Silent Hill (2006)
Directed by Christophe Gans
Written by Roger Avary, Christophe Gans
Starring Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Debra Kara Unger
Release Date April 21st, 2006
Published April 27th, 2006
Horror movies based on videogames are supposed to suck. They are supposed to be directed by hacks like Andrej Bartkowiak (Doom) or Uwe Boll (Bloodrayne, House of The Dead, Alone In The Dark). They are supposed to incorporate the awful first person perspective that makes video games individual experiences rather than communal ones like.. oh I don't know... movies!
That is what makes the new horror flick Silent Hill such a pleasant and disturbing surprise. Based on a popular late nineties video game about a haunted West Virginia mining town, Silent Hill is a creepy mixture of dazzling horror visuals and a little girl power.
Radha Mitchell stars in Silent Hill as Rose Da Silva whose adopted daughter Sharon(Jodelle Ferland) has developed a frightening penchant for sleepwalking to the hilly peaks surrounding their home. While sleepwalking, Sharon mumbles about a place called Silent Hill which seems to hold the key to her nightmares.
Sharon's father Chris (Sean Bean) wants his daughter to go to the hospital but Rose inexplicably believes that taking Sharon to Silent Hill will quell her nightmares and mid night strolls. It's a faulty premise that calls Rose's character into question but you have to stick with this film to enjoy it.
On the road to Silent Hill, which is supposed to be closed to traffic, Rose is tailed by a police officer, Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden) who has a traumatic history with Silent Hill herself. Officer Bennett tries to stop Sharon from going to Silent Hill but before she can both are involved in an accident that leads to Sharon's disappearance. Together, upon waking from their injuries, Rose and officer Bennett must enter Silent Hill to find the child.
The town of Silent Hill was closed off from the rest of the world after what police called a mining accident some 30 years ago. The entire town was nearly swallowed by an underground coal fire that continues to spew ash over the abandoned city.
The few remaining residents are tormented by the spirits of the people who died in the fire and take refuge in a church where their prayers keep the demons at bay. The remaining citizens have a dark secret linked to the fire that killed the town and Rose's daughter's dangerous connection to it as well.
The story of Silent Hill is often convoluted and bewildering but director Christophe Gans escapes the plot issues by dressing the film in some of the most striking horror images in the genre. Gans shows some serious horror chops in creating frightening visuals and startling characters. There are the children made of ash, formless, bile spewing zombies and a killer carrying the largest sharp weapon of any horror villain in history.
Maybe the film's best contribution to modern horror are its two lead actresses. Radha Mitchell and Laurie Holden both deliver strong performances but are more important symbolically as the rare occasion of women in horror who are not merely victims, naked bodies or scream queens. These are two strong fully formed female characters and that they exist at all in the modern horror genre makes Silent Hill a worthy effort.
Visually frightening and dazzling Silent Hill may not be a great film but by modern horror standards it's among the best of the genre. For horror fans Silent Hill is a must see.
