Chilling, surreal and horrifying.

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2006)

I know nothing about the game - and it was with no knowledge (other than that this was a horror film) that I went into the cinema. I then sat through the best 2 hours of pure horror I have seen in a long, long time...
The tension kicks in at the off and gradually climbs in little notches until the audience in on the edge of their seats - not only wondering about the fate of the principal characters, but about the back story that will explain what is going on. And after 90mins of tightening the screws the final 30mins is a tour-de-force of revelation, revulsion, revenge and retribution.
The eerie and very effective use of sound, coupled with the surreal imagery is very disquieting and left me feeling quite uneasy through the whole movie. You know a film has hit it's mark when the gang of kids who laughed and chatted and made phone calls through the trailers shut up and go quiet very early on.
The explanation for the movies premise is one of the most horrifying I have come across and is brilliantly handled (i.e, without excessive gore)by the director. This also one of the few horror movies of recent years that remains grim throughout and never seeks to lighten the mood with ill-placed humor or a a ridiculous 'macho' ending. The action is driven by the love of a mother searching for her daughter - and for that is very believable.
Make no mistake, 'Silent Hill' is something special. A real horror film in every sense of the word. It doesn't rely on on just one element (gore, violence, horrific story etc) for it's success, but manages to use just the right amount of each to create a spell binding and knuckle whitening whole. See it now!!