I decided to approach this movie from the point of view of someone who has never played the games since I only played the third game, for a short time. It was way too scary for me.
Silent Hill
written by Roger Avery
directed by Christopher Gans
Starring:
Radha Mitchell as Rose da Silva
Jodelle Ferland as Sharon da Silva
Sharon suffers from sleepwalking, night terrors, and blackouts. Her parents are at their wits end, and when Sharon’s mother Rose embarks upon a radical solution to her daughter’s sanity, the road takes mother and child to the abandoned town of Silent Hill.
The setting for the movie town was inspired by the nearly abandoned town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Silent Hill was the scene of a tragic fire that occurred thirty years that set fire to the mines that honeycomb beneath the town. The fires still burn and ashes fall like grey snow.
There are not many “shock” scares in the movie, and that was part of the attraction for me. The viewer is gently lured into the depths of Silent Hill, just as Rose is. Music and sound effects play an important part in the film; something I think Hitchcock would have approved. I have seen many scary films that rely heavily upon the gross factor to scare and shock. Silent Hill isn’t short on the grotesque, but for me, the most frightening point in the film was when the air raid siren began and the darkness fell. In a darkened theatre, this effect was particularly chilling.
As horror films go, this is a superb film. The story is engaging, the actors are top notch, and the actress that plays Sharon definately has that extra something that could mean she has quite a career ahead of her. Alice Krige also appears in the film as well, and her prescence always add a nice, sinister elegance to any role she plays.
My disappointments were few. Sean Bean as Rose’s husband, was under utilized. He was very good in this part, but I wish that there had been more for him to do as he is an excellent actor. The ending wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it did seem to fit the surreality of the movie. Endings such as this usually presage a sequel. I’m almost hoping this isn’t so, because I do feel it would be tough to top this.
A warning to the faint of heart, and to the mothers out there: there is a scene which involves Sharon that, despite the efforts of the director to keep it tame, was disturbing to watch.
If you like horror films and want to see something that’s *cough* a cut above the rest, go and see this. Just, leave the kids at home.
Interesting Links:
Centralia, Pennsylvania – A ghost town that inspires the setting for the movie.
Hauntings in Centralia Mirror Silent Hill?
Official Silent Hill movie site
The Silent Hill series for Playstation 2
Tags: AMC, Centralia, horror, movies, Playstation 2, Silent Hill
