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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 12198
Released: August 22, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.99 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
A TOWN'S TERRIBLE SECRET IS ABOUT TO REIGNITE A 30 YEAR OLD BATTLE WITH THE ULTIMATE EVIL WHEN A DESPERATE MOTHER COMES TOSILENT HILL INSEARCH OF HER MISSING DAUGHTER.
Description of Silent Hill (Widescreen Edition):
A lot of movies can be described as "dripping with atmosphere," but in the case of Silent Hill it's literally true. Faithfully adapted from the Konami video games by French director Christophe Gans and Pulp Fiction cowriter Roger Avary (both self-confessed video game addicts), this dark and grisly horror-fest is nothing if not a triumph of cinematography and production design, consisting of a minimal and mostly incoherent plot propped up by a mysterious maze of sets that literally seep, drip, and ooze with the atmospheric evil of past misdeeds. Welcome to the abandoned and perpetually foggy ghost town of Silent Hill, where grey ash falls like snow, a devastating coal-mine fire still burns in a hellish underground, and demons of various shapes and sizes make your worst nightmares seem like a walk in the park. It's here that distressed mother Rose (played by Pitch Black heroine Radha Mitchell) has taken her daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) in hopes of discovering the source of Sharon's sleepwalking nightmares. What they find instead is a burned-out legacy of unspeakable evil, as Silent Hill's dark secrets are revealed. As opposing denizens of Silent Hill's meta-morphing underworld, Canadian actresses Alice Krige and Deborah Kara Unger seem to be the only ones who recognize this morbid mess as campy comedy; Gans (who established his visual flair with The Brotherhood of the Wolf) and Avary take it far too seriously, and the entire movie is utterly devoid of any emotional hooks or plot logic that would make us care about anything that happens. In crafting a loyal big-screen rendition of Silent Hill and its Playstation sequels, they've forgotten that movies play by a different and more demanding set of rules. As a result, they've made an impressive-looking but ultimately hollow horror film that only Silent Hill game-players can truly appreciate. --Jeff Shannon
Silent Hill (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
Great movie 
2009-10-26 - Very happy with my dvd; service was just great; wouldn't hesitate to shop for more products. Have always had good luck with Amazon.
The Janitor's out to bug you! 
2009-09-24 - Silent Hill is one of the most visually stunning films I've seen. It is simply mesmerising to look at. The atmosphere is wonderfully dark, dingy, weird and creepy. A dreamlike (or more accurately a nightmare-like) serenity shrouds the deserted town, while just below the surface a terrible darkness lurks. The monsters encountered are truly disturbing, especially the Janitor, and the design of these creatures demonstrates the high level of creativity that has been lavished on the visuals. The effects are top-notch; you will never look at peeling paint in the same way again. Five stars so far, then, no question about it. So it's a real shame that the script lets the production design down. Up until the third act the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the little girl is deeply satisfying in its spookiness. Silent Hill is such a strange place you want the reason for all this suffering and evil to be equally unexpected and bizarre. Instead we learn, during a very long piece of exposition, that the town's terrible past is in fact a rather predictable, and disappointing one. Suddenly the eerie atmosphere is destroyed and the film becomes derivative. Even the spectacular finale can't recapture the mystery that the first two-thirds of the film so effectively created. Anyone who enjoys the work of David Lynch will know that weirdness can be used to great effect and doesn't always have to be completely explained away. If Silent Hill had left more to the imagination of the viewer it would have been a much better movie.
Well
2009-08-26 - While Silent Hill isn't my favorite horror movie, I love the concept and it's good enough to watch again once in a while.
It looks like a sequel is slated to come out in 2010, which is good, because I think it's ripe for more stories on this theme, much like with the video game.
Very solid, 
2009-06-06 - Sadly, a film of this genre is often simply an excuse to engage in special-effects excess, and, in terms of any positive content, very little else. Fortunately, this title brings much more to the table. Yes, there are special effects in Silent Hill, but they are actually quite understated, and they never become self-indulgent or otherwise upstage the cast. The mood and feel of the video game is present, but the film's story is entirely accessible to everyone, game-player or not. The performances are generally solid throughout, with little to nit-pick about. Clearly, this sort of film isn't everyone's cup of tea, but most horror film fans should be very pleased. This is a tight little gem of a horror movie.
Underrated and frightening...
2009-05-16 - An elaborate review is probably best for this film. But it is also an experience to behold. I will say the widescreen transfer is clean and sharp. If you are a fan of the game series or have an open mind then allow your senses to be assaulted. It is very well done and is abstract in every sense. One of the most original and frightening movies I have ever seen.
