Silent Hill Discussion

[Deathtank]

^ Now that's just plain evil!

Oh, and just in case anybody wanted to know...On the FX channel, Tuesday the 11th at 7:30 pm (EDT) they'll be showing "Don't Say a Word" (With Sean Bean in it), and more than likely with each commercial break, they'll be showing some Silent Hill movie stuff in there.

Also, I hear that BET (Yes, Black Entertainment Television) will be showing a thing on Silent Hill Tuesday the 17th at 7:30 PM EDT.

While on that subject, did anybody see the recent Starz behind the scenes thing for the SH Movie?

If not, here's a high-quality version of the thing..

On The Set: Silent Hill (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UZZSRMG5) (Friendly warning, it's a 190 MB file)

is it just me or they never mentioned the game in all
that trailer??? 8O

[RazorOutlaw]

The locked door idea was "alright" for the first two games, but short of making every room enterable (lol word?), the best way to focus the players attention without overwhelming him or her would be to lock most of the doors.

I'm sure with some thought they could think of a better system though.

I'm sorry, I couldn't follow this post at all.
I'm basically saying that by locking most of the doors in an area, you focus the players attention better. If you recall, very few rooms in Silent Hill are empty or without some items for a player to pick up. Locking all other doors keeps the already high amount of "wondering around looking for clues" to a minimum because that'll be one less room to think back on and say "Oh, what if the item was in there..."

And, I dunno, the worst place for pointless rooms in any Silent Hill game was in the hospitals. You could just walk in there, kill a few monsters, and walk back out...

The same idea applies to blocking exits, hallways, stairwells with random crap. It keeps the attention focused on where the players can go and where clues for solving puzzles may be.

[BocoDragon]

I think it's also a case of, Silent Hill is set in an urban area.... so there must be lots of doors to be realistic. But they can't all lead somewhere the player can go.

[Monobrow]

I always thought 101 was a more epic number than 100

[Aetherius]

well, in keeping with realism, it's unrealistic that all the doors would be locked. There needs to be a happy medium. It's also unrealistic that every open door should hold a clue.

However, one should note that the Silent Hill World is not a realistic one...so...what I just said doesn't matter.

It's of a little importance to note that in some cases, doors are locked in the normal world, and open in the dark world, and vice versa.

[UnforgivingEdges]

Since when does the number of doors that are locked or unlocked determine how good a game is? And I mean any game, not just Silent Hill.

[OverCoat]

Since when does the number of doors that are locked or unlocked determine how good a game is? And I mean any game, not just Silent Hill.

Ever since a game appeared which had doors.

It's cruel to have flat textures of doors that can't be opened :(

And of course, if there are too many locked doors, the game is a bit linear, which is getting more and more looked-down upon as technology improves and storage space increases. I would excuse Silent Hill though, since it's on the PSX, but probably not Silent Hill 4

[Aetherius]

If I recall correctly, there are almost NO locked doors in SH4 that don't have a key.

[ifirit]

If I recall correctly, there are almost NO locked doors in SH4 that don't have a key.
Yes, three. A side door near the Second Visit entrance in Subway World, the front door to Hospital World and the front door to Apartment World.

Anyway, what people are arguing about is an aspect of game creation which is typical of all adventure-horror games ("survival-horror" is an outdated term): maze design. Looking at Silent Hill in this aspect, you have to also consider the difference between a locked door and a jammed door. Locked doors are obstacles that act as part of the gameplay (being that overcoming obsticles are part of solving a maze), while jammed doors are a part of the ambience of the game, meant to affect the player psychologically. However, in most survival horror games, there is an additional element to the game design that effects the ambience that the player experiences: the map.

The map is an essential tool needed to navigate the world and to prevent players from becoming lost and frustrated. It helps to guide the players to their destination, to focus their attention on the goal and to help them think through the obsticles that obstruct their path. However, the map is the antithesis to the ambience created by the jammed door. A jammed door frustrates a player because it means that the most direct path to their destination is no feasible and/or because it hinders the experience of navigation. Being able to see a space that should be accessible, yet isn't becomes disappointing to a hasty player.

Yet, in the Silent Hill series, the maze design incorporates the ability to go around jammed doors and can at times allow players to enter a room from a secondary entrance. Also, for players who were truly inquizitive, they were able to discover that these jammed doors didn't always lead nowhere. A few rooms do exist behind the jammed doors in Midwich Elementary. (So, don't blame jammed doors on lazy game designers.)

Maze design is a dying art in the video game industry since most games use fully 3-D level design, but Silent Hill does a fairly good job of it, as I don't feel that any single "level" in Silent Hill is repetative.

In addition, the camera angles were part of the director's decisions on the presentation of the game and for the most part, they are great, although SH4 needed some fine tuning. (It took RE three sequels to add an adjustable camera.) If you are absolutely frustrated with the current set-up, just download the camera hack program (http://toca.game-editing.net/files) and have free reign on the field of view. You can even use it to find out Angela's fate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWr3Jzcppw). (Apparently, she decides to take up yoga.)

[Monobrow]

In addition, the camera angles were part of the director's decisions on the presentation of the game and for the most part, they are great, although SH4 needed some fine tuning. (It took RE three sequels to add an adjustable camera.) If you are absolutely frustrated with the current set-up, just download the camera hack program and have free reign on the field of view. You can even use it to find out Angela's fate. (Apparently, she decides to take up yoga.)



Or Mary like you've never seen her before:Don't click unless you've beaten SH2 http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/soulofsilent/Snap34.jpg

[UnforgivingEdges]

You can even use it to find out Angela's fate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWr3Jzcppw). (Apparently, she decides to take up yoga.)

The funny thing is that she's probably still up there doing that.

[Israfel]

Hey peeps--here're a few more clips:

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/player.jhtml?launchedFrom=/overdrive/
Just click the movies tab- contains a few interviews, behind-the-scenes, and clips from the film.

http://www.silenthill-lefilm.com/site.html
The official French site. Check out the 'photos et vidéos exclusives' link for deux clips (dubbed) from the movie as well as a version of the Starz feature avec des sous-titres français.

http://movies.aol.com/movie/main.adp?tab=trailers&mid=23424&ncid=AOLMOV00050000000025
edited clip from the film

Just less than a week now, folks. :)

[Flip]

hope its good or at least somewhat decent.

[Aetherius]

...am I correct in thinking that the movie is going to be in theatres on friday?

[Ezio]

Yes, you are.

[Decoy Octopus]

...am I correct in thinking that the movie is going to be in theatres on friday?
You sure are!

