Intense and disturbing.

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2006)

I went into Silent Hill with high hopes. I was not disappointed.
From the outset, the movie has a dark, twisted atmosphere. There is a pervading sense that something is just not right. When the world transforms, things really get interesting. You can almost feel the sanity of the town (and your own) slipping away as the darkness falls. During these times, you almost cling to any light on the screen, struggling to avoid looking at the surrounding darkness.
There are some truly gory scenes in this movie. I can almost guarantee that you will not be able to forget some of these images. Some of these scenes are anticipated, but end up being worse than you imagined. Others are by total surprise, leaving you in a state of shock as the horror of what you witnessed slowly dawns. Even those scenes that are not exactly gory are still disturbing.
The talent in this movie is great, and I don't just mean the main characters. The actors who play the monsters are amazing, moving in strange, inhuman ways that make you want to back away. It is hard to believe that these monsters are real people and not CGI.
The plot itself intriguing. There is little in the way of dramatic irony, the audience being just as clueless as the protagonist throughout the movie. The story shocks, confuses, and captivates, leading the audience on a twisted journey through the soul of the damned town. From the almost normal surface to the bowels of madness, this movie seeks to, and succeeds in, upsetting the sanity of the audience.