Silent Hill (Widescreen)

The first - but hopefully not the last - movie based on the groundbreaking series of video games, "Silent Hill" is an utterly riveting, horrific, eerie, and pyschologically and conceptually deep film, one that may take multiple watches to really 'get' all the facets within it, particularly if one isn't familiar with the games. An adopted little girl named Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) is plagued by violent night terrors and sleepwalking in which she seems to be frantically searching for something. She's unaided by conventional medicine, and after one night's nightmare-driven excursions nearly prove fatal, the girl's mother Rose (Radha Mitchell from "Pitch Black" and "Man On Fire") decides to seek out what her daughter screams for in her sleep - 'Silent Hill!!' - and upon discovering that Silent Hill is the name of an old town, heads off with Sharon in search or relief for her daughter, in what form she doesn't even know. Her husband (Sean Bean, of the criminally under-noticed "The Dark" as well as "Lord Of The Rings", "Equilibrium" and "Flightplan") fears this is just going to do more harm than good and takes off after them. Upon arriving in the abandoned town, Rose becomes separated from Sharon and with the help of a policewoman attempts to find her, and the true terror begins. Silent Hill is a town like no other, of which multiple versions exist concurrently, and which sometimes shifts between them. It's a place of nightmares and monsters - brought to life with amazingly disturbing imagery and visuals - and the ancestral home of a Very twisted, corrupted version of religion. And many of its old secrets focus right on the little girl. To touch briefly on the psychological and conceptual depth of the movie, I'm going to have to give away more than I normally do, so I'll preface the rest of this with *WARNING: SEMI-SPOILERS AHEAD** Okay, there's a lot here open to interpretation, so the way I see some of the things toward the end of the film isn't neceasrily how everybody else is going to see it (and a lot of it is just hinted at, hopefully for possible expansion should they do a sequel), but there seem to be an awful lot of strange and fascinating undercurrents here. Basically - it never states this outright, but this is my take - there are places on Earth where if enough human cruelty and hatred comes out, it can open the door for those things to draw 'entities' or states-of-existance to come into contact with our world. But this is a really interesting part - the demon Pyramid Head, from a certain point of view, seems to have come to empathize with the innocent more than with the cruel, and to be acting as an avenger of certain victims in the town's history. That's not to say Pyramid Head is a 'good guy' rather than the 'bad guy' of the game, but it raises questions. Can a demon come to feel compassion?, for example. This goes with the whole flow of the video games, which has brought in questions of basically 'what horrors can twist the good into the abominable?', and has also played with the flip side of the equation. If there is a sequel, I don't know whether this angle will be followed up on, or whether it'll be left stand as an 'even the most evil can have some occasional virtue in there' thing without taking Pyramid Head from his 'terrifying villain' role, but either way has its merits. "Silent Hill" is chock-full of revenge, evil characters, blood-ripping/bone-crushing horror, and the most ghastly visual imagery, and it's also loaded up under the surface with themes of love, compassion, and justice. There's a strong interplay between characters, as with the games - you're never playing just a character out to save their own skin in the video games, there's always something of a group dynamic where there's someone your character is out to protect, and simultaneously where your character needs to take a chance on trusting other, possibly duplicitous, characters as well. It all combines brilliantly, and in this case gives us one of the best movies of the year. A true great.

