Silent Hill movie is a hidden horror gem that’s as good as the games

A new Silent Hill game will be revealed on Wednesday, and the franchise’s Silent Hill video games are finally back in action. This latest revival of the series also means it’s the perfect time to revisit the secretly great original Silent Hill movie. While horror-seekers and video game fans of 2006 bristled at the fact that the movie didn’t stay true to the source material, a decade of (mostly) bad Silent Hill entries has proven just how good the movie really was.

Rose Da Silva, played by Radha Mitchell), is accompanied by her husband Christopher (Sean Bean). They are concerned for Sharon (Jodelle Forland) who has a habit of sleeping in strange places and is constantly muttering to herself about Silent Hill. Rose eventually takes Sharon to Silent Hill in desperate search of answers. The pair quickly become trapped in the haunted ghost town — along with a police officer named Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden), who tries to stop them from crossing the town limits and gets pulled in herself. Sharon then disappears, sending the two women on a search for the girl through Silent Hill, where they encounter some of the video game series’ most famous monsters.

Image by Davis Films/Konami

While the movie’s monsters and gore offer a creepy cinematic trip to gaming’s most famous ghost town, the best part of the Silent HillThe metaphor of movie lies at the center. Christophe Gans, DirectorBrotherhood of the WolfRoger Avary, screenwriter (Pulp FictionThis story will explore the differences in how men and women view the world and what threats women face.

Christopher, soon after Rose & Sharon’s departure, follows them and realizes that they could be heading for Silent Hill. All he sees upon his arrival is an empty village. For him, Silent Hill is quiet and unpopulated, but it still feels haunted, while for the women it’s a monster-filled nightmare. He sees nothing on the same streets they walk, yet there are threats at every turn and in every street. They also prowl every alleyway, their horrifying own dimension. While they remain in mortal danger, something he feels but can’t even see or interact with, he’s powerless to help.

Image: David Films/Konami

This movie is often very spooky, and it does this by changing its horror theme on the fly. The movie seamlessly transforms into a horror-action film as characters flee from new horrors (a herd undead nurses for instance). It then becomes a slow, dark drama with Rose fearing she might have lost her child to Silent Hill.

None of this makes for a subtle metaphor, but in a movie that includes monsters like Pyramid Head, it probably shouldn’t be. Nonetheless, it is an effective one — and it’s one that was still largely lost on audience when the movie came out in 2006, an era dominated by post-Saw-sequel “torture porn.” Combine that with the fact that the movie took a few creative liberties at a time when the game series was still in its heyday, and it’s no surprise that this remains one of the hidden video game movie gems.

Silent Hill streaming on Prime Video and AMC+FuboTV. You can also rent or buy it digitally via Amazon Apple.