Film Reviews

Silent Hill

• Rating:
• Director: Christophe Gans
• Starring: Laurie Holden
• Details: US, 125mins, 16s.

Sean Bean must have took a wrong turn on his way to work on The Dark, ended up on the set of Silent Hill and thought, since it's basically the same film, he might as well star in that too. This is the second film with the same theme - a woman who descends into hell to rescue her daughter - that Bean has starred in in a month and that's not the only comparison either: it's dreadfully bad as well. Sharon Da Silva suffers from night tremors and is found sleepwalking, mumbling something about a town called Silent Hill. After trying everything to help her, her mother Rose (Mitchell) decides to take her to the deserted town and get to the bottom of the problem for once and for all. As they approach the town, Rose crashes the car and upon awakening finds that Sharon has gone missing. As she searches for her daughter, Rose finds that the town is inhabited by demons living under the ground and she must descend into the fiery pits to save her daughter. Another computer game adaptation that falls deservedly on its ass, Silent Hill is still not as ridiculous as Doom or Resident Evil. Director Gans opts for mood and atmosphere instead of the regular jumps and screams and makes a genuine stab at removing himself from other console crossovers. The film looks lovely (apart from a few CGI slip ups) and Gans does succeed in delivering an eerie malevolence throughout; however the plot and the acting never match his vision. Mitchell, even though she has lost her daughter and is pursued by grotesque demons never seems too concerned with what's happening while Laurie Holden's leather clad policewoman acts like an extra from ChiPs. It's time for a rethink when it comes to the horror movie, folks.

Review by Gavin Burke