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Silent Hill

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Sat, 08/19/2006 - 10:57am.

Silent Hill is coming out on DVD Tuesday. It's based on the first game in a series of the same name.

Assuming most here probably weren't creeping themselves out on the PSX, I'm going to operate under the assumption that nobody will care how true to the game the movie stayed (the answer is "for the most part.")

The movie is a good horror/suspense. There was only one exchange where I thought the dialogue was beginning to reflect previous video game adaptions (for recent examples see: House of the Dead, Doom, Resident Evil: Apocolypse.)

In fact, off the top of my head, I would say Silent Hill is the best film based on a video game to date. This wasn't a difficult feat to do, but at least Silent Hill has set a new bar which is respectable (easily topping Resident Evil.)

I also would say that if you want to stay a head of the Halloween curve, go as Pyramid Head (because really, going as Mario and Luigi isn't new. At least go as Raccoon Mario to create a hint of originality.)

But yeah, if you're looking for a movie to watch next Friday or Saturday night and are into horror movies with an actual plot that actually forces you to pay attention and use a little bit of brain power, check out Silent Hill.

The Fire Inside's blog
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As a pretty nerdy fan of all

Submitted by actual anna on Sat, 08/19/2006 - 4:37pm.

As a pretty nerdy fan of all the games, I was mostly surprised and pleased at how the movie turned out. Best video game movie, yes, but that doesn't say a whole ton. Visually, it was really amazing, especially on the big theater screen. The last third or so of the movie kind of fell apart for me, though. The cult in the games was actually [i]interesting[/i], but in the movie they were just some sort of Monty Python caricature.

Definitely worth watching if you're at all interested in the games or horror movies, though!

Just saw it

Submitted by OlyCop on Tue, 08/22/2006 - 6:29pm.

Not too bad of a flick. We enjoyed it.

I give it an A- for original story line.

I give it a B for effects.

I give it a C for scariness. Not much suspense, no waiting for the bump in the night.

If you like horror movies, I would recommend it. If you are squeemish (sp?), I would say by-pass it. It's not horribly gory at all, but the amount of gore with some of the themes could bother some people.

Hostel was far more gory, and bothered me more as it has some slight basis in fact.

Keep the recommendations coming TFI, so far you are on the mark more than most of the critics. ;)

The problem with a plot like

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Tue, 08/22/2006 - 9:46pm.

The problem with a plot like Silent Hill is that very few people are going to be scared. There are too many chain of events which would need to take place in order for it to "happen to you" (although if I were in a weird town with ash floating around and air raid sirens were going off while darkness was closing in, I'd probably be more than a little nervous.)

On the other hand, The Ring scared so many people because putting a VHS into the player and watching a possessed movie doesn't require as many steps in order for the "horror" to reach you.

Even paranormal plots need to stick to some sort of realism in order to be scary.

I wouldn't be shocked if that's the reason why the original Omen freightened so many people (that their kid could be the one born as the anti-Christ.)

"I am for free commerce with all nations, political connection with none, and little or no diplomatic establishment. And I am not for linking ourselves by new treaties with the quarrels of Europe, entering that field of slaughter to preserve their balance."

The other

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Wed, 08/23/2006 - 10:48am.

The other scariest-thing-ever is the inexorable sense of dread. The Ring scared me for three reasons: the simplicity of VHS, as mentioned, the dread, and the weird cinematography (how the girl comes at you in jumps). The worst part, though, is sitting there for a week, knowing you're in for it cause you watched some movie, and wondering how you could get out of it even though you know you can't.

weird cinematographyI do

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Wed, 08/23/2006 - 11:28am.

weird cinematography

I do believe The Ring was also filmed a certain shade of green.

This particular sissy was

Submitted by Phil Owen on Sat, 08/26/2006 - 10:00am.

This particular sissy was scared to pieces by The Ring. I've refused to see the sequel.

nowhere near as scary.

Submitted by Norm on Sat, 08/26/2006 - 12:32pm.

nowhere near as scary.

I saw this with Anna and

Submitted by kiki on Wed, 08/23/2006 - 11:46am.

I saw this with Anna and enjoyed it but was a little disappointed just because I love the games so much. The games really terrify me and I am not easily scared by horror, I just don't think the horror from the games translates well on screen. It's not the gore that makes the games scary but the anticipation of what might happen and the fact that you are actually playing it so in a way it's happening to you and not a character who you have no control over. The only part in the movie that gave me the same feeling of tension as when I play was when she first goes into the sewers and then the scene in the bathroom, those were scary scenes.

I thought the film really fell apart after they went into the church (and explained the mysterious sirens from the game) I think they just explained too much instead of leaving some mystery. It would have been interesting if they'd kept the story more surreal and unexplained like in the games. I think I've come to the conclusion video games just don't work well as movies but they can still be a lot of fun sometimes.

and allow me to nerd out for

Submitted by kiki on Wed, 08/23/2006 - 11:54am.

and allow me to nerd out for a moment but I think the reason those two scenes scared me was because they were based off of cut scenes from the game, which brought to mind moments in the game where you actually lose control of your character and whatever happens to them is inevitable. Too many cut scenes can alienate the player, but the right balance creates a nice tension between control and loss of control which is hard to create in a movie.

V

Submitted by OlyCop on Thu, 08/24/2006 - 7:59pm.

Just saw V for Vendetta. TFI, I believe you gave this flick good marks too. Well, I liked it. So far you are 100%. You're missing your calling. Maybe Ebert and TFI?? LOL

"The strongest reason to retain the right to keep and bear arms is to protect against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson.

I was directed away from the

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Thu, 08/24/2006 - 10:07pm.

I was directed away from the entertainment industry a long time ago.

I don't think it was a "serious" enough of a business for them.

I've been trying to get into screenwriting, though. We'll see what happens.

Film Festival

Submitted by Sarah on Sat, 08/26/2006 - 6:48pm.

I still like the idea of TFI eventually creating and hosting a film festival.

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