Captures the eeriness and fear of a real horror flick

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2006)

I've never played the video game 'Silent Hill', which this film is based on, so I came to it with a different perspective of someone looking to see a good film rather than expecting a faithful adaptation. But I can quite honestly say how refreshing it is to finally see a horror film that is actually a horror, with not a psychotic serial killer or air-headed teen in sight.
The film revolves around Rose Da Silva, whose eight-year-old daughter Sharon is being plagued by episodes of sleep-walking that are leading the child into dangerous situations. In all of her dreams, Sharon mentions 'Silent Hill' and her mother's research leads her to discovering this place actually exists in the form of an abandoned town with an eerie history. Rose determines that to cure Sharon of her nightmares, they must go to the town but, on arrival, their journey then takes a terrifying turn. After being knocked unconscious upon crashing her car, Rose awakes to find Sharon missing, and so she is forced to travel deeper into the horror that is Silent Hill.
Radha Mitchell, who played Rose, really captures the spirit of a mother determined to find her child no matter what the consequences are to herself. Laurie Holden's Cybil Bennett, the policewoman who comes to Rose's aid, was a surprising character as while she first came across as a buff masculine she-cop, she quickly revealed herself to be multi-dimensional in the form of someone who feels protectiveness, caring, pain and fear. And Alice Krige was just excellent as the loathsomely arrogant Christabella.
What is truly brilliant about this film is it works hard to create a chilling atmosphere of a desolate town that is other-worldly and disturbed, which leaves the audience terrified before anything even happens . The visual effects as the town falls into darkness were top-class and I loved how they used actors for the roles of the zombies rather than relying on CGI. Other producers could learn a lesson or two from 'Silent Hill' as the traditional approach of actors in make-up was far more effective and creepier than computerised monsters that tend to leave audiences nit-picking rather than petrified.
The only real let-down was the last scene as 'twist' endings have been so over-done that to see one in a film that was unique in every other scene, it was rather a disappointment. That said, the solid script, interesting characters and visuals combine to create a film that is tense, chilling and terrifying. 'Silent Hill' is not just for fans of the game so don't let that put you off if you're on the look-out for a decent horror film.