Movie Review: Silent Hill

For fans of the video game you are already aware of the plot and intensity that could/should be offered by this movie. However, if you were like me, you didn’t know this movie was a video game first until right before seeing the movie. However, as it is listed as horror I was set to see it from the moment it came out.

The People

While I recognized a few people in Silent Hill right off the bat, I did not know the names of anyone in this movie. However, the acting was stellar so it didn’t matter to me if the entire cast was new or not. The plot deals with a mother’s love for her child and leaves us with the mother as she solves the mystery for much of the movie. The mother, Rose, was played by Radha Mitchell, whom I recognized but couldn’t place with a name. Come to find out, Radha has also been in such movies as Pitch Black and Man on Fire. While I seldom recognize Ms. Mitchell by name, she rarely disappoints in her roles. She was an excellent choice for Rose.

Other major players in this plot include a police officer named Cybil (Laurie Holden), the daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), a Silent Hill resident, Dahlia (Deborah Kara Unger), and a religious leader, Christabella (Alice Krige). First, let me say that all parts were delivered excellently. When it came to acting there was not one person that let me down during the course of this movie.

Cybil immediately pissed me off though I realized soon into the movie that maybe that was her job, and things began to make sense. The director, Christophe Gans, originally wanted Cameron Diaz for this part. I am not sure why he was not able to get her (she turned him down or another reason) but I am considering sending them both thank you notes. Ms. Holden did an excellent job and well, Cameron is perhaps the most overrated actress in Hollywood. I doubt she could have handled this role and personally think it would have lessened the quality of the film dramatically.

Meanwhile, the child, played by Jodelle Ferland is simply disturbing. Once she returns to Silent Hill and things begin to unfold you cannot help but become unnerved by her when she looks into the camera. Apparently she just has one of those faces. She has very expressive eyes and the makeup artists did a great job on her face. The result was just creepy when you looked at her and saw her evil side.

On the other hand, the religious fanatic, Christabella was also excellent in her own way. While there was a part of me that wanted to set her hair on fire and tie her to a cross made of corn, I realize that I was supposed to hate her so her acting was obviously right on par.

All of the other actors did excellent as well. It was obvious that the director knew just what he wanted out of the movie and he got it and more. Silent Hill was not cut at all, the studio marketed it just as it was presented, which is rare. The director had approached the makers of the Silent Hill video game and pursued them for five years. During this time, he was convincing them that he was the right man to make this movie. Eventually his persistence won out.

The Movie

In Silent Hill, the movie stars with a mother who is chasing her sleepwalking daughter. The child, resting on the edge of a cliff, is tackled and saved by her mother, and eventually joined by the father. The child, still sleeping, wrestles with her mother to be set free as she screams about Silent Hill, a place which is currently unknown to all of them at the time.

We soon learn Sharon is adopted. After some Googling, mom wants to take Sharon to this ghost town, Silent Hill, but dad does not agree. Sharon’s father wants to get her treatment and keep her on medication. Unfortunately, mom and her lead foot pick up her daughter and begin driving to Silent Hill without dad in tow.

Arriving at Silent Hill we see things are not as they should be. The town is covered in falling ash from a fire that had been set and that never went out. Sharon disappears, so it is Rose’s job to find out where her child is. The only problem is wherever she looks, no one is there. Well, that is until the siren goes off.

At first, while creepy, the siren going off will not make much sense if you have never played the game. However, you will soon see that the siren signals the coming of darkness. The darkness lasts for a brief time, but with it comes hideous monsters that roam the streets and attack anything they can find.

Rose, immediately realizing she is in a nightmare is soon placed in handcuffs as the lady cop, Cybil tries to arrest her. They begin looking for Sharon together and work through the clues to find her. Eventually we are brought up to speed on the story.

Sharon looks eerily like one of the town’s previous children, Alessa. This poor child was burned to death by religious fanatics for reasons I will not disclose. Alessa’s mother, unknowingly, gave her child up, to burn at the hands of the religious fanatics led by Christabella, and was forced to live with the guilt of her actions.

However, times are meant to change, and the changes all revolve around Sharon. It is up to Rose with the help of Cybil, to figure out what is going on, where Sharon is, and what is wanted of her by the dark forces in Silent Hill. If she can do this, she may be able to find a way home, or will she?

Back to Basics

Silent Hill had a video game feel to it, which added to the quality of the picture. Everything was incredibly picturesque. The deformed mutants were ugly, the blood splatter was realistic, and the special effects were as creepy as they needed to be. You could tell a lot of work went into the movie. The plot was well executed and will leave many confused as to what the hell happened or will happen. However, if you pay attention by the end you will be shaking your head and be shocked at the truth behind Silent Hill.

Bottom Line: Silent Hill had both a mild fantasy and a horror appeal throughout. While not scary in the mass-murdering Ted Bundy sort of way, it was a psychological mind fuck that will keep you watching because you will need to know what is happening.

If you liked the video game, you will definitely want to check it out to see if the stories compare. If you have never played the game, the story works perfect as a standalone. Any way you cut it, Silent Hill is definitely worth adding to your collection if you are a gamer or a drama/horror fan.