue were kind of silly but in the videogame world probably would have turned out a lot better. There was also a lot of running around especially in the school, the mazes, etc. It appeard to be a little too much like a game you couldn’t control. I’ll just stick with the videogames I guess.
It was an ambitious mess, with its heart in the right place but it’s brain out to lunch. I loved the mood and monsters and shots directly taken from the very disturbing games. But the dialog … the DIALOG. Gad, I wanted to mute it and just watch. The little girl’s last looooong and poorly-written monologue would have had me muting the TV if it were a game, but in a theater I had to sit through it with an audience. That was awful.
And there was this exchange, earlier in the game, right after something incredibly and impossibly horrendous has tried to kill our heroines.
Cybil: “They used to say this town was haunted.”
Rose: “I think they were right.”
Yeah? No shit. How about having the characters say something rational or funny and sarcastic as a comeback? Because the audience at that point is sure thinking up something wittier than that.
I’ll admit the little girl’s monologue was a bit long, and delivered a it awkwardly (as are most lines delivered by child actors) but for the most part I dug the dialogue. It totally fit with some of the horror classics mentioned in my review. My favorite dialogue had to be the exchanges with the cult members toward the end.
I think you could probably pick on any action or horror film for lame, or obvious dialogue. Hell, check out the crap dialogue in Hostel. On the whole I thought this was far better than the other recent efforts in the genre.
Silent Hill is the best movie ever made,it gives fans of the games somthing new,not the same story that they have already seen.everything about this movie is amazing,and I wish I was watching it right now then I would watch it over and over and over.
As a fan of the games, I didn’t know what to expect when I saw the movie. Probably nothing good. But holy hell, a week later and it’s still there, picking at the corners of my mind. The odd thing is, it’s not like it was a great movie, but there was just something about it that worked. Yes, the dialogue sucked and the story was pretty weak, once you strip it down and analyze it, but for a straight-up horror movie, I was pleased with it in a way I haven’t been with horror movies of the last 10 years (US ones, I mean).
The Pavlovian response the siren generated in me was only the beginning of the subconscious ticks the music and the sound created. Visually… I can’t imagine anyone deriding the cinematography of the movie. It was gorgeous and lush and absolutely perfect. For me, so much of it worked below the surface and that’s where great horror lies. It’s the idea that you know it’s freaky, but you can’t turn to someone and fully explain why it is. And when it was obvious horror, it was done quite well, too. There were two scenes in particular that literally made me recoil- Colin come to life, and the nurses.
And extra points for one of the characters saying what I always want someone in a horror movie to say- “What the fuck is going on?!”
Out of a slightly related interest, check out the story of Centralia, Penn.
I didn’t get the end? can someone explain?
The absolute worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life–honestly. Lame script, hard to follow, strange ending. I really can’t think of one good thing to say about this movie except that it finally came to an end! If I hadn’t paid to see it, I would have shut it off within the first half hour. The audience I watched it with were laughing hysterically at the poor dialogue and goofy effects. I usually enjoy watching horror movies but if I had to see this one again it would be pure torture…
you guys are just lame stop bashing the movie for your stupid reason dont compare it to much to the game. yes its a game movie but so far out of all the game movies DOOM, RSE, anything else i forgot, silent hill was the best game movie.
saw the movie last nite. andyeah I liked it. cant’ say it was the BEST horrormovie but it was pretty entertaining. It just was a treat to watch it on the screen after playing the game. graphics were whoa…hella cool. =)
oh and Chris bout Hostel…YOU ACTUALLY WATCHED THE MOVIE????? after I told ya bout it? haha. eh pretty bad eh? (I kinda laugh when I read reviews bout that movie saying it’s “The best in it’s genre”, like in OK magazine.) =P
Finally a Movie that takes the game to movie WITHOUT MODIFICATIONS!!!, other movies that came from video games (e.g.-Mortal Kombats, Resident Evil *future*Halo Movie?)were to modified in many aspects like customes, lands, story tweaks….Ever seen both Mortal Kombats??, than you’ll know what I mean, and Resident Evil……Alice?? WTF?, at least Silent Hill kept it real, except for 1 thing!!! In the first Silent Hill for PSX, it was a guy looking for the little girl, not the Mom. -_-;
True, but in the interview with the director (who happens to be an avid SH gamer) that he really wanted to make SH2 first but with story line and everything had to make SH1 first.
And also that the original character was a male but he had a lot of feminine qualities so they turned him into a she. =P
Please Please explain the ending to me!!!! Me and my friends have an ongoing debate as to whether it was pergatory or sequel… Thank you so so much.
