Blood-chilling

Rating: 7/10 (11 April 2009)

A modern twist on zombie films and suspense movies as well as its video game predecessor, Silent Hill is truly a disturbing movie, to put it simply. It seems more like a suspenseful ghost story instead of a flat-out horror film, but overall, it does what it set out to accomplish: to leave the viewer chilled to the bone and mortified.
The special effects were quite awe-inspiring, and were very true and accurate to the classic Konami video game style. During the night scenes, I felt as if I were within the video game itself. The mutated creatures were nothing short of disturbing. They were twisted, yet they retained designs and shapes that could have been (and were) human, adding a touch of reality to them, which movies (or video games) of this type must have if they're going to be convincing.
The set design as well was very striking. I enjoyed the way Silent Hill was portrayed as a quaint, innocent little town, but also as a ruined, blackened extension of hell. In the movie (and game), depending on the time of day, Silent Hill switched between the two appearances, but created a sense of dread in either state. I'm not sure whether much of the sets were digital or not, but they were very creepy either way.
Casting was very good, though I'm not sure what Sean Bean (who I like as an actor) was doing in this. I particularly liked the infamous, slimy, sickening leader of Silent Hill's "faith", which is best defined as a sick cult. That is perhaps what made the movie the most disturbing: how evil and disgusting this cult way of religion was, in how they take "purification" into their own hands. It was almost nauseating to watch, more than all of the blood and gore that splattered across the screen.
Now, why this film didn't get an 8 from me is because of the storyline. It isn't a bad storyline, but I spotted several gaping holes in the plot, such as when Alessa explains her story to Rose. She didn't say how Sharon tied into it at all, leaving non-gamers to guess. All they had to go on was the resemblance between Sharon and Alessa, which isn't enough to fill in the gap. Not everyone played the video game, unfortunately. Also, the ending is definitely confusing on all fronts. I'm not suggesting it be a happier ending (it's a "horror" movie!), but it definitely needed something that wasn't there for non-gamers. Clarification would have been nice, yet I am understand that the entire thing is supposed to be Alessa's doing, but clarification would have helped.
This is certainly NOT a film for kids, mainly because of the frightening nature of the entire story. There are several very graphic scenes as well, including one where a Silent survivor gets her entire skin ripped off and is left to bleed, and one where a police officer slowly gets burned alive. Language is not so much an issue in this film. Definitely not one to show to the kids, but certainly a good midnight ghost story.
7/10, a watchable movie overall, despite its confusing ending and sometimes gaping plot. The video game is amazing, and definitely something to check out.