the filmmakers may be hedging too many bets, trying to make the film both acceptable to fans and accessible to newcomers. But while SILENT HILL is far from perfect, it is at the very least a valiant effort
Silent Hill (2006)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:82
Fresh:25
Rotten:57
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Silent Hill is visually impressive, but as with many video game adaptations, it’s plagued by inane dialogue, a muddled plot, and an overlong runtime.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:21-04-2006
Synopsis: It's always been said that a video game cannot be successfully adapted into a film. With SILENT HILL, director Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and screenwriter Roger Avary (KILLING ZOE)... It's always been said that a video game cannot be successfully adapted into a film. With SILENT HILL, director Christophe Gans (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF) and screenwriter Roger Avary (KILLING ZOE) have the benefit of the atmospheric and often terrifying game series of the same name. With a budget reportedly in excess of $50 million, they wisely eschew dense plot in favor of a kaleidoscopic nightmare--culled from several volumes of the game series--designed to give horror fans what they crave. Radha Mitchell (PITCH BLACK) stars as Rose Da Silva, a young mother whose adopted daughter Sharon speaks of the eponymous West Virginia mining town as she sleepwalks. Rose decides to take Sharon there in an attempt to discover why it haunts her dreams--but Silent Hill has been a ghost town since a series of underground coal fires in 1974, and the residents who stayed behind are the stuff of nightmares. SILENT HILL is notable for having a largely female cast (the male characters were reportedly added at the studio's behest), with Mitchell, Deborah Kara Unger, Alice Krige, and Laurie Holden in the principal roles. But the film's real star is production designer Carol Spier (known for her frequent work with David Cronenberg), whose work makes the deserted town into a true vision of hell. Utilizing an effective combination of CGI and latex makeup effects, several of the creatures on display may upset more sensitive viewers, as will some of the carnage, which is strong for an R rating. On the other hand, seasoned horror fans and gamers who have been waiting to see a joystick-free version of SILENT HILL are likely to come away feeling like they've just taken a nightmare vacation to the spookiest town in America. [More]
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Sean Bean, Deborah Unger
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Sean Bean, Deborah Unger, Tanya Allen, Kim Coates, Alice Krige, Jodelle Ferland
Director: Christophe Gans
Director: Christophe Gans
Producer: Roger Avary, Samuel Hadida, Don Carmody
Composer: Jeff Danna
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Reviews for Silent Hill
Absolutely atrocious, Silent Hill is probably the worst movie ever to be based on a video game.
The story is so unoriginal and uninvolving that you may find yourselves wishing the drippy, howling, viscera-smeared creatures would take Mitchell and the other humans out.
As I sat through this two hour stumble through what looked like fog, I just kept thinking to myself how this might be the best looking bad film I've ever seen.
Though Silent Hill's shoddy dialogue and incoherent story constantly irritate, several sights and scenes possess a certain surreal grandeur.
A mundane car wreck with a few promising scenes that lead absolutely nowhere.
The film is overlong, with too many unnecessary scenes (a lot of the movie seems like pointless running around), but it packs in a few scary moments and offers a nicely ambiguous conclusion.
Too long by about a half hour, very much in love with its own excessive style, it still manages to be kinda creepy, at least when it stops taking its metaphysics too seriously.
The makers of the movie you're slogging through will spare no expense to demonstrate how much they hate us.
Somehow the knowledge that you are three degrees of separation from Dabney Coleman and a computer called W.O.P.R. transforms trite claptrap into the words of the Bard himself.
Some of these scary figures march in jaunty-out-of-joint step as if they've emerged from "Thriller" (if only Vincent Price might have provided voiceover explanations).
I would admire the atmosphere a lot more if it amounted to something scary, creepy or original.
about as terrifying as several pages of single-spaced programming code. Granted, that sort of thing can be daunting, but scary, not so much.
Striking visuals tell a story where words aren't necessary ... until that turning point, when dull dialogue, a complicated plot and cheesy graphics start to muddle things.
It’s based on a video game not Shakespeare. Enough said. Either stay away due to its provenance or enjoy, as I did.
Silent Hill is not for lacking memorably nightmarish imagery, but the picture tries one's patience far more often than it unnerves it.
Lessons learned: Never underestimate the creativity of a wronged West Virginian with access to barbed wire.
Not much more than a "haunted town" thrill-ride, with only a few plot points tossed in to keep things moving, Silent Hill truly is a feast for the eyes -- provided your eyeballs aren't too squeamish.
Latest News for Silent Hill
September 15, 2009:
Silent Hill Sequel in the Works ![]()
The studio that produced the original hasn't confirmed involvement, but the producer and screenwriter of "Silent Hill" are reuniting for a sequel. More...
August 03, 2007:
Hadida, Avary Set to Storm Castle Wolfenstein
It's been around since 1981 -- making it older than a number of our readers -- but the Wolfenstein series of games is still going strong, and after over five years in... More...
July 20, 2007:
Silent Hill 2 Loses Director and Writer
If (like me) you were actually a fan of Christophe Gans' "Silent Hill," then this might come as disappointing news: Not only does it look like the director's no longer... More...
June 01, 2007:
The Weekly Ketchup: Possible New "Terminator," "AVP 2" Update, "Iron Man" Tidbits, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, another European has surfaced as a possibile star for the third "Terminator" sequel, "Alien vs. Predator 2" gets a 'horrific'... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Silent Hill at Rotten Tomatoes
- Silent Hill at IGN
- Silent Hill at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