I'm not sure I'll go see it Friday, though. :cry:

I have to work the graveyard shift my job and I'll be the only one there working for eight hours. I'm not so sure I want to do that after witnessing the horrors of Silent Hill.

[RazorVayne]

...am I correct in thinking that the movie is going to be in theatres on friday?
You sure are!

I'm not sure I'll go see it Friday, though. :cry:

I have to work the graveyard shift my job and I'll be the only one there working for eight hours. I'm not so sure I want to do that after witnessing the horrors of Silent Hill.

Not sure if you'll wanna keep your job after that, period.

Anyhoo, I hope it's a good movie. If I wet my pants I'll be satisfied! in one way

[RazorOutlaw]

I'm definitely going to a theater with a digital screen, although I'm not particularily happy about driving to the theater in question (let's just say it's close to the city, which I'm not used to driving in, so that means there'll be more traffic there than I'm used to dealing with).

Well, of course I could go to THAT theater but there's also another theater that's pretty awesome too that my friend goes to. It too has digital screens from what I remember, but I'd need him to come along to show me the way.

At any rate, I've also been thinking: Wouldn't it be awesome if somebody made a Silent Hill mod for Half-Life 2? Or even...just a level or two recreating one of the game's locales. Seriously would be an interesting piece of work, especially since HL2 comes with the decrepit buildings already!

[Nulion]

Ehh....about that Half Life 2 mod, I'm not sure. There actually IS a Silent Hill mod for Max Payne 2...but it isn't very good, or playable o.o

The whole Silent Hill formula just doesn't fit into a first person shooter, because then the game ends up becoming too actiony, know what I mean? Like way too fast-paced. Of course that's something that could be fixed, but it would take a LOT of work.

There's so many talented modders out there though...and unfortunately, I'm not one of em ;)

[RazorOutlaw]

Honestly, slowing down the speed wouldn't be a problem especially since bullet time mods have been created. This is assuming, of course, that modding the game's speed could be done at a constant rate instead of however long you hold a key down.

Mmm, and ever play Undying? System Shock 2? FEAR? AvP 2? Horror isn't necessarily restricted to 3rd person games, although first person games do change the dimensions a bit...

[The Joker]

Heck, one of the moodiest games this side of SH is Condemned: Criminal Origins. That game is really creepy, & has that kind of ambience that sucks you in. I played it with Stereo headphones in the middle of the night.

The last leg of the game is especially SH'ish. It's for the 360, & it's a FPS... that plays like SH!

[blueblazer1224]

My sister is just now screening the movie. She, along with a few other managers have to watch the movie before it comes out just to make sure there are no defects with the rolls of movie film.

She'll hopefully let me know how it was in a few hours or so. But here's the question. Do you want me to tell you what she thought of it or do you want to be suprised? Personaly I don't know if I want her to tell me how it was but I'm leaning towards asking for her opinion of it. BTW...I promise not to post spoilers.

[RoboPanda]

I'm going to see it at midnight tonight and I'm extremely excited.

[cfG-21]

One thing that bothers me about how some people refer to the reincarnation of the fallen angels as a god and yes i'm aware how it was mentioned in the game.. A fallen angle is a fallen angel (or demon regardless) and no angel can never become a god. Ok yes i am a Christian but i at least people can get their bearings straight.


Most of this stuff i based on the satanic bible which is just backwards version of the bible where there devil tries to imitate God. In it there's an unholy version of the trinity and everything else.

btw- the movie looks frikkin scary and i don't want to watch it by myself and most of my friends will probably be working friday night. Hey anyone live in the s. florida?

[Aetherius]

The game is not at all based in christian religion. 'Angels' is an english translation for western people (who are primarily christian). It does not necessarily translate back to 'angels' in japanese.

[UnforgivingEdges]

A request for spoiler tags when discussing the film after tonight, please.

[Nulion]

Honestly, slowing down the speed wouldn't be a problem especially since bullet time mods have been created. This is assuming, of course, that modding the game's speed could be done at a constant rate instead of however long you hold a key down.

Mmm, and ever play Undying? System Shock 2? FEAR? AvP 2? Horror isn't necessarily restricted to 3rd person games, although first person games do change the dimensions a bit...

Sorry to keep beating the horse and all, just wanted to clarify. Of course it's possible to do a scary game in a first or third person way, in a more shooter-type environment...But it's much more difficult to do that in the Silent Hill world, because there's so little action. It's all atmosphere, right? Those games you mentioned were great though (Though I never played System Shock 2 or AvP 2, regrettably) and definitely scary :) They just aren't scary the same way Silent Hill is, at least to me. It's all very subjective :)

Just saying that, if you wanted to create a Half Life 2 mod that mimicked Silent Hill, it could be great - but it couldn't be a straight-up shooter. The pacing would have to be slower (Not literally, like with bullet-time, hehe), and there'd have to be a MAJOR focus on atmosphere.

That's some difficult stuff to pin down right there, and Silent Hill itself does it so well, which is a big reason we all love it. Duplicating that in any other medium would be so painstakingly difficult 8O

On that note, strangely enough, I heard someone on the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion forums the other day request Pyramid Head be modded into the game...which would be cool, even though there's no way he'd fit! :wink:

Ohh...reminds me. There's actually a real review up on the movie now, at The Horror Channel. I don't think there's any spoilers in it, but it was actually a very good review, with 4 1\2 Mugs of Blood outta 5! Have a look!

The Horror Channel Review: Silent Hill (http://beta1.horrorchannel.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=902)

[Jenga]

Honestly, slowing down the speed wouldn't be a problem especially since bullet time mods have been created. This is assuming, of course, that modding the game's speed could be done at a constant rate instead of however long you hold a key down.

Mmm, and ever play Undying? System Shock 2? FEAR? AvP 2? Horror isn't necessarily restricted to 3rd person games, although first person games do change the dimensions a bit...

Sorry to keep beating the horse and all, just wanted to clarify. Of course it's possible to do a scary game in a first or third person way, in a more shooter-type environment...But it's much more difficult to do that in the Silent Hill world, because there's so little action. It's all atmosphere, right? Those games you mentioned were great though (Though I never played System Shock 2 or AvP 2, regrettably) and definitely scary :) They just aren't scary the same way Silent Hill is, at least to me. It's all very subjective :)

Just saying that, if you wanted to create a Half Life 2 mod that mimicked Silent Hill, it could be great - but it couldn't be a straight-up shooter. The pacing would have to be slower (Not literally, like with bullet-time, hehe), and there'd have to be a MAJOR focus on atmosphere.