I'm very picky about my horror. While I do love the genre, the vast majority of horror movies do not appeal to me because they simply fail to push any of my psychological buttons. For example, I don't even consider Walking Dead horror. I can't even say that the horror movies I do enjoy scare me, but the ones I really like appeal directly to my sense of morbid curiosity, contain shocking visuals, at least a passable plot and acting, and a good soundtrack. The soundtrack was great background music when it needed to be, and brought nicely to the forefront to enhance the important scenes of the movie. One could conceivably call the organ music during the finale cheesy, but it worked for me. I don't think many movies could have pulled that off, but Silent Hill's finale was so fantastically over the top that fit perfectly in mood, and in theme (the monster, created). At one point in the movie there was a catch electronic bass track that was well timed, and really drove the tension as in the intro to Resident Evil. I found the acting performances very enjoyable! Yes, there were a few minor scenes with stiff acting, and and stilted dialog ("In the eyes of a child, the mother is God"), but not enough to take away a star. Overall I felt like the cast did a fantastic job, and provided some of the best horror movie acting I've seen in a long time. Of course Sean Bean was excellent, but Radha Mitchell (Rose), Laurie Holden (Cybil), Kim Coates (Gucci), and Alice Krige (Christabella) all kept me interested and carried the story forward with very satisfying performances. In particular, I think it would have been really easy to flub up Radha Mitchell and Alice Krige's roles, but they both played their parts almost perfectly. Visually, Silent Hill is what I want in a horror movie. Unsettling, dark, gritty, and over the top (in a good way). Pyramid Head was absolutely superb, and the first scene where he is encountered REALLY set the mood. The second of his scenes on the stairs of the church was equally well done. The human cockroaches were very creepy, and the town itself really gave me the sense of a town burned to the ground in some evil act, and hiding an evil secret. The finale is one of the best horror scenes I've ever watched. I like horror movies with some type of investigative tension, and Sean Bean's search for his wife fit the bill. Sean Bean's is more of a supporting role, and he managed to both keep the search for Alessa's past interesting without getting in the way of the main story. I think my one complaint is that I would have rather seen Sean Bean discover what happened to Alessa rather than having it delivered to Rose as narration. Then maybe he somehow gets a phone call through to her, and explains it over the phone with static crackling in the background. They way they did it was still pretty good though, and I'm not taking a star off. Overall I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes such horror classics as John Carpenter's The Thing, Hellraiser, The Brood, and The Omen.

Good movie

Silent Hill the Movie gives perfect justice to an often misunderstood series (of video games). The movie is as surreal and subtle in depicting its own brand of horror as it can get. Are the threats psychological, supernatural or inter-dimensional in nature? It's up to the viewer to interpret the unwinding of the plot. I don't want to meander anymore on how I feel about the quality of Silent Hill's themes, but sufficing to say, it is worth the ride. The film will be an excellent addition to any horror fan's library and it's not the typical B-film or slasher type of horror. It's cerebral and it may perhaps be an acquired taste than the usual hack and slash flicks. Now let's move on to the Bluray itself, since this is the only flick of Silent Hill and Silent Hill 2 has yet to come out in theaters, I am forced to rate this at 4. There are in fact no features or commentaries on this item. I only get a few trailers of other films, that's it. Bummer, right? It would've been so awesome if they added some more features, but again I'm suspecting that since Silent Hill was a sleeper hit, the producers didn't want to invest too much on a questionable Hollywood brand. Hopefully the second flick will help add momentum to the brand (whether in videogames or in film).

I'm not going to spoil the movie, but I've loved the movie since I was a kid. There are people (primarily hardcore Silent Hill fans) who don't like it and people who do like it. I like it and enjoy it, and I especially enjoy the Red Pyramid creature being present in the film, regardless of what Pyramid Head's true purpose was. In my eyes, this Red Pyramid creature in the film needs his own movie and his alone. Anyway, this movie is really good to me, but it may not be to other people. Nevertheless, I absolutely recommend it. I ordered this a little less than a month ago and it came the next day since I had Prime. It came in pristine condition, no scratches or marks on the DVD or the case and it still has the same dvd menu which I freaking fell in love with since I saw it. It literally sets the tone of the movie before you even press play, yet doesn't really spoil anything which is lovely. The dvd also works fantastic, no bugs, no freezing, no loss of quality, no stuttering or loss of audio, it works perfectly, no problems at all. This time, I'll be way more careful since I neglected the other copy I had when I was a kid. This copy will be preserved and I'll make sure it's in absolute working condition. For those who might think I'm some sort of bot or whatever, I'm not, I'm a legitimate customer. Got this along with Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 and one of the Peepshow collection Adult dvds, all came the next day with my Prime membership, and they were and still are all in pristine condition. I recommend this for anyone who is into supernatural psychological horror and I also recommend this to those who have played Silent Hill games. Don't listen to Silent Hill fanatics who say "this movie is bad because [insert invalid reason they think it's bad]", this movie is cool and horrifying, plus it has some creepy sounds that were never in the games, which is just phenomenal.

