Silent Hill - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

I'm very picky about my horror. While I do love the genre, the vast majority of horror movies do not appeal to me because they simply fail to push any of my psychological buttons. For example, I don't even consider Walking Dead horror. I can't even say that the horror movies I do enjoy scare me, but the ones I really like appeal directly to my sense of morbid curiosity, contain shocking visuals, at least a passable plot and acting, and a good soundtrack.The soundtrack was great background music when it needed to be, and brought nicely to the forefront to enhance the important scenes of the movie. One could conceivably call the organ music during the finale cheesy, but it worked for me. I don't think many movies could have pulled that off, but Silent Hill's finale was so fantastically over the top that fit perfectly in mood, and in theme (the monster, created). At one point in the movie there was a catch electronic bass track that was well timed, and really drove the tension as in the intro to Resident Evil.I found the acting performances very enjoyable! Yes, there were a few minor scenes with stiff acting, and and stilted dialog ("In the eyes of a child, the mother is God"), but not enough to take away a star. Overall I felt like the cast did a fantastic job, and provided some of the best horror movie acting I've seen in a long time. Of course Sean Bean was excellent, but Radha Mitchell (Rose), Laurie Holden (Cybil), Kim Coates (Gucci), and Alice Krige (Christabella) all kept me interested and carried the story forward with very satisfying performances. In particular, I think it would have been really easy to flub up Radha Mitchell and Alice Krige's roles, but they both played their parts almost perfectly.Visually, Silent Hill is what I want in a horror movie. Unsettling, dark, gritty, and over the top (in a good way). Pyramid Head was absolutely superb, and the first scene where he is encountered REALLY set the mood. The second of his scenes on the stairs of the church was equally well done. The human cockroaches were very creepy, and the town itself really gave me the sense of a town burned to the ground in some evil act, and hiding an evil secret. The finale is one of the best horror scenes I've ever watched.I like horror movies with some type of investigative tension, and Sean Bean's search for his wife fit the bill. Sean Bean's is more of a supporting role, and he managed to both keep the search for Alessa's past interesting without getting in the way of the main story. I think my one complaint is that I would have rather seen Sean Bean discover what happened to Alessa rather than having it delivered to Rose as narration. Then maybe he somehow gets a phone call through to her, and explains it over the phone with static crackling in the background. They way they did it was still pretty good though, and I'm not taking a star off.Overall I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes such horror classics as John Carpenter's The Thing, Hellraiser, The Brood, and The Omen.

(Note: The first portion of this review was written regarding the original 2006 Blu-Ray release. An edit at the bottom will discuss the 2019 Shout Factory Collector's Edition.)In the world of video-game to film adaptations, there are sadly few success stories. "Mortal Kombat" usually comes to mind as the best example of a video-game done right on the big screen. And the most recent "Tomb Raider" film, while a bit shallow, is a fairly good representation of its source material.But the one video-game film that sharply divides audiences is director Christoph Gans' 2006 release "Silent Hill," based of course on the best-selling survival-horror franchise. While it was initially met with mixed reviews, it has garnered a strong cult-following in the ten-or-so years that have passed since its release. This is in no small part thanks to its wonderful visuals and keen use of atmosphere. And yet, despite this, there are still many that bemoan it as a failure. It's a film you either love or loathe, with no in-between.My thoughts? Well to me, the "Silent Hill" movie is a mixture of both good and bad. More specifically, as an adaptation it is a bit of a failure, simply because of how much it changes in the story and the characters. But as a stand-alone film that's more "inspired by" than "based on" the video-games? In that sense, I really enjoy the film. It's a movie clearly made by fans of the games, who are giving it their all. They just didn't quite understand how important the things they changed were to the fanbase.The film follows Rose de Silva, a mother desperate for answers. Her adopted daughter Sharon has been struggling with nightmarish visions of a town known as "Silent Hill." Deciding to nip the problem in the bud, Rose takes Sharon to the town to find out why it haunts her so... only to discover that it's a literal ghost-town. After an accident separates the two, Rose must go on the hunt to save her daughter... But she will soon learn the dreaded secrets of Silent Hill, and begin to encounter the strange and twisted creatures that roam its streets...The film's greatest strengths are for sure its wondrous direction and visuals. Aesthetically, this movie really nails the look and feeling of the games, and it does a good job building tension. The performances also work quite well, with no sore-thumb amongst the entire cast. Combined with some fun twists and turns and some genuinely effective scares, and you have a darned entertaining and often eerie excursion into the unknown.The problem is how much it changes from the source material. While I won't give out too many spoilers, those who are fans of the franchise may find themselves a bit miffed at the liberties Gans' and writer Roger Avery take with the story. If you're looking for the classic cult of the games, out to birth their dark god... you won't get that here. Instead, the film plays the terror as more the result of witchcraft and fanatical Christian cultists. It's a bit sad, as the film nails the look and feeling of the game so well, and with a rewrite or two could have perfectly captured the game's narrative. But Gans and Avery felt the need to rework the story for whatever reason.It comes down to this... if you want a perfect adaptation, you won't get that here. But if you want a fun, frightening film that shares similar visuals and themes with the games, you'll more than likely enjoy the "Silent Hill" film. It's not a perfect film, and it doesn't 100% work as an adaptation. But as a stand-alone movie? It's pretty good!As for the Blu-Ray. It looks and sounds fantastic, with great sharp detail. Unfortunately it lacks the in-depth making-of documentary from the DVD special edition. So you may wanna pick up the DVD in addition to the Blu-Ray if you're a completionist like me.2020 EDIT:I recently had the opportunity to upgrade my disc to the 2019 Shout Factory Collector's Edition. And in every way, it is a vast improvement over the prior 2006 Blu-Ray release. I especially have to commend them for the new 2K remaster, which looks fantastic. The image is sharper, crisper and more vibrant than ever before in a home-video release.And the special features really knock it out of the park. From a new audio commentary with cinematographer Dan Laustsen, to hours and hours worth of new in-depth interviews with the director and various other cast and crew members, to the inclusion of the delightful making-of feature from the original DVD... this set is filled to burst with great bonus content.I'm going ahead and bumping up my score to a perfect 5 out of 5 because of this delightful new edition. It's worth every penny. If you're a fan of this film, you owe it to yourself to pick up Shout Factory's Collector's Edition.