Silent Hill is based on a video game but whatever fans may think of it as an adaptation of it’s source material it stands tall as a recent American horror film. Far from flawless the film still showcases Christopher Gans at his best, a director who makes compelling images while still failing to tell altogether compelling stories. This is visceral horror that takes place in a hellish landscape whose greatest strength is making the viewer wonder what horrible thing might be outside the frame. And in that sense Gans makes a case for style over substance. We are so transfixed by where we are that we never really consider where we’re going. Is there a surer road to hell?
When her adopted daughter starts suffering from a dangerous sleepwalking habit mom takes her to back to her deserted hometown of Silent Hill hoping to discover why the daughter whispers the town’s name in her sleep. An accident on the way leaves the mom unconscious. When she awakens to find the daughter missing she finds herself searching through a parallel universe containing a town inhabitated by religious zealots who hide from the darkness as it brings creatures of unspeakable judgement. The featurettes offered on this disc are really good offering a solid sense of how visual were created but also offering a glimpse into why Gans films tend to lack story. And yet it's mighter hard to find fault with some of the most intense beautifully shot horror imagery shot on these shores in a long time. gans has created something truly Boschian and I recomend you partake and think about the questions the film raises? Why is evil allowed to exist and why must it be judged? Gans comes awfully close to the morality tale here even if only in inverse.
"it stands tall as a recent American horror film"
Thanks for the biggest laugh I had all day!
Sure, it stands tall. If you are comparing it to MANSQUITO or something.
Uwe Boll should take lessons. Gans has so much style and his visuals are outstanding. The "R" rating helps as well. It's not perfect by any means, but it is a good film and is fun to watch on a HUGE HDTV!!!
the looked faithful, but plot-wise and the scare factor was non-existent.
Still waiting on the Monday R2 release..followed possibly by the 3 disc Japan version which looks a mite tasty.
Marks as one of the more disappointing theatrical experiences I had this year. barring the first 5 minutes, the next 35 or so minutes is compelling and interesting, but it all goes to hell in a handbasket around the 1 hour mark, silly, and trite, and tired, and dare-say boring. A waste of Sean Beans talent, and for that matter, Alice Kriges (Who fares much better in Deadwood Season 2).
Ultimately however, the chief flaw of Silent Hill is screenwriter Roger Avery who turns in a dreadful screenplay, astoundingly bad, even for the genre. I'm a big fan of Avery's two directorial efforts (Killing Zoe and Rules of Attraction), but I have no idea what went wrong here, I'm he does much better writing for Zemeckis' Beowulf movie.
Gans' visual stylings and creepy atmosphere just cannot overcome the bad screenplay. Damn Shame really, as this was the great hope for video game adaptations which have been at grade Z level for quite some time, and I don't think that DOA is going to step up to the plate :P
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