Silent Hill on DVD

Sharon, an adopted child of Rose Da Silva (Mitchell) and Christopher Da Silva (Bean) has an illness that takes her out on the edge of a cliff, scaring both of her parents to death. Rose takes Sharon to the deserted and highly unlivable town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. Along the way, she creates suspicious and lures a police woman, Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden; The Majestic) to the dark and spooky town with her.

Rose crashes in her high-speed getaway from Cybil. She loses Sharon, and goes in search of her. Throughout Silent Hill – given the mood of a Stephen King story, Rose and Cybill comes across some of the demons that live there in the dark. During the day the town is covered in a snowy ash, leaving the viewer to question why these people aren’t having massive breathing problems as a result. Most of the monsters are faceless, unidentifiable at times, and downright scary. That includes the “normal” people who live in Silent Hill by day, and scatter for safety like cockroaches to light at night.

It’s night when the demons come out. An alarm sounds throughout the town every time “it’s coming”. The people hide in an old church. They pray. They try to come up with a way to stop the evil. The only way they can is by getting close to the source and killing it. The source just happens to be a little girl, Alison whom these fanatics had burned to death years ago. Alison has been seeking revenge for the injustice ever since.

Silent Hill is chalked full of freaky and scary images. The masked executioner walking around delivers a few of the biggest shocks of all. But, even at its most terrifying a viewer of Silent Hill can’t help but pick it apart. The story is trite and some times even a little confusing. The effects aren’t always well-done. The dialogue is typical for this genre, and its characters are almost cardboard. But it’s still hard not to get involved in this warped, sickly, and unique journey of a mother’s courage in the face of absolute horror.

The DVD includes a making-of documentary, a layout of the cast and crew, previews, and some featurettes on the legend of Silent Hill. The documentaries and featurettes bring a lot of insight to the story, its characters and the people playing them, and the choreography of the demons of Silent Hill. The previews include those of upcoming films which almost makes the viewer anxious and annoyed.

All-in-all, Silent Hill may not be the best movie to rent, but it won’t be the worst choice you make. If you want to be scared in the confines of your home, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Silent Hill. If you want something that requires a little more thought, Silent Hill is not for you. Check it out and see for yourself.

*Interactive Menus
*6-Part Behind The Scenes Featurette: “Path of Darkness: Making “Silent Hill”
*Casting
*Origins
*Set design
*Stars and stunts
*Creatures unleashed
*Creature Choreography