(Note: The first portion of this review was written regarding the original 2006 Blu-Ray release. An edit at the bottom will discuss the 2019 Shout Factory Collector's Edition.) In the world of video-game to film adaptations, there are sadly few success stories. "Mortal Kombat" usually comes to mind as the best example of a video-game done right on the big screen. And the most recent "Tomb Raider" film, while a bit shallow, is a fairly good representation of its source material. But the one video-game film that sharply divides audiences is director Christoph Gans' 2006 release "Silent Hill," based of course on the best-selling survival-horror franchise. While it was initially met with mixed reviews, it has garnered a strong cult-following in the ten-or-so years that have passed since its release. This is in no small part thanks to its wonderful visuals and keen use of atmosphere. And yet, despite this, there are still many that bemoan it as a failure. It's a film you either love or loathe, with no in-between. My thoughts? Well to me, the "Silent Hill" movie is a mixture of both good and bad. More specifically, as an adaptation it is a bit of a failure, simply because of how much it changes in the story and the characters. But as a stand-alone film that's more "inspired by" than "based on" the video-games? In that sense, I really enjoy the film. It's a movie clearly made by fans of the games, who are giving it their all. They just didn't quite understand how important the things they changed were to the fanbase. The film follows Rose de Silva, a mother desperate for answers. Her adopted daughter Sharon has been struggling with nightmarish visions of a town known as "Silent Hill." Deciding to nip the problem in the bud, Rose takes Sharon to the town to find out why it haunts her so... only to discover that it's a literal ghost-town. After an accident separates the two, Rose must go on the hunt to save her daughter... But she will soon learn the dreaded secrets of Silent Hill, and begin to encounter the strange and twisted creatures that roam its streets... The film's greatest strengths are for sure its wondrous direction and visuals. Aesthetically, this movie really nails the look and feeling of the games, and it does a good job building tension. The performances also work quite well, with no sore-thumb amongst the entire cast. Combined with some fun twists and turns and some genuinely effective scares, and you have a darned entertaining and often eerie excursion into the unknown. The problem is how much it changes from the source material. While I won't give out too many spoilers, those who are fans of the franchise may find themselves a bit miffed at the liberties Gans' and writer Roger Avery take with the story. If you're looking for the classic cult of the games, out to birth their dark god... you won't get that here. Instead, the film plays the terror as more the result of witchcraft and fanatical Christian cultists. It's a bit sad, as the film nails the look and feeling of the game so well, and with a rewrite or two could have perfectly captured the game's narrative. But Gans and Avery felt the need to rework the story for whatever reason. It comes down to this... if you want a perfect adaptation, you won't get that here. But if you want a fun, frightening film that shares similar visuals and themes with the games, you'll more than likely enjoy the "Silent Hill" film. It's not a perfect film, and it doesn't 100% work as an adaptation. But as a stand-alone movie? It's pretty good! As for the Blu-Ray. It looks and sounds fantastic, with great sharp detail. Unfortunately it lacks the in-depth making-of documentary from the DVD special edition. So you may wanna pick up the DVD in addition to the Blu-Ray if you're a completionist like me. 2020 EDIT: I recently had the opportunity to upgrade my disc to the 2019 Shout Factory Collector's Edition. And in every way, it is a vast improvement over the prior 2006 Blu-Ray release. I especially have to commend them for the new 2K remaster, which looks fantastic. The image is sharper, crisper and more vibrant than ever before in a home-video release. And the special features really knock it out of the park. From a new audio commentary with cinematographer Dan Laustsen, to hours and hours worth of new in-depth interviews with the director and various other cast and crew members, to the inclusion of the delightful making-of feature from the original DVD... this set is filled to burst with great bonus content. I'm going ahead and bumping up my score to a perfect 5 out of 5 because of this delightful new edition. It's worth every penny. If you're a fan of this film, you owe it to yourself to pick up Shout Factory's Collector's Edition.

