Like I always say, "If it sells, why stop makin' it?" In recent years, movies with creepy little girls and movies derived from video games have been blockbusters. "Silent Hill" has both, so it's no wonder it was first at the box office last weekend.
Silent Hill is a ghost town in West Virginia, still burning underground from a fire 30 years ago. A couple's adopted daughter sleep walks and often wakes screaming of Silent Hill. Disturbed by her daughter's behavior, her mother takes her to the town to solve the mystery.
They crash the car entering the town, and the mother passes out. When she wakes, her daughter is missing. She fights for her life from various monsters, limbless creatures and bugs that appear from the wallpaper, determined to find and save her daughter and to solve the mystery of Silent Hill.
I'm not a gamer, and I've never played Silent Hill, but I am told that the movie "does the game justice" and stays fairly true to it. The same big-screen villains haunt the smaller screen as well.
Not being a fan of the genre, I can't say it was my favorite movie of all time. For those who dislike scary movies, though, have no fear. I -- the scaredy-cat -- only jumped a few times during the movie.
On the flip side, it kept my interest for the entire two hours, keeping the audience guessing the entire time. Finding out the mystery of the city and how Sharon is affected by it keeps the audience intrigued.
"Silent Hill" also commented on faith and the disasters of blindly following. Villagers lived in fear of monsters and sin. Their leader used that fear to control and manipulate them, saying it was "God's will."
Until the end, I had enjoyed the movie, but the movie became gruesome as blood splattered across the screen. The display of gore, especially to that extent, was unnecessary to the plot.
Also, the end left much to be desired, including an explanation. It's unclear exactly what happened. I thought I knew, until the screen went black, and the credits began to roll. The viewer is destined to spend the entire drive home trying to determine what had happened in the last two hours.
Genre: Suspense/Horror
Rating: R
See it with: a video gamer
Scene rating: B
Playing at: Regal Cinemas Crossroads Mall 16, Hollywood Theaters Spotlight 14
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