An Intense, Atmospheric Nightmare.

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2006)

"Silent Hill" is one of the better horror films I've seen this year (so far at least). It has a really interesting story (based on a video game), great special effects, good acting, and some intense scary moments.
"Silent Hill" starts with Rose DaSilva, who wakes up to find her daughter, Sharon, missing from her house in the middle of the night. She runs down to a waterfall and saves Sharon, who was about to fall off the cliff while sleepwalking. Sharon continues to scream "Silent Hill!" in her dreams, so Rose decides to take her daughter to the abandoned ghost town to try and help. Bad, bad mistake. As they arrive to Silent Hill, Rose crashes the car after almost hitting a young girl, and wakes up to find Sharon gone. But there seems to be something strange about the town now. There is an eerie fog that blankets it, and ashes fall from the sky like snowflakes. Unknowningly, Rose and Sharon are taken into an entire different dimension, and Rose must fight off evil creatures that are linked to the town's gruesome past, and save Sharon before it's too late.
I've only played a tiny bit of the video game, "Silent Hill 3", so I really have no idea what goes on in the games. But from how I understand it, this movie combines elements from all the games, and molding them together in one movie. Director Christophe Gans creates a very atmospheric setting, and the makeup and effects in this movie were wonderful. The plot is molded precisely and leaves lots of of twists and turns through the course of the film. There are plenty of slick visuals, amazing sets, and some twisted creatures that are all really amazing looking. The film looks great, I was really impressed with the sets and cinematography. Plenty of very scary moments abound, and there is also good acting from all involved.
Basically, if you are a fan of horror films, go see this. Whether you have played the games or not, you'll still enjoy the movie just as much, I really don't think it matters. "Silent Hill" is an original and very scary way to spend a couple of hours. 9/10.