Great film and the visuals are really ahead of their time.

Rewatching the movie when you are older it’s not great but it’s not bad.

Vorweg, ich habe die Spiele nie wirklich gespielt und kenne daher die Story auch nicht so richtig. Allerdings interessiert mich dieses Genre an Filmen schon sehr, so dass ich mir Silent Hill unbedingt anschauen wollte, natürlich gleich auf BluRay. ;-) Das Bild der BluRay sieht auf meinem TV super aus und der Sound klingt hervorragend über mein Sound-System. Zum Film selbst, ich persönlich finde, man findet sich in die Story recht schnell ein (wenn man ohne Vorkenntnisses daran geht) und der Spannungs-Bogen des Filmes ist auch gut. Die Musik untermalt die Situationen im Film sehr schön, so dass sich auch einige kleine Schock-Momente ergeben. Mehr möchte ich zum Film eigentlich auch nicht sagen, denn schließlich will man den ja sehen und nicht lesen. ;-) Ich persönlich kann den Film mit ruhigem Gewissen empfehlen, für Schrott halte ich ihn definitiv nicht!

Snabb leverans

Merci beaucoup

ATTENZIONE: questa recensione fa uno spoiler su alcuni dettagli, molto contenuto ma lo fa. Continuate a leggere a vostro rischio. Se volete soltanto sapere se consiglio il film o no, saltate direttamente all'ultimo periodo. Premesso che trovare un buon horror oggi è un'ardua impresa e che i film tratti da videogiochi sono generalmente di una banalità disarmante, ho trovato questo film sorprendentemente buono, nonostante esso appartenga ad entrambe le categorie. Beninteso, la trama ne esce penalizzata in partenza, ma poi si sviluppa bene. Questo Silent Hill riproduce in maniera molto attendibile lo stato d'animo confusionale della protagonista che subisce il forte shock affettivo ed emozionale dello smarrimento di una figlia. E qui la metafora della nebbia non potrebbe essere più azzeccata. Ma è davvero la figlia che sta cercando? Certo, come ho letto in altre recensioni, qui le cose accadono "perché sì", ma il subire passivamente la serie di eventi è forse conseguente alla confusione mentale della protagonista, come l'accettare di essere intrappolata contro la propria volontà in un paese circondato da un burrone infinito da cui non può uscire. I personaggi grotteschi, stupendamente resi con un uso magistrale della CGI, hanno ognuno un preciso significato simbolico. I Grey Children sono esseri in sofferenza che chiedono aiuto in maniera aggressiva; gli Armless Men, sfigurati, esplodono di rabbia, spruzzando acido corrosivo che colpisce involontariamente chi sta loro intorno; le Dark Nurses, fortemente sessualizzate, non hanno volto, proprio come la protagonista trova l'infermiera Lisa accomodante ma intimamente impenetrabile; Pyramid Head sembra un boia, ma come tale non uccide senza una sentenza di colpevolezza, dunque rappresenta il senso di colpa della protagonista; Colin ha sembianze umane ma comportamento bestiale, e rimane in attesa di approfittarsi della preda di turno. La proiezione di sé stessa che la protagonista fa su un altro personaggio, che non menziono per non spoilerare ulteriormente, rivela che in realtà ella è in un certo senso alla ricerca di sé e della propria liberazione dai vincoli tra cui è cresciuta. Paradossalmente, questo film è più godibile da chi non ha mai avuto esperienze nel videogioco, perché se si conoscono già trama e personaggi, si rischia di passare il tempo a puntare il dito contro le forti differenze tra il gioco e la sua trasposizione cinematografica, cosa che sconsiglio di fare. In ogni caso consiglio la visione di questo film agli amanti del genere, soprattutto per riprendersi in maniera leggera da troppa e varia robaccia molto più recente.

