Silent Hill (2006)
TOMATOMETER
Critics Consensus: Silent Hill is visually impressive, but as with many video game adaptations, it's plagued by inane dialogue, a muddled plot, and an overlong runtime.
Critics Consensus: Silent Hill is visually impressive, but as with many video game adaptations, it's plagued by inane dialogue, a muddled plot, and an overlong runtime.
Trailer
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Movie Info
The eerie and deserted ghost town of Silent Hill draws a young mother desperate to find a cure for her only child's illness. Unable to accept the doctor's diagnosis that her daughter should be permanently institutionalized for psychiatric care, Rose flees with her child, heading for the abandoned town in search of answers -- and ignoring the protests of her husband. It's soon clear this place is unlike anywhere she's ever been. It's smothered by fog, inhabited by a variety of strange beings and … More
- Rating:
- R (for strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Horror
- Directed By:
- Christophe Gans
- Written By:
- Roger Avary
- In Theaters:
- Apr 21, 2006 Wide
- On DVD:
- Aug 22, 2006
- US Box Office:
- $47.0M
- Runtime:
Cast
as Rose Da Silva
as Christopher Da Silva
as Cybil Bennett
as Dahlia Gillespie
as Officer Thomas Gucci
as Anna
as Christabella
as Sharon/Alessa
as Archivist
as Old Mechanic
as Young Police Officer
as Gas Attendant
as Adam
as Sister Margaret
as Distressed Woman
as Christabella's Aide
as Elder
as Elder
as Elder
as Red Pyramid/Janitor/...
as Congregation
as Congregation
as Congregation
as Congregation
as School Girl
as School Girl
as School Girl
as Armless Man
as Grey Child
as Scarred Older Alessa
as Red Nurse
as Slashing Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
as Dark Nurse
Related News & Features
-
Resident Evil Producers Plan Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D
– Collider.com -
Silent Hill Sequel in the Works
– Hollywood Reporter
Silent Hill Videos
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LoginCritic Reviews for Silent Hill
All Critics (91) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (64) | DVD (25)
Visually arresting but only sporadically enthralling.
It's one of the best video game adaptations I've seen in years.
Whilst not as atrocious as some other films that have opened this year, the truely woeful story and quality of Silent is saved only by its occasion moments of visual flair, and its all over effective creepy atmosphere.
When everything starts being explained, the mystery evaporates and the world of the game loses its eerie bafflement.
The latest, most ambitious and perhaps least comprehensible video game adaptation in recent memory.
If you like your nightmares served upfront without the clutter of dramatic structure, then Silent Hill should be your next stop.
although it is rarely if ever jump-out-of-your-seat scary, Silent Hill is an unremittingly creepy municipality of the mind where motherhood, mystery and madness have come home to stay.
Silent Hill starts out at point A and then goes so quickly, loudly and visually over-the-top that it flies completely off the rails into its own glorious weirdness.
Director Christophe Gans charges, hell-bent, right over the plot and winds up with not much more than an oppressive 125-minute running time.
More deadly than silent.
Over long with a muddled story and a gaggle of wasted talent, Silent Hill is a spectacular misfire.
As a fluke, I took my mom (also named Rose) to the screening. She doesn't like SF or horror and doesn't even know what a video game is, yet she ended up really liking it! How weird is that?
the closest you'll get to actually having a nightmare in a movie theatre outside of a midnight screening of David Lynch's Eraserhead.
There's absolutely nothing of merit here to discuss other than its loyalty to the original source material.
While Gans admittedly shows us some pretty spooky stuff, his energy begins to flag somewhere around the 60-minute mark.
As a nightmarish vision of hell on earth, Silent Hill is a triumph of production and art design. As a coherent story, it's little more than a string of video game scenarios.
Silent Hill is like an endurance test to get to the "'truth', but it's ultimately a gyp because it still doesn't make sense when you get there.
Just like the game, which is an achievement and a disappointment all in one.
No thrills on this hill
Radha Mitchell is the reason to sit through this overblown Grand Guignol entertainment from the director of the similarly overblown Brotherhood of the Wolf.
Audience Reviews for Silent Hill
I was impressed. Never played the games and the movie was a good plot and interesting characters and great backdrop. Loved it.
