Director – Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead)
Starring – Radha Mitchell (Rogue, Pitch Black), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Game of Thrones), and Laurie Holden (Pyewacket, The Walking Dead)
Release Date – 2006
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Tagline – “We’ve been expecting you”
I graduated high school in 2005 and horror was everything I needed out of life. I was single, worked for my dad, had my own car but all I cared about was sitting up all night and watching any horror movie I could find. I love 80s horror but I’ll watch anything horror if you put it in front of me. In 2006 the game series Silent Hill received a movie adaptation. We recently got a theater about a 40 minute drive from my home so I went with some friends to check it out and fucking loved it.
I’m not a fan of the games, mostly because I’m a fucking idiot and you need some intelligence to play them but the movie is fucking fun. Sometime back Scream Factory announced the release of the film on blu. It had been a long while since I last saw it so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way. Thank you Scream Factory!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Rose (Mitchell) and her adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) who sneak off to Silent Hill, West Virginia because Sharon suffers from sleep walking and nightmares about the town. Rose tries to find answers but her husband Christopher (Bean) refuses to let them go. They make the drive from Ohio to Silent Hill and when Officer Cybill Bennet (Holden) spots Sharon crying at a gas station she follows the two and attempts to pull them over. Rose flees and eventually crashes right outside Silent Hill. She awakens and discovers that Sharon is gone which sends Rose through the abandoned town looking for her where she uncovers something far worse is waiting for her. **Spoiler Alert**
When I throw in Silent Hill I watch a movie. I don’t compare it to the games it was inspired by because I don’t know shit about the games. I know a lot of fans dislike the film or hate on it because it doesn’t follow the source material but I honestly don’t give a shit. The movie hits hard and that’s all I need.
The acting in this one is one of the few things I never really cared for with the film. I liked the film, a lot actually, but I just never liked the cast in this one. Radha Mitchell just didn’t work for me in the role. Her performance is extremely underwhelming and her character could honestly perish along the way and the film would still deliver. Sean Bean has a solid performance in the film and I’ve been a fan of his since I discovered Lord of the Rings but his character is equally annoying as Rose. With that being said, Laurie Holden is bad ass in this film. I know she showed everyone she can kick ass if she needs to in The Walking Dead but she is delivers such a great character with this one. Also, Jodelle Ferland is the face of the film and she delivers not one but two amazing performances with the film as the innocent Sharon and the evil Aleesa. She is great in the role and its amazing how someone so young could deliver such an amazing performance.
The story for this one works in the grand scheme of things but once you start picking things apart you find the film is full of plot holes. There is several things that will stand out if you pay close attention to it. The writing in this one is a little sloppy but not enough to ruin the experience.
Finally, the film is full of visual and practical effects. The practical effects look fucking fantastic and after revisiting it I still believe they are some of the better effects to come out of a theatrical pop horror. I loved the kills we got and the practical effects we are given are great. We get a ton of visual effects. Most look great and hold up well after all this time but there was a few instances that sticks out where the visuals were very dated. Overall, Silent Hill is a film that might split the horror community but I absolutely love the atmosphere and the visuals in the film. The cast could be replaced in some aspect and the story needs more attention but as is still delivers. The blu looks fucking great and genre fans will want this one in their collection.
Special Features:
Disc One:
HD Master Approved By Director Christophe Gans
NEW Audio Commentary With Cinematographer Dan Laustsen
Theatrical Trailer
Disc Two:
NEW Interview With Director Christophe Gans
NEW A Tale Of Two Jodelles – An Interview With Actress Jodelle Ferland
NEW Dance Of The Pyramid – An Interview With Actor Roberto Campanella
NEW Interview With Makeup-Effects Artist Paul Jones
Path Of Darkness: The Making of Silent Hill – A Six-Part Documentary
The Making Of Silent Hill Vintage Featurette
On Set Interviews And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
Photo Galleries – Still Photos And Posters
