On Silent Hill

“Silent Hill” is a film that eschews logic in favor of atmosphere, a film that sets out to put you into a nightmare. When you’re trapped in a nightmare, logic has no place.
Director Christophe Gans has an absolutely wonderful visual style. Combine with Dan Laustsen, the director of photography, the movie is unique and intriguing. Gans has delivered a film of vision and ambition. It is nice to see a horror film with such ambition, an attempt to show us something new and different.
Despite the numerous lines of laughable dialog, and some bad acting, this movie grabbed me by the throat and had me on the edge of my seat for the entire film. Each time the siren went off and the screen went black, I got a little edgier, anticipating some new nasties to appear. The barebones plot may be easily plucked, the explanation is a little tougher, and as impenetrable as it is, it is completely satisfying.
Not completely effective, but it was enough to win me over and take me on the journey through a mother’s nightmare. A wonderfully eerie visual style leads the way. It is not another remake, nor is it a torture film, nor is it a rollercoaster of jump scares, rather it creates an atmosphere and uses that as a tool to dig into the viewer’s psyche. I urge you to take a trip to “Silent Hill”.