That's some difficult stuff to pin down right there, and Silent Hill itself does it so well, which is a big reason we all love it. Duplicating that in any other medium would be so painstakingly difficult 8O

On that note, strangely enough, I heard someone on the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion forums the other day request Pyramid Head be modded into the game...which would be cool, even though there's no way he'd fit! :wink:

Ohh...reminds me. There's actually a real review up on the movie now, at The Horror Channel. I don't think there's any spoilers in it, but it was actually a very good review, with 4 1\2 Mugs of Blood outta 5! Have a look!

The Horror Channel Review: Silent Hill (http://beta1.horrorchannel.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=902)The Afraid of Monsters mod for HL1 matches the mood of Silent really well. It was inspired mostly by
Silent Hill. Worth a playthrough.

http://www.planethalflife.com/features/motw/aom.shtm

[Nulion]

I'm gonna have to take a look at that, thanks for the link :)

[CIaude]

The Afraid of Monsters mod for HL1 matches the mood of Silent really well. It was inspired mostly by
Silent Hill. Worth a playthrough.

http://www.planethalflife.com/features/motw/aom.shtm

Neato torpedo!

[Monobrow]

YAY

[RazorOutlaw]

*does a happy dance about the mod*

<--- is downloading now

[Merk]

I'd just like to say I just got back from seeing an early showing of Silent Hill. It seemed I had to explain a bit of it to the people I went with (who hadn't played any of the games). Amongst the group were mixed reviews. I myself liked it, so there you go.


*SORT OF SPOILER*
People in the audience actually clapped when Pyramid Head first made his appeareance
*END SORT OF SPOILER*

[Decoy Octopus]

We're guessing that the people behind "Silent Hill" would consider the little girl on the poster to be the perfect movie critic for one reason: she's got no mouth. And there isn't anything for the critics to say, because, like a bunch of other movies this year (all of which have turned out to be critical duds), "Silent Hill" was not screened for the scribes. Kids, you know what that means: Guess the Tomatometer!
Shit! The movie was not screened for critics. That does not go along with the "maybe this will be a good movie" theory. Almost all movies not screened to critics are just garbage.

My hope has sank...

[Israfel]

There are a few reviews out now, and I think I have a decent handle on what to expect. It sounds like it's going to be a good genre film but not something that mainstream critics will like--in much the same way that High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Saw I/II, Wolf Creek etc. (all films I loved- I'm a horror junkie, 8)
) were generally well regarded by horror fans but received in the 30%-50% range at rottentomatoes. When it comes to horror films, it's usually best to stick with reviewers who specialize in the genre--and the horrorchannel review gave it a 4 1/2 out of 5, so that's a good sign.

If you like horror (and/or the game series) I can get the impression there's a good chance you like this, otherwise it's probably a miss.

[Calpis]

I also just got back from a pre screening.

All of you should know that you should not expect the EXACT same storyline from the games. Like many videogame movie adaptations, it's in the same world, but fitted for the big screen, so not everything is the same. So, without spoilers, I thought the scenery was dead-on, music was just the same (pretty much). There are several really dumb-as-shit lines in it, but they don't ruin the movie. The acting is for the most part, on-par or even above the games at least, but not phenomenal. Of course, you shouldn't expect much from a Silent Hill in terms of acting. The movie has elements from every one of the games, even if very subtle, and it's a nice touch.

**SPOILERS**
I really liked how when she first got into Silent Hill, even the camera movement and angles are just as they are in the original game.

Also, the introduction scenes were garbage
**END SPOILERS**

Overall, I enjoyed it but it really doesn't make my top-anything list and I don't expect to buy it on video, but it was worth the nothing I paid for the tickets. Okay, I'm probably going to see it in theaters again with friends tomorrow, so it's at least worth the price of admission.

I guess that's my two cents from a guy who loves the videogame series.

[Aetherius]

I'm put off by the lack of people going OMG AWESOME!...

there seems to be an epidemic of 'meh' coming from the viewers. This vexes me.

[Calpis]

I'm put off by the lack of people going OMG AWESOME!...

there seems to be an epidemic of 'meh' coming from the viewers. This vexes me.It wasn't 'meh'. There are still some really good points about the movie, just don't expect the same story. If you like the series, I'm sure you will like the movie.

Just because people aren't absolutely raving about it doesn't mean that it's horrible or even bad. Like I said, I liked it and I'm usually a tough movie critic, especially when it comes to something that I'm previously interested in, such as Silent Hill.

[Nulion]

Guys, please >.< If you have spoilers, change the font color to white, okay? :) Just nitpicking, but tiny text is still easy to read even if you're just trying to avoid it.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about this movie, with only a few nitpicks. The biggest one seems to be that the real-world stuff, where Officer Gucci and Chris Da'Silva are walking around looking for Rose, is unnecessary. If that's the biggest complaint they can make, then this movie is gonna be great :D

And Decoy, I read somewhere that Gans didn't screen the movie for critics for some weird technicality, not that he had little confidence in the movie. There was some reason having to do with French critics or something....ARGH! I wish I could remember it right now >.< (Got the info from IMDb...so take whatever I said with a grain of salt) But rest assured, I'm hearing all over the place that this movie has floored people. (Except here o.0) So pick your hopes back up, go and see the movie, and judge for yourself whether you like it or not. :)

[Aetherius]

"Remember the cheesy demony voice from the commercials as she says, "I am the Reaper"? Gone."

--Faith Restored.

actually, there are some pretty glowing reviews on imdb (as well as a few negative ones that appear to be written by the same people who thought Donnie Darko and I Heart Huckabees were stupid because they "didn't make sense") Also, some whiners were complaining that it wasn't gory enough for them. Oh boohoo. I bet I'll puke.

[RoboPanda]

Just got back, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Stylistically, it looked like the game and felt like a breath of fresh air in the horror genre that is so constricted these days. Though it is based on such a terrific game and doesn't have to start fresh like some concepts, it's better than watching typical Japanese horror movies and their seemingly braindead sequels.

Yeah, the story was changed, but for the movie representation it's totally understandable. There aren't many people who walked away from SH1 with a complete understanding of it, and though it wasn't a verbatim portrayal, it was much easier than explaining the flauros and metatron stuff.


But because this is a music site, I will say this: The music was clutch. Having Akira Yamaoka on board the production of this movie was the best idea they could have followed through with. Hurrah!

[Eccles]

I dunno about people clapping when Pyramid Head first appeared, but that bit when he did that thing to that woman...that mustered a "FUCK YEAH!" from the audience.

My favourite part of the film was all of it.

