Wow... I can't believe it, it was actually awesome.

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2006)

OK, I have played through all the Silent Hill games (I'm still playing 4, and I feel I'm nearing the end).
I have to say, when I first saw the trailer, I got chills. I frowned. I whimpered. The same reactions I have to the games. I even caught a glimpse of Pyramid Head.. who of course has a role in this movie.
This film started out great.. and had a great ending. I went to the movie with a few people who have "played" the game(s), but not played all the way through a single one. They seemed to like it, but since this movie ties into Silent Hills 1 and 3, I don't think they enjoyed it (or hated it) as much as I did. And by "hated" I mean, I felt similar emotions that I had felt while playing the games. Even the soundtrack was taken directly (or mostly directly) from the games. I still got goosebumps during some parts, even though I'd already heard/seen similar things while playing alone at night...
Somehow the makers did a great job. The monsters were very accurately recreated. Nightmare Mode was truly frightening. The only parts I found that separated from the game were during the Monty Python witch burning scenes... which were still good, and could have possibly fit in the games.
The locations in the movie were so well made, they could have been from the games. In fact, I'm sure some of the stores and street signs were taken from the games. Of course, the Bowling Alley that you go through in SH2 was there, the School was very similar to SH1's school, and the hospital (although not thoroughly explored...) were similar to SH2, SH3.
I think the scene when Rose was wandering through the fence maze when she first experienced "Nightmare Mode" was awesome. Especially when you first hear the horrible metal dragging sound, that announces the release of our favorite monster... Pyramid Head.
I could go on and on. I loved this movie, and probably will see it again. But I don't really think that people who haven't played either SH1 or SH3 (or preferably both) would understand it. Fans of the game would know that all the SH games are interconnected, but 1 and 3 go hand in hand, and also tie into the movie in many ways. Any fan of the games will love this movie. I was sad that there was no mention of the Silent Hill Smile Support Society, The Order, or the mysterious Walter Sullivan. But what's to say there won't be any more movies? :) I have a feeling that the general public will not "get it" as much as the true Silent Hill junkies. I, for one, know that I will lose sleep at the thought of many of the images and scenes from the movies... especially in the bathroom of the school :'(
For the fans that are reading this and haven't seen it... you better don your flashlight, make sure your radio has batteries, and grab your steel pipe on your way to that special place... Silent Hill.