Wenn ich gefragt werde, welches der beste Horrorfilm ist, dann fällt mir als erstes Silent Hill ein. Es gibt sicherlich andere sehr gute Horror-Filme aber keiner hat so einen nachhaltigen Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen wie dieser. Ich sah diesen Film völlig unbefangen auf DVD. Ich hatte nicht gewusst, daß er von einem Computerspiel abgeleitet ist, ich hatte keine Rezensionen gelesen und auch im Kino war er irgendwie (leider!) völlig an mir vorbeigegangen. Da ich zu Hause der einzige Horrorfan bin, habe ich die Scheibe irgendwann eines Nachts eingeworfen und den Film, ohne klare Vorstellung was mich erwartet, angeschaut. Zum Inhalt muss man nach so vielen schon vorhandenen Rezensionen ja nicht mehr viel schreiben aber die enorme Wirkung des Films verdient es doch, daß ich meine Bewertung auch entsprechend kommentiere. Schon der erste Höhepunkt mit dem nächtlichen Ausflug des Kindes zu dem beeindruckenden Abgrund hat mich förmlich aus dem Sitz gerissen. Dann wechselt der Film das Tempo, wird ruhig und melancholisch - zeitweise fast schon idyllisch. Man bekommt Zeit sich auf die Charaktere einzulassen, sich von der Geschichte vereinnahmen zu lassen. Eine perfekte, eine böse Vorbereitung für das, was dann in Silent Hill folgt. Eine gespenstige Ruhe in der Stadt wird durch das wiederkehrende Aufheulen der Sirene immer wieder phasenweise in den schlimmsten Alptraum verwandelt, den ich jemals auf einer Mattscheibe gesehen habe. Der Einfallsreichtum mit dem die Monster gestaltet wurden und in Szene gesetzt werden ist einfach grandios. Zusätzlich werden Mittel wie Dunkelheit, Enge bzw. Sackgassen, Tempowechsel, Überraschungsmomente, ... perfekt eingesetzt, um den Adrenalinausstoss jeweils zu maximieren. Der Film fühkt sich rückblickend fast an wie eine Achterbahnfahrt. Mit jedem Aufheulen der Sirene weiß man das der nächste Abgrund bzw. Höllenritt folgt. Man weiß nicht auf welche Weise es schlimm wird aber man weiß es wird sehr schlimm. In den Ruhephasen nach so einem Höllenritt baut sich dann schon die Angst vor dem nächsten Sirenenheulen auf. Ja, richtig: Angst! Ich habe schon viele schlimme Filme schadlos überstanden, würde mich durchaus als Horrorfan bezeichnen, aber dieser hat mir Angst gemacht. Und der Film ist gewaltig in seinen Bildern und auch in der Brutalität, die aber aufgrund der unglaublich fantasievoll gezeichneten Schreckensgestalten und eines ebensolchen Umfeldes (Toneffekte, Musik, Räumlichkeiten) nicht platt daherkommt sondern einen sogar noch tiefer in den Bann zieht. Kurz vor dem Ende, in der letzten Gewaltphase, darf man dann sogar noch aufgebaute Rachegefühle ausleben. Das gelingt auch nicht jedem Film. Nach dem Films war ich völlig geflasht und atemlos. Wie gesagt alles ohne Vorwarnung. Ich kann bei diesem Film die FSK16-Einstufung nicht nachvollziehen. Bei diesem Frontalangriff auf die Psyche und die zeitweisen extremen Darstellungen von Gewalt, Verstümmelungen und körperlichen Verformungen kann ich nur davon abraten, diesen Film seinen, nicht erwachsenen, Zöglingen zuzumuten. Wie gesagt: aus meiner Sicht der beste Film des Genres aber eben auch extrem hart, gerade weil er das Potential hat, den Zuschauer ganz zu vereinnahmen und der Horror und die Effekte dann sehr persönlich empfunden werden!