My least favourite part of the film was when I had to stay behind at the end and explain to the guy next to me what he'd just seen. That was not fun.

I'm not entirely sure why Danna got credited for doing the music. As far as I could tell all of the music was ripped from SH 2, 3 and 4. Though some of it had a music box playing over the top...maybe that's what Danna did. Who knows?

I don't like how the film took the various liberties with what had already happened in the games...
SPOILERSFor example, I didn't like how they burned Alessa because they thought she was a witch rather than because they needed an empty vessel for Samael.

I also don't like what happened to Lisa. I can kindasorta see why it would happen, but I really didn't like it. 'cause...y'know, Lisa's lovely and it doesn't fit in with the game.

[RoboPanda]

There were several moments that there was original music. You could tell it really didn't feel the same as Yamaoka's, even though it was along the same vein.

[Israfel]

Saw it, generally liked it.

I thought the dialogue, acting, pacing, and plot were all mediocre to bad, and it was too long, and the Sean Bean plot feels tacked on...

But--

it just looks and sounds so great. The first half in particular has a few fantastic scenes and the end climax is just beautiful.

It's kinda like Suspiria, to me. It's so good and so bad all at once. Objectively I think it's a fairly bad film, but as a genre work it's good, imo. Not top-tier or anything, but quite good. Probably like a 7/10 for me.

[Eccles]

the Sean Bean plot feels tacked on...That's because it was. The first draft of the script had an all-female cast. Only by tacking on Bean's section could it get the go ahead.

[PriZm]

going to see it tonight. Seeing as djpretzel is quite the cinephile around here, I'd like to have his input on this movie.

[Claado Shou]

I loved it. I haven't played the games (yet...) but this movie may have changed my mind and inspired me. Aside from the incredibly creepy and stylistic feel of the movie (that part with Pyramid Head on the church steps will prolly give me nightmares) the storyline, which I gather was altered quite a bit, was definitely one of the better parts of the movie. As were the INCREDIBLE graphics.

SPOILERS
I am a little confused by the end though...don't quite understand what happened with Rose and Sharon. Best guess is that they're still stuck in the "other world" almost of Silent Hill, even after having left, but they might also be implying that both of them are dead and are just spirits. I dunno, I'll have to research it.
END SPOILERS

Overall, I'd say it's worth seeing at least once, if just for the genre fix. Good watch.

~.C.S.~

[Aetherius]

Well, I just saw it, and it was pretty good.
I was a bit disappointed with the way that the audience is seemingly spoonfed the exlpanation. The explanation definitely did not need to be narrated.

The end, though cool, was less cryptic than I'd expected.

Spoilers HO!:
If I'd been masturbating during this movie, I would have ejaculated at the point at which Anna's clothes (and skin) go bye-bye.

Also, the ending that Claado speaks of was alright, but unnecessary. They should have ended the movie as soon as the car left the town.

Oh, yeah, this movie is more like "Silent Hill Lite" than an addition to the series. It's more like an introduction to the series than an installment. (By series, I mean the games, obviously.)

It's pretty scary, but if you've played the games, and if you're desensitized to violence, you'll be pretty 'meh' about it. The girl I was watching it with probably only saw a fraction of the movie I saw, what with her face being buried in my armpit (Which I can only hope smelled like sexy man).

Yet another edit:
Uwe boll can sit on a spike. This IS the best game-to-movie adaptation out there.

[RazorOutlaw]

Warning. Spoilers. EVERYWHERE!

Hmm, I was pretty disappointed in some areas. I did not like the heavy emphasis on using Akira's original soundtrack throughout the movie. I did not like the fact that everytime something "spooky" happened, or pointing out an oddity such as the streets having fallen away into a foggy abyss, had to be followed by some piece of Akira's music. Didn't Akira poke Gans with a big stick and say "Silence as a sound?" Not every scary scene had to include original Silent Hill music! Or hell, any music at all...the opening scene would have been fine with just an ambient rumble like from the first game (which was heard briefly, at least).

So I was rather disappointed in regards to music, although I'll hold myself partly to blame because I listened to the soundtrack frequently enough to not enough its transition to the big screen. Also, as Jenga mentions below me...repetition. If they weren't playing the voodoo chant from SH3, then it was the music from the scene with Angela or Laura Plays the Piana. mmm, and aside from the repitition, the transitions for a lot of the music was poorly done. Opening scenes with Rose running out to the sign was "Prisonic Fairytale" or some such thing, which then turned into the music from Alchemilla hospital. Mine you, I'm somewhat looking at this from the perspective of the games. I know which music fits with what part of the game, and to hear it out of place is jarring to me. To switch from one soundtrack to the next...so crazy!

Next point was the way some of the dialogue was delivered so matter-of-factly, such as when Rose says "It'll be 'ok'" to Cybil after a particular encounter. Hell, it sounded like something out of Silent Hill 1 where the voice actors forgot about things like voice inflection Oh...and there were a few instances when the character's just made a random connection to a particular plot point...I don't recall exactly what happened but I just rolled my eyes.

And it's rather unfortunate that for the first time ever I had to put up with a crowd of people who laughed at the movie I was watching. Not laughing at intentional humor, but laughing at the most random shit. Like in the hotel, when Rose swung back over the hole with the rope/wiring/whatever? They laughed at that. Or when Rose was screaming for Sharon? They laughed. The Lying Figure hobbling out onto the street? Laughing.

They just laughed so many times...I felt so damned embarassed because I'm a fan and I'd like to see Silent Hill get the respect is fucking deserves. Here I was thinking that despite the way certain parts of the movie were done, whether that be the music or lack of direction for the actors (voice inflection please!), that the movie would be able to stand on its own.

Call me crazy, but I had an earnest hope that the movie wouldn't have any laughable parts to it, but the crowd I was with proved otherwise. Christ, I'm so...angry...
Hell they even laughed at some of the music chosen for scenes, like when Alessa rises from the pit with her barbed-wire tentacles of doom? The organ music from the final boss battle in SH3 begins to blare, and giggles tore through the theater. BLAHREA!

As for the story itself, I can't really complain about that, although the inclusion of PH is suspect since he seemed to be a pawn of Dahlia's. I thought there was a bit too much useless running around in the beginning, but when you got down to it, the fanatical SH cult being deceived about the true nature of Alessa was an interesting twist. Hell, any scene involving the cult was pretty damn well done. I just hated the running around before all of that.

Hopefully when I buy it on DVD and watch it in the comfort of my own home I'll be able to enjoy it more...

[Jenga]

One of the most boring movies I've ever seen. If it weren't for the Pyramid Head scenes I'd try to get my money back. Even more dissapointing is the music. It's as if they tried to cram as much music into it as possible. I swear they played Promise (Reprise) about three fucking times.

