The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of... Slaughter

Rating: 6/10 (24 April 2006)

If the residence of West Virginia thought they had bad press with talks of inbreeding and bad oral hygiene, this movie just gave all new reasons to avoid the 35th state of The Union.
Silint Hill manages to create an eerie atmosphere of nightmarish dread, despite its often notable plodding storyline. The movie did not contain any popcorn-tossing scares, but it wickedly created all those things that kept us awake and checking the shadows as children (seriously, tell me I was not the only one that saw dead, pale hands in the closet.. please).
Some of the acting was a bit spotty, and the character development could have used a brisk scrubbing:
Overprotective mom with a new Lexus (check)
Emotionally removed father with a platinum MasterCard (got it)
Eager beaver cop with a heart of gold (oh yeah)
Suspicious detective with a mysterious past (yep)
Religious zealot with a blind faith mob (you betcha)
Damaged adopted child with possible demonic ties (bring it... brought it)
Each character made his/her prerequisite appearances complete with clichéd dialog and hackneyed expressions. But who goes to a horror flick for deep philosophical chatter? Bring on the chills, thrills, and blood spills! And this movie does...
Although I did leave the theater with a bit of head scratching and squinty-eyed doubts, I have to admit that when I stepped outside, I was happy there was still daylight.