Oh yes, there will be nightmares

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2006)

I have to admit, after this movie was over, my friend came right out and said "What the f***?", but the entire group I was with instantly decided we loved the movie. From beginning to end, it feels like you are inside of a nightmare, and that is something I haven't felt since "Jacob's Ladder".
The story basically starts showing a ten-year-old named Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) attempting to jump off of a cliff in her sleep. The second the camera looked down into the gorge she was about to leap into and flew into the fiery pit that she seemed to be seeing in this, I realized that this probably wasn't going to be the average ghost story or psycho-slasher film. The rest of the movie goes on, and when Sharon's mother, Rose, crashes, you are introduced to the foggy town of Silent Hill.
I am going to start out by saying that the visual and sound effects in this movie are amazing. It is easy to tell that the art direction in this movie was closely payed attention to. From fog to gritty metallic surroundings in the otherworld, you will feel surrounded by terror. The music helps capture the essence of what is happening, such as the metallic banging and grinding rhythms that play when the dark side of the town is taking it over, and the sirens that announce the town's periodical disintegration into that world will fill you with dread.
And the horror. Although there isn't many "jump" or "suspense" scares, that mostly works for the movie than against it. The entire experience feels like one of those surreal nightmares you have every once in a while, the type that changes from mysterious to horrible, and then back to mysterious. I have admittedly had nightmares about the screaming children and pyramid head monster nights after seeing this, and that is a rare thing for me when I see a movie.
While I agree this movie does have some dull moments and a few cheesy lines here and there, it is a sick, intense experience that is not easily forgettable. Yes, you will have to seriously think to understand some of it, but I agree with Lindsay. Since this is a surreal/nightmare movie, not everything is going to be laid out for you. If you don't understand it, that doesn't make it a bad movie. Even though I've never played the Silent Hill game, this movie inspired me to.