As for the ending. Hrmm… =/ dunno. lol
As for an equaly confusing though cool comic book adaptation: (al-beit a different storyline) http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/silenthill.shtml
I love Ben Templesmith’s drawings as they are raw and powerful. check out 30 days of night. http://www.idwpublishing.com/titles/30days.shtml Awsome comic.
He-said She-said review for a horror movie. Very Cool. So I was confused after I saw it but then I asked a few friends who played the game and that cleared most of it up for me. To me that wasn’t as important as the special effects, but I liked how the “bible thumpers” were the enemies.
Anyone have any opinions on the meaning of the movies ending??
What was the significance of the alarm?
The ending was a lot simpler than you lot are reading into it.
She got home he was asleep and she took that oprtunity to leave (taking Sharon). After all he did stop her credit cards to try to stop her earlier!!!
sunrise, i think there’s more to it..
Wow, a lot of people think Sharon and Mom are still alive. Interesting. Do share!
I thought the movie was effin fantastic. I hope they keep making them. I thought the ending was they are in some hell dimension.. or a pergatory (if they died) i never actually thought they died… I guess it’s cause of the fumes… But i still think its a hell dimension
I still don’t get it.
I wanted to see this movie after I saw a few previews and heard good news from my friends who had played the games and watched the movie. It leads in with amazing use of camera angles, especially when Rose starts wandering around Silent Hill at the beginning. Although the movie is stylish and layered in visuals, the story is a wonderful hodgepodge of the games. I enjoyed this and got scared to my legal limit before losing sleep.
Great movie. didnt quite feel the end though. Exactly when did they die or where they dead the entire time?
Hey Nikki, I’ll drop you (and the others who have written me directly) an email tonight.
soeey if you don’t want an explanation posted, you can delete it if you want to. But i figured with it being mentioned like 5 times that Rose / Sharon are not “home” at the end, it was no longer a spoiler.
Basically, from my understanding (i played the games, but most of the info was in the movie) After the barbed-wire church ending, when Rose was holding Sharon, saying “close your eyes” Sharon looks and sees dark Alessa coming toward her. It was at that point that they became stuck in “limbo/purgatory/whatever” This part wasn’t explained well in the movie, but taken from the Silent Hill games. Sharon is not Alessa’s biological daughter. She is the good half of Alessa, made a seperate entity. When Alessa was consumed with hatred, the demon came to her in the form of dark Alessa, helping her to exact revenge, her good half was seperated and brought to the orhpanage. In the end, when the demon had used up all of Alessa’s potential, by killing the entire town, it turned it’s eyes on Sharon, and took over her body. This got it out of Silent Hill, possibly setting the scene for a sequel, but not necessarily.
Good game, good movie; would watch sequel, don’t need one though.
I saw Silent Hill and Phat Girlz this weekend. I didn’t like Silent Hill. Too confusing. I loved Phat Girlz though. Very entertaining.
hi wonderin if u could help me clear something up, i watched silent hill n im really confused about the ending, were the mother n daughter still alive and trapped in the other dimesion or were they dead, thanks oh ps will there b a silent hill 2 if u know
The demon said that sharon is alessas daughter. Can someone explain this to me as alessa was burnt and bedridden so how did she have a daughter?
well to explain.. to rachael… alessa was raped by that colin dude in the toilets in the school… (little girls should never be left alone) remember that.. and then she wasntpure anymore so that was a reason they burnt her as well as the whole father thing…
Help! Please help me to understand the ending. I heard you can shed some light on this.
sorry but i need help understanding this movie.
what happened to the girl in the hospital at the end and how did the woman ease her suffering?
were they released at the end?
please email me thx
Ааану–ка реябтки голосуем!!!
Признавайтесь проказниеи и владдешьцы сайта http://www.dreamlogic.net ))))
ЧТО вы бдете делать этим летом?!
best date movie ever
Hello! Is there going to be a remake?
A remake of Silent Hill? um….no.. But there is a sequel in the works.
Sorry pllaae :(
Wrong category..
willl be careufl
It’s nice
great post
Dude, I overdosed on this shit. I was at the movie and fucking pyramid head ripped off that girls skin but i felt it was my skin and the drugs i was on made it feel like it WAS MY SKIN! so they had to take me out of the movie and to the hospital where i ended up getting fresh with the nurse only it turned out to be a girl and I was so ashamed. I love this movie.Bye
Hi!
My name is Tomas!
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