[Aetherius]

Well, it stands to reason that the two people I keep finding myself clashing with in this thread are the two people who seemed to have found the movie the least entertaining.

For pete's sake, white out your spoilers, jackhats.

Edit for magic spoiler goodness and confusion:

The time frame of the movie is screwed up. The detective is like 40 when Chris meets him, and yet he appears in the flashback from 30 years ago. In fact, the only people who seem to have aged at all are Dahlia and Allessa. OOPS'd

Edit again: Razor, you seem to be assuming that everyone in the theatre had played the games. Who knows what they were laughing at, but also: who cares?

[Ezio]

I swear they played Promise (Reprise) about three fucking times.
Oh no! Not THREE times!

[herograw]

I went to see it with a friend who had never played the game. He was far less disappointed than I.

[Jenga]

I swear they played Promise (Reprise) about three fucking times.
Oh no! Not 561612 times!That's what it felt like. In a slow movie like this, you'd notice when they keep playing the same fucking song over and over.

[flipsideshooze]

*SPOILERS SURE TO BE ABOUND*

i enjoyed the movie a lot... i'll preface this with that... i thought it was an entertaing movie...

but here's my gripe:

i feel like every game, you eventually find out that the main character is crazy... Silent Hill is a very psyche intensive game... you slowly find that things aren't what they seem...

i felt like the movie didn't do this... The movie was more about a real-world (though supernatural) phenomenon... a woman loses her girl in a hellish nightmare of a macabre world... but never did it come to light that it was all in her head... like, if it had come to light that she had killed her daughter 10 years ago... that would have seemd more silent hill-y to me...

i dunno.. just my two cents...

[Raenok]

I think the problem is that some people were maybe just putting too much trust in a movie. A movie could never re-create the atmosphere and speed of the game, but it can get pretty darn close.

Remember: Movies are meant to entertain you, games are meant to entertain and immerse you.

[Jenga]

I think the problem is that some people were maybe just putting too much trust in a movie. A movie could never re-create the atmosphere and speed of the game, but it can get pretty darn close.

Remember: Movies are meant to entertain you, games are meant to entertain and immerse you.k


Still dosen't excuse this movie for being a piece of shit.

[RazorOutlaw]

Edit again: Razor, you seem to be assuming that everyone in the theatre had played the games.
Wrong, I only made the assumption that the movie wouldn't have the theater laughing at it. That they may not have played the games does not factor into this point which bothers me so much. I can't hold the movie to blame for all parts that were laughed at, the crowd may have just been expecting something else...

[Ezio]

Still dosen't excuse this movie for being a piece of shit.
And your main reasoning behind this is because it used too much good music and didn't have enough bullshit action.

[RazorOutlaw]

Silent Hill 2 didn't use the very same music more than twice...the reptition in the movie is annoying, but minor in my opinion.

[Jenga]

Still dosen't excuse this movie for being a piece of shit.
And your main reasoning behind this is because it used too much good music and didn't have enough bullshit action.Where did I say that? The plot is awful. The acting is awful. The dialogue is awful. This movie is beautiful...but that's all it has going for it.

[Calpis]

I swear they played Promise (Reprise) about three fucking times.
Oh no! Not THREE times!No fucking shit. Do you complain when you hear the same piece of music in the game more than twice?


**SPOILERS**
For those who are nitpicking, like I said earlier, you have to take these things as a 'take' on the series and not as a literal direct transltation of it.

I think that the reason you don't quite feel the same horror watching this is the fact that it's a movie and not a game. When you're playing the game, you are the main character, and the game focuses on what you would feel in a certain situation, being why the main character rarely emotes. But, this is a movie and you can't do that, so it must focus on what the main character feels, and it did just that. The first time Rose goes to the other world, she laid down and bawled her eyes out. But it doensn't show that in the game because that takes the focus off of your emotions and transfers them to the character on the screen. Games don't translate to movies well because you have to take the interactivity out of it. If you wanted to watch a videogame, then you should have done that instead of going to a movie based on a videogame.

I do agree with the comments about characters saying stupid lines, and bad acting, and plots that go nowhere.

I'm sorry, I can be a harsh movie critic but nitpicking stupid points about the ages of characters isn't exactly like the game just is dumb. **END SPOILERS**

Still dosen't excuse this movie for being a piece of shit.
And your main reasoning behind this is because it used too much good music and didn't have enough bullshit action.Where did I say that? The plot is awful. The acting is awful. The dialogue is awful. This movie is beautiful...but that's all it has going for it.So... do you like Silent Hill at all? That's what the series is about.

[Monobrow]

I PUT THIS REVIEW IN WHITE OKAY? OKAY!

I liked the intro, I liked the re-make of the alley scene, I liked PH's appearances (though they still don't really explain why he is there, even if it is feasable)
I liked Cybil's character, and Rose wasn't bad as well. I hated Dahlia being the good "mother" and the cult turning into a makeshift version of Salem Quaker mining town. And wtf, Christabella? Why even have a good Dahlia? Just have Dahlia as Christabella and forget there being any sort of "mercy". Lisa was pretty cool, but uncessary. (except in terms of cameo) Also, I thought there was some funny stuff with Anna's lines. I liked the school somewhat, but yeah, Sean Bean's whole thing was just stupid, because they leave nothing to wondering. Also, I absolutely HATED THE FLASHBACK VOICE-OVER. Cheesy, even if it shed a lot of light on things. I loved some of the music, some of the orchestrated versions...And the sound was okay. Anyway, that's about it for now. This movie from me gets an even C, which makes me very sad, but what did I expect?

[Your Good Twin]

I didn't much care for it. I didn't like the pacing or much of the acting. Nothing really surpised me. And there weren't near enough freaky creatures for my tastes.

I went with 3 other friends, none who had played the games. One didn't like it because he didn't really know what was going on. One thought it was fucked up and didn't really know what to think because he didn't quite know what was going on either. The other really enjoyed it. So there's some outsider views.

Finally, I was SOOO happy they used "You're Not Here" for the ending music. I think it is perfect movie credits music and was really pulling for it to be played. I sat there singing while we watched the CG montage.

[ifirit]

For pete's sake, white out your spoilers, jackhats.
I agree. Like or dislike the film, please be considerate enough to prevent spilling the beans on content or events from the film. (Just replace the TEXT with what you wish to say.)

Spoiler Tag:
[color=white] TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT [/color]
Alternatively,
[quote="Spoilers"] [color=white] TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT [/color] [/quote]
You may also wish to add a heading that informs other readers that spoilers lie ahead.

