So, I found a place that still dares to sell bootleg English movies. They are pretty well run, and they stock pretty new titles...and for bloody dirt cheap.
I bought a pile of movies as well as some clothing...so on to the review!
Disclaimer: I don't know much about the Silent Hill mythos - only that it's a pretty good horror/survival horror game with psychological elements. I know the general gist of it. Alessa, burned alive, but has powers that the cult is trying to harness. She breaks the town using her nightmare powers, but sends the "good" part of her out into the world to live her life. Different characters get pulled into Silent Hill, where the nightmares are personalized and turned into monsters. The "good" side of Alessa gets pulled into the town, and things happen...
Pre-Exposure Thoughts:
Silent Hill, as a movie? Probably won't fly because Silent Hill was all about exploring, surviving and being ALONE. Also, this is the sequel to the first one, and the first one saved Pyramid Head until the very end...
Plot Summary:
Silent Hill, a place haunted by Alessa and her powers is controlled by a big bad Cult, seeking to resurrect their God. Heather/Sharon/Cheryl is a girl with a past, and she is somehow affected by the Cult. She goes into the Cult and their monsters to save her dad.
First Impressions:
The movie is one big exposition dump at the 40 minute mark. We get the impression of a big bad cult (the Order of Vatiel), and the two mains are boring as hell. The two fall in love, even though Cheryl/Sharon is as boring white paper in a snowstorm. (You know it's bad when I didn't remember the main male character's name.) The visual style is pretty striking, although it's dark as fuck. Little touches in the scenary make you realise that something is subtly off...like the blood around the mouths of stuffed animals, and the lighting in different scenes.
* The actress who plays Heather/Sharon is gorgeous in a girl next door kind of way. Makes me want to find more stuff she did....
Monster(s) Sightings:
Final Thoughts:
As a movie promising gore and great scares, it kind of lacks. The movie is terribly paced, and that's a killer for any horror movie. The movie tries to hit all of our uncomfortable buttons - cannibalism, the dark, the unknown, female and male sexuality, and the fear of having someone that we love taken away. It hits some of the "scare factor", but then blows it terribly by not maintaining that fear or tension. It could be done better, but alas, was not. The visual design is very impressive and inspired, and actually replicates the feel of the video game! (Loads of little touches are well done!)
Edit: I think my version of Silent Hill/the Otherworld would feature humans as monsters. I have a very cynical view of the world, and it is probably why I enjoy horror movies. There are very real scary people out there, and they are more or less unpredictable. My Otherworld would probably feature incessant noise and social obligations too.
I bought a pile of movies as well as some clothing...so on to the review!
Disclaimer: I don't know much about the Silent Hill mythos - only that it's a pretty good horror/survival horror game with psychological elements. I know the general gist of it. Alessa, burned alive, but has powers that the cult is trying to harness. She breaks the town using her nightmare powers, but sends the "good" part of her out into the world to live her life. Different characters get pulled into Silent Hill, where the nightmares are personalized and turned into monsters. The "good" side of Alessa gets pulled into the town, and things happen...
Pre-Exposure Thoughts:
Silent Hill, as a movie? Probably won't fly because Silent Hill was all about exploring, surviving and being ALONE. Also, this is the sequel to the first one, and the first one saved Pyramid Head until the very end...
Plot Summary:
Silent Hill, a place haunted by Alessa and her powers is controlled by a big bad Cult, seeking to resurrect their God. Heather/Sharon/Cheryl is a girl with a past, and she is somehow affected by the Cult. She goes into the Cult and their monsters to save her dad.
First Impressions:
The movie is one big exposition dump at the 40 minute mark. We get the impression of a big bad cult (the Order of Vatiel), and the two mains are boring as hell. The two fall in love, even though Cheryl/Sharon is as boring white paper in a snowstorm. (You know it's bad when I didn't remember the main male character's name.) The visual style is pretty striking, although it's dark as fuck. Little touches in the scenary make you realise that something is subtly off...like the blood around the mouths of stuffed animals, and the lighting in different scenes.
* The actress who plays Heather/Sharon is gorgeous in a girl next door kind of way. Makes me want to find more stuff she did....
Monster(s) Sightings:
- The Missionary - Kind of boring, but it's the first monster we see in the first ten minutes of the film. It's like the Hellraiser monster but with three saw blades. Not scary, if they didn't use it as a jump scare.
- "Display Mummy Spider" - Pretty neat special effects here. The tension in this scene is pretty well played. It's dark, it's clausterphobic and the camera angles are up close and personal. (As far as I know, this monster hasn't been featured in any game.) Also, the introduction of the concept is pretty awesome...
- Pyramid Head - Not threatening in this movie. He/it still is pretty physically intimidating, but they use him in a very obvious and gory scene...instead of the practical stalker that they should have!
- Puppet Nurses - They are back! (They were used in the original movie to good effect, with the main character figuring out a way around them...) They still make oddly sexual noises when full out attacking, and this actually got a chuckle out of me, instead of being frightened by them.
- "Display Mummy Spider" - Pretty neat special effects here. The tension in this scene is pretty well played. It's dark, it's clausterphobic and the camera angles are up close and personal. (As far as I know, this monster hasn't been featured in any game.) Also, the introduction of the concept is pretty awesome...
- Pyramid Head - Not threatening in this movie. He/it still is pretty physically intimidating, but they use him in a very obvious and gory scene...instead of the practical stalker that they should have!
- Puppet Nurses - They are back! (They were used in the original movie to good effect, with the main character figuring out a way around them...) They still make oddly sexual noises when full out attacking, and this actually got a chuckle out of me, instead of being frightened by them.
Final Thoughts:
As a movie promising gore and great scares, it kind of lacks. The movie is terribly paced, and that's a killer for any horror movie. The movie tries to hit all of our uncomfortable buttons - cannibalism, the dark, the unknown, female and male sexuality, and the fear of having someone that we love taken away. It hits some of the "scare factor", but then blows it terribly by not maintaining that fear or tension. It could be done better, but alas, was not. The visual design is very impressive and inspired, and actually replicates the feel of the video game! (Loads of little touches are well done!)
Edit: I think my version of Silent Hill/the Otherworld would feature humans as monsters. I have a very cynical view of the world, and it is probably why I enjoy horror movies. There are very real scary people out there, and they are more or less unpredictable. My Otherworld would probably feature incessant noise and social obligations too.
