Silent Hill - Deranged but somehow Thoughtful

Rating: 7/10 (21 April 2006)

"Silent Hill" is truly like someone's worst nightmare crammed into a two-hour movie. I just left a screening, and I can't get rid of the bizarre, grotesque images and distinctly sad and haunting feeling that often come with my bad dreams. For horror film fans, "Silent Hill" provides some nasty thrills, buckets of graphic gore, and extremely disturbing images (the burning corpses, the nurses, and Pyramid Head... Yikes!).
For the person looking deeper, there are some very fascinating meditations on denial, guilt, the nature of judgment, and the bond between parent and child (especially mother and daughter). The film also provides a vivid depiction of the devastating truth that evil (especially under the guise of goodness and "righteousness") breeds more and even greater evil, and that such wickedness can only be faced with denial (which leads to even greater suffering) or the truth (which leads to its own difficult consequences).
For the person who likes both (horror and depth, that is), "Silent Hill" is quite a treat, such as it is. On a technical note, the creation of atmosphere using cinematography, visual effects, make-up, costumes, set design, and music is simply amazing. Very few films cast as gripping a spell as this one. As many reviewers have said, watching this film is something akin to taking an excursion to hell.
The acting and scripting are serviceable. The direction, while not perfect, largely succeeds in building up tension and suspense, with the only weakness coming with an overly explained and somewhat familiar finale (that still retains some power due to the truth of its message).
All in all, a worthy effort. As an aside, anyone who would allow a child to see this film is suffering from a serious lapse in judgment. This is one graphic, disturbing movie. Discerning adults and older teenagers only!