MoreSuper Reviewer
This Japanese created horror came along after the hugely popular 'Resident Evil' both in terms of the game and the film. Where as the first Resi Evil was a more standard action fest that ran with a generic plot similar to 'Aliens', 'Silent Hill' is a completely different approach. That approach being the film makers actually based this film on the actual game.
That is the first thing you notice straight away, this film is an actual horror film and tries to recreate the tension from the eerie game. The visuals in this film are actually pretty good and the whole thing certainly does feel like a videogame in the sense of camera angles, lighting and general atmosphere.
I must admit to being very impressed with the whole look of the film. Its not watered down in any way, there's plenty of blood, the monsters are highly detailed and very creepy (Pyramid Head looking damn good I must say), the town is rendered really well, it chilling, very dark and brings the game to life in a truly surprising way. A cheap run of the mill straight to DVD film this is not...amazingly.
The plot is slightly disappointing in the sense that it kinda wanders. At first the film is a solid ghost story with demons, intrigue and imagery that you may see in many Japanese horrors ('The Ring' for one with all the little girl shots). Unfortunately later the story seems to gravitate towards more of a religious theme including cults and witch hunting which is a completely different horror genre really. That's not what you expect and it weakens the film as all the demons, monsters and mutilated bodies all turn out to be just incarnations from a young child's mind (I think).
The whole 'person getting revenge by using his/her anger manifested in monsters/creatures' isn't too original really but I do believe this feeds into the videogames story, or at least various ideas from all the games. The film isn't short on bad bits though, can't escape that I'm afraid. Casting Sean Bean as an American was not the best idea really, his attempt is brave but heavily flawed. The odd silly moment including when 'Rose' heads off down into the hospitals basement, the lift seems to drop about a hundred levels! how deep does this building go!?.
The other main issue I had was the rather weak ending, a big anti climax really with a tame CGI finale. Not scary and not particularly interesting because you don't feel the bad guys are getting a good drumming. I also didn't get the finale twist at the end where 'Rose' and 'Sharon' seem to have remained in this alternative realm or dimension? how and why?? are they maybe dead? what gives here?.
You must give kudos to Gans for what he has accomplished here. Who'd have thought an adaptation of a horror videogame, which isn't exactly too far from the 'Capcom' equivalent, would actually turn out to be a stable accurate conversion. The films survives on visuals and design of course, performances aren't that great and the story limps to a conclusion but it still manages to give you shivers whilst you watch.
Super Reviewer
Silent Hill is a phenomenal and surprising video game adaptation, Christoph Gans pays tribute to his favorite games as he tries to capture, the feel and essence of the game, and he pulled off something great. This is a phenomenal supernatural horror film that has some terrific visuals, pretty good acting and it most definitely is sure going to appeal to fans of the video game series. Unlike many Uwe Boll video game adaptation, this one is well crafted with terrific atmosphere and pretty good acting. This is among the best video game adaptation that has ever been filmed. Usually not token on these types of movies but this was a fun flick that surprised me and I was entertained from start to finish. The tone of the film is wonderful and it's definitely eerie, creepy and sets the standard of the film. Although the film does have its flaws, there's enough here to enjoy and to appeal to horror fans to make it worth watching. This is a memorable picture, one that is well directed and has an interesting idea for its plot. If you're not the type of movie goer that enjoys these types of films, then pass up on this. However if you're looking for a great supernatural horror yarn, then give this one a shot. Silent Hill is among the best video game to screen adaptations and it is worth watching for genre fans. Chrisoph Gans has made affine film, and I think this is among the best horror films to come out in the last ten years. Silent Hill is an achievement in itself; it belongs on the short list of good video game adaptations. I enjoyed the balance between atmosphere and special effects to create a picture that is simply entertaining from start to finish.
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Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
Silent Hill Quotes
- Dahlia Gillespie:
- Into the fire she swallowed their hate.
- Alessa:
- Now the dream of this life must end, and so too must the dreamers within it. For over thirty years they have denied their own fates. For thirty years, they've lied to their own souls. But now is the end of days, and I am the Reaper.
- Dahlia Gillespie:
- They are wolves in the skin of sheep. They brought about their own hell, they'll take you with them.
- Alessa:
- I'm the dark part of Alessa.
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