What -is- Horror, anymore?

Rating: 4/10 (6 May 2006)

My friend and I decided to see Silent Hill mostly because the imagery contained in the trailers intrigued us. In this the movie didn't disappoint. From the odd ashen "snowfall" to the claustrophobic interiors, the movie does far better on the big screen than it will on the small.
It was also nice to see Alice Krige again. Some actors get stereotyped, and this seems to have happened to Ms. Krige, who has played some very odd characters in her career. From the Ghost in "Ghost Story" (her best role, in the movies I've seen her in) to a scientist become eco-druid-temptress in "Habitat" to the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: First Contact," her roles put her in the company of great character actors such as John Caradine.
As far as Silent Hill's plot, well...
My friend and I laughed all the way through this movie. To the point where we were sore from laughing.
First of all, the plot was clichÃ©. Toss a bit of "6th Sense, Just a dash of X-men (for the mutant-revenge angle), a fair dose of "Hellraiser" (for the overall imagery, gore and omnipresent, oppressive entity or force)and any movie about the Salem Witch Trials, and you'll end up with something very like Silent Hill.
There were may unintentionally funny moments. In one scene the main character memorizes the interior map of a hospital; right, left, right, right... she mutters this to herself for some time while you remind yourself that the movie was based on a video game. Your thumbs start to ache as the dialog continues.
In another scene,a gaggle of demonic-ally-possessed undead nurses (!) lurch down a dark hallway towards the camera. I've no doubt that the extras were dancers... who knew the undead could be so buxom and toned? As they continued to lurch, I found myself humming a pop beat from the 80's, expecting both a voice-over from Vincent Price and an appearance from the gloved one. No such luck.
There was much much more. In one shot a police officer fires a few shots at some baddies then, after keeping them at bay by keeping her gun trained, grins and explains (to those that will later kill her) that she was out of bullets. In another horror movie, this person might have been the one who went into the barn alone, to see what was there.
Silent Hill is an impressive looking movie at most times, but that's about it.