Spoiler Heading:
[color=red] [b] SPOILER HEADING [/b] [/color]
Anyway, with that out of the way...

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers
Well, I just saw it, and it was pretty good..
I have to agree for the most part that this is both an incredible, outstanding film and a campy, hair-pulling movie both at the same time. There are times when I was on the edge of my seat thinking "OMG, OMG, OMG, OMFG...." or "That was so freakin' awesome!" However, there were also several times when I was so disappointed at the writing that it really drew my attention to the weaker aspects of the film. >.> <.< Such as... Alessa saying "Look, I'm burning." or the Bubble-Head Nurse Shuffle "Now, jazz-hands!!!" :roll: But, I digress.

I was a bit disappointed with the way that the audience is seemingly spoonfed the exlpanation. The explanation definitely did not need to be narrated
The end, though cool, was less cryptic than I'd expected.
Actually, that explanation part would have been great had the plot not been reiterated constantly thoughout the film, though without the cliche video-gamey "Congratulations, here's an explanation!" introduction. As much as the film explained certain aspects a little too thoroughly, it failed to mention other aspects of the film as well. The elimination of the god (or mention of) from the film raises the question of how a little girl gained the power to create the world (or the Dark World) on her own. It shows that Alessa was tormented and hated because they thought she was a witch, but it fails to justify the reason by informing the audience that she had a special power within her. So, it will be difficult for the general audience to understand how the world is created, and why Alessa has the power to do what she does.

In addition to this, the film doesn't make a point to explain that creation of the Misty World/Dark World was created by this power (be it that it comes from Alessa's power or from the power of the god). If the Dark Alessa is to be considered the source of her power and not simply a split-personality/manifeastation of her pain, then it appears such that she is actually a demon, which then leaves the question of where did such a demon come from, i.e. from what mythology did it appear? (I ask this because the religion of Silent Hill, as portrayed in the film, does not believe in such things. Yet, it acts to drive them out and destroyed, contradictive to the series, which makes the "demons" a part of the religious beliefs, as based on Native American mythologies.)

Oh, yeah, this movie is more like "Silent Hill Lite" than an addition to the series. It's more like an introduction to the series than an installment. (By series, I mean the games, obviously.)
Unfortunately, because of the way that Gans and company set up the story for the film, it eliminates the possibility for SH2 and SH3 to exist as sequels, in this universe. Having Silent Hill exist as a smoldren, toxic fume-spewing ghost town prevents it from existing as a peaceful, serene vacation spot used to establish the loving, emotive relationship between James and Mary, which without greatly hinders that story. (Sure, it could be set in South Vale, but Brookhaven and Pete's Bowl-O-Rama were placed in downtown Silent Hill, suggesting that Paleville and South Vale are non-existant in the Toluca Lake area.) Also, since the memebers of the cult all burned in the accident (except for Alessa) and were drawn into her world, it is unlikely that there is anyone left to seek out Alessa's reincarnation (if Sharon is even a reincarnation), or anyone who would be interested. SH4 could be used for material for a sequel film, but without the establishment of the religion of Silent Hill as seeking to bring God into the world, it wouldn't make much sense.

As such, the film will branch into its own universe and will exist from now on as its own entity, much like the comics. I was really hoping that the film would have coincided with the series, because I really, really, really, REALLY like the visual style of the film, but you can't always have your cake and eat it, too. (I plan on purchasing the film on DVD simply for the closing credits montage; dis-embodied lights rock!)

It's pretty scary, but if you've played the games, and if you're desensitized to violence, you'll be pretty 'meh' about it. The girl I was watching it with probably only saw a fraction of the movie I saw, what with her face being buried in my armpit (Which I can only hope smelled like sexy man).
For me, the scariest parts of the film weren't even the gory ones. The scariest parts were created by the fear of pain or death. Rose's close-call in the alley and with Cybil in Midwich, inspired greater fear within me than when the Red Pyramid tore Anna apart or when Alessa raped and subsequently killed Christabella with her barbed-wire tentacles. Sure, those aparts were hard to watch, but I wasn't afraid for the characters, for whom our concern was established (as opposed to what was mentioned by Eccles, that many people felt the characters deserving of their fate). Even in the basement of the Brookhaven Hospital, the nurse encounter was still terrifying because of the nature of the encounter, which was plagued with doubt as to whether she would survive it. It seems to me, that scenes where there exists doubt about whether the characters will survive such encounters much scarier, mostly because it adheres closer to gameplay where a person's ability to survive is their own. But, also, because the characters must have a certain degree of freedom involved that makes their responses and resulting actions harder to predict. [/non-sequitor]

I did not like the heavy emphasis on using Akira's original soundtrack throughout the movie.
I agree that I was hoping for an all new music composition for the film which could have been used seeing that Akira Yamaoka was officially tied to the production, but what are you gonna do? As such, I also agree that the cues were just too obvious and cut-&-dry, but the dynamics and expressions used to build up the tension within the music itself were phenomenal. Jeff Danna did a great job of re-orchestrating many of the different songs. Of course, Promise [Reprise] was used many times (acting as a sort of Theme of Alessa), but each time there were varied additions. Such as the additional strings and orchestral accompaniment during the latter stages of the film, when Rose catches up with Alessa, to the synthetic and pad accompaniments used during the chase to the bathroom in Midwich. The remastered version of Magdalene with it's changes in rhythm, really exposes the vulnerability of the piece. These changes helped to add a human touch to the mostly 4/4 time scales that Akira Yamaoka uses so often. I even enjoyed the way Danna mixed versions of the original music together in adding scale and tension during the dark world parts. I really hope an official motion picture soundtrack for Silent Hill is released at some point.

[RazorOutlaw]

For what it's worth, it's not like the music they chose was bad. Hell, I liked most of what I listened to...

But to me it was like sitting down to watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and hearing the Star Wars soundtrack instead...

Yes, it felt that jarring and out of place. Similar to the time I saw the Japanese version of Godzilla 1985 (Godzilla Returns). Same movie, but Japanese version was the original uncut version. So many things felt out of place to what I was used to...(and yes, the American version switched scenes around from different parts of the movie beginning, end, middle, whatever suited the needs of the editors).

Of course, like I said in my previous edits, the music is jarring and somewhat boring only because of my familiarity. Removing that, and the fact that the crowd laughed at the movie (:(), I've only got some clunky dialogue, suspect acting in some scenes, as well as some other things that I forget...

I mean, really, the story is fine...

