Fascinating

Rating: 6/10 (23 August 2006)

On the one hand, I could almost dismiss Silent Hill as another confused bundle of horror convention masquerading as a story, i.e. "The Grudge". However, as sloppy as the plot can get at times, I came away from the viewing tossing this movie around and around in my head. Not having played the video game upon which it is based, it's hard to tell how many of the story elements generated elsewhere, but for what it was I think Roger Avary has created an ambitious storyline that digs a little deeper than its B-rate subject matter. The look of the film is a beautiful mix of looks and colors, shifting smoothly between 'reality' and nightmares. Gans does an expected pro job with this, even lending his CG bogeymen a certain texture and presence many others have failed to do. At no point is the movie ever exactly terrifying, and I doubt Avary and Gans took this as their mission. It's an unsettling tale of darkness and the places it lives. The film never exactly ties together in a satisfying enough way to rate it higher than a seven, however I enjoyed the film and the effort enough to leave it with a healthy 6 1/2. If you like your 'horror' films thoughtful, this is certainly worth a watch.