Mmm reading your review Ifirit I remember that they laughed at the Nurse dance step scene. :(

[Ezio]

Where did I say that? The plot is awful. The acting is awful. The dialogue is awful. This movie is beautiful...but that's all it has going for it.
I believe it was somewhere around where you complained it was boring and played the same song three times.

[Aetherius]

Speaking of music, we need to remember that we are a video game music community. We know video game music. The crowning disappointment in terms of music should be that the music was not original, and not that it was used more than once. If you pay attention in almost any film, you'll notice that the score music is often used more than noce, or is at least thematically similar. The problem with us, is that we recognize the soundtrack as 'songs' because we listen to them outside of the game, or we are too familiar with them. Songs are more foreground material than background material, and so, rather than the drones and whines of typical horror movie crud, we get real music in Silent Hill, which is so easily recongizeable, that it annoys us.

So basically, we suck, and if we'd never played the game or heard the soundtrack, we wouldn't care. (though, apparently we might giggle at some cheezy organ music around the end, which was pretty cheesey as it was.)

Edit: speaking of bad acting (of which, Anna seemed to be the least good at line delivery)...

I found the voice acting in Silent Hill 2 to be FAR worse than the voice acting in Silent Hill 1. Silent Hill 2 made me cringe almost every time James or Laura said anything. Harry's only groaner was 'radio...what's with that radio?'

[RazorOutlaw]

I can accept the opinion that the voice acting in SH2 is awful. I have a hard time accepting the opinion that the voice acting in SH4 is the most solid out of all of them (that's what some other strange little man said to me on another forum)...but that's off topic. We're supposed to be ranting and raving about the movie. :P

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Ehhaaah, I dunno guys... I'm torn. There were points when I was gapping in awe and times when I just rolled my eyes.

Just like Razor, I had to listen to people laugh as well but for me it was anytime some one said "fuck".

Spoilers:

I felt the cult and witch burning was a tad bit unnessesary. Yeah, they we're important behind the scenes durning the games but their pressence just kind of ruined it for me. Maybe it's because the games had very few encounters with other people. If they would've stuck with the 'birth of god' plot, it could've worked out... but this being the US, they probably would've frowned on that.

As for PH, I think MAYBE he was something that Allesia made up, just like she did with everything in the actual game.

However, I did like it when Rose was alone. Because that's what made it feel more like the game. And yeah, they played the shit out of Promise(Reprised), not that it bothered me too much.

Squeals? Well they could definately fit Chris up as James, but I can't see them using Sharon as Heather... at least not in the same way as SH3. Maybe that's why they kept Dahilia alive? Guess we'll see.

Over all, I felt it started off very strong. I liked it but I didn't like it. I'll have to go see it again with someone else other than my friend's who are quick to put anything I like down.

Now I wanna see what Ifirit has to say...

EDIT: didn't realize Ifirit already posted. and LOL THE NURSES WERE DOING THRILLER!

[Calpis]

Now that you mention it, I did laugh pretty good when Cybil yelled "What the fuck?!"

Don't know if it was intended humor or not though.

[ifirit]

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers
Over all, I felt it started off very strong. I liked it but I didn't like it. I'll have to go see it again with someone else other than my friend's who are quick to put anything I like down.
I was a little luckier in terms of audience participation. As diverse as the group was (1:15pm showing, so mostly devote fans and interested viewers with an afternoon to spare ranging from 18 - 50 year-olds and various personas), they were well behaved and genuinely interested in seeing the film. The only laughter I heard was after the Dark World returned to Misty in Midwich and Cybil says, "What the f**k was that?" A chuckle was released among the crowd suggesting a shared sense of confusion and relief as did the characters. A few gasps were heard every now and again, but almost everyone stayed silent and focused on the screen the whole time. Well, expect once the credits began, everyone got up and left as soon as they played, almost like the nurses, which was quite freaky.

As for PH, I think MAYBE he was something that Allesia made up, just like she did with everything in the actual game.
The origins and influences for the monsters is something I'd like to discuss at some point. Though some monsters originate the same as in the games, such as the Mumblers and the Creepers (though the exact origin is not mentioned in the film; and which also have faces ???), others need to be re-evaluated considering the new context. I'd like to think about the Nurses, the Red Pyramid and the Janitor "Colin." Lisa was awesome avoiding looking directly at Rose and cowering from her touch, portraying a subordinate role; it added to the mood that Rose was still somewhat intimidating to Sharon/Alessa, even in the depths of the Dark World. Though I didn't like that she ended up as a Shibito (Yea! for Siren references), but considering that her death is unknown in the film it's understandable that she was bleeding from her eyes instead of her forehead.

EDIT: didn't realize Ifirit already posted. and LOL THE NURSES WERE DOING THRILLER!
Well, at least there weren't any machine-gun-toting teenager girls with short shirts in the film. You know, 'cause they would never do that in a Silent Hill; it could never work. Still, I'd love for the DVD to have an alternate crazy fun ending, maybe a UFO Ending or a strange one like the DOG Ending. Bloopers and goof-ups would be cool as well.

[ZeLLfAN666]

Hmm, there are some very queer opinions about the movie here, lol. I definitely left the theater quite overjoyed to be honest. After seeing all the bullshit remakes, not to mention the whole Uwe Boll thing movieland has going, I feel that this is as close as to a near perfect VG to film conversion as we get. Don't get me wrong I actually liked RE and RE:A and don't let that be an indication for you to go "ZOMG n00b, the RE movies sucked" I enjoy movies genuinely without retarded dissection of every single angle of every single corner and I enjoyed the hell out of Silent Hill. I think that they just took a whole bunch of important concepts from the series and just applied it to an alternate universe SH storyline, which I think means that there's no room for a direct game to movie conversion only more of the same use of concepts from the games to make something similar. I think that they did this brilliantly because I was overjoyed to see and hear many things that I'm familiar with from the games in the movie. You can't say that with any other VG movies which already puts SH in front. Also about the direct use of Yamaoka's pieces I think its much better to hear the same thing we've been hearing for years in the movie than listening to some half-assed, lazy, boring, and cliched-to-hell film score, I was actually surprised to hear familiar music, it sorta made me feel I was actually watching a SILENT HILL VIDEO GAME MOVIE which is what we want in the first place a goddamn VIDEO GAME MOVIE or else no one would be bitching about how badly any other VG movie sucked. I actually predicted that the credits would have "You're Not Here" right before the ending, I was just waiting for the beginning to start up, when I heard the first few notes I just screamed "FUCK YES!" to the surprise of those around me. It almost made a single tear come out of my eye as I sat there and sang along. Bottom line, you can sit there and nitpick or "analyze" the story/plot/dialogue/acting/music/whatthefuckever all you want but you can't change the fact that this was pretty damn close to portraying Silent Hill in film form and hell that's good enough for me.

[Israfel]

I watched it a second time and I gotta say, I really love this film. The things that bothered me the first time around, while still the film's weakest aspects, just didn't distract me much on the second viewing.

I tend to have a very visually oriented approach to appreciating horror movies--to me, horror films are less about plot and characters (indeed, I think focusing on these elements can weaken a horror film) and more about experiencing a nightmare world; they're not stories, they're rides.

And for people with my aesthetic, Silent Hill is a truly amazing experience. I've seen lots of horror films and this may go down as one of my favorites.

[BocoDragon]

This movie was excellent. I loved it.

I could tell some fans would dislike it from the moment I heard "OMG BUT PH CANT BE IN IT!!!! HES TIED TO JAMES!!!!".

Fundamentalism kills.

[Aetherius]

Well, Pyramid Head ended up being out of place.
I thought MAYBE they'd tie it in, but since there was no explanation whatsoever, it doesn't even leave room for any LOGICAL speculations.

So, essentially, "nice to see you PH. Thanks for making a Cameo in our movie."

[McCorvic]

My brief summary: It was great until it became dialouge heavy.

And I was waiting for one of the cult/church members to say "She turned me into a newt!" When you watch the movie you'll know what I mean.

[Eccles]

So as I watched it...I'm sorry to say, but I spotted two continuity errors. For shame!

SPOILZ!Cybil loads her gun when she locks herself in that room with Rose. Now that would give her 9 rounds of ammo (10 if you follow game physics) She only fires 3 (2 at Pyramid head, 1 into the air at the church)...but she's run out by the time she reaches Brookhaven. She didn't have chance or reason to fire 6/7 times between then and the hospital.

Also, there's a tombstone in the graveyard outside the church that changes position. It says "John Grisham" (an actual author) and it's near the steps facing the camera when you see all the people in the cult running up the stairs...and it's also at the back of the graveyard facing the camera when you get the long shot of the front of the church. I like to think it's a jab at crappy JPEG technology from old 3D games...'cause...y'know, Gans is infallible in every way.

Not continuity errors but spoilers anyway...
I didn't like how Midwich looked like a house on the inside. I dunno, maybe some American schools do that (I've never been in one outside of video games so I can't say I'd know) but the general look of it was "Wrecked house" rather than "Wrecked school".

I wasn't too keen on how the topography of the town kept changing, either. Like...maybe it's just me, but I don't remember there being a Grand Hotel in the town. And was there really any need to make Brookhaven a six floor building? It only has three and the film only used two of them anyway.

So yeah, a lot of the gripes that I have are stuff that only hardcore fanatics like myself would gripe about.

I DID like how it showed how the various characters solved the same puzzles in different ways. Rose clambers her way across wreckage and debris, Cybil finds a rope and uses that. I liked that.

[Aetherius]

broken tag there, A-man.

edit: liek omg fixed already

I dunno, I kinda got the impression that Cybil faked shooting cristabella, rather than ran out of bullets. She seemed to have already accepted her fate, after having given rose her chance to escape.

It occurs to me that I must have really liked this movie, elsewise I'd have been in bed by now instead of blabbering on about the movie in various forums.

[Yoshi3gg]

I only played about half of Silent Hill 2 (I rented it, enjoyed it, but ultimately never finished it), so I know just enough about the series to enjoy some of the stuff they pulled from the games.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS, MAYBE?

I absolutely LOVED the first half or so of the movie. Absolutely and completely. Everything looked and sounded incredible (Well, except the acting). Pyramidhead was visually perfect, despite being completely irrelevant to anything else that was going on in the movie.

I felt absolutely no attachment to any sort of story arc being built, but I greatly appreciated how incredible everything was designed, and looked. I think that's why I stopped enjoying the movie once it became intensely involved with the actual plot. It stopped being as fun to watch, for me. I understand that it's crucial for movies to have plots, but honestly, the atmosphere that was so aptly forged by the first half of the movie kind of crumbled away (but not without a few exceptions). The whole plot involving the cult seemed to lack any subtlety, and I just couldn't find myself staying interested in it. I wish it could've just kept on doing what it did earlier, maybe just hinting at what was really going on, instead of shoving it down my throat. Or if the movie stopped there, I would've been pretty happy too, because it felt like it dragged on for a really long time.

Again, I have only played a portion of one of the games, just enough to get a superficial understanding of the games' style, and literally no understanding of its overall plot, so I'm sure there are probably tons of you with a better appreciation for the series who were able to enjoy what this movie's plot had to offer.

But, even with its faults, this is by far the finest video game-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen. It's great to see that some games can have their atmosphere left intact while being transferred to the big screen.

[Trygon]

Going to see it tomorrow, I heavily suspect I'll love it.

After all, I think Doom ruled.

[metaknight]

Went and saw Silent Hill with a group of friends and prayed that this movie doesn't bomb (especially since I'm a fan of the series).

I found it awesome that the tunes in the game are put in the movie. It made me feel like it was the game I was watching, plus the tunes themselves I thought amped up the atmosphere of some areas. Some tunes on the otherhand...

CG and effects are incredible as always. I praise this movie on making the transition from "Normal" Silent Hill to "Nightmare" SH pefectly (trademark "Siren" included!). Sadly thats the only thing hollywood can do now, Top notch visuals, so I don't grade movies on the over the top CG stuff. (even though that PH scene was nuts).

Storyline, acting, and dialogue were really sub-par. The only person that I really thought did a good job acting was the actress playing Cybil. Still, why couldn't they have just made this movie like SH1 with Harry instead of this Rose character? I really didn't care for the ending or the events that led to the ending. Man, I was really enjoying how it mostly stayed true to the game for the first half of the film (going to main areas you would see in the first game) but then after that the plot and story dragged on and on and you saw less action and anything familiar from the game on out. I would've loved it if they had just followed the first game step by step. Hell, they certianly did a great job with it in the beginning, why not the rest?

I love the Silent Hill games but this movie really made me laugh and roll my eyes on a lot of parts:

*Spoilers about some really odd parts*

The Daughter doing the "Meow meow" thing...my god, I wanted to kill myself right there and now.

If I remember correctly When Cybil and Rose reunite and head to the Hotel.

Rose: People say that this place is haunted....I think I beleive them.
Me: What? After the ENTIRE scene in the alleyway where you almost got gang raped by imps and seeing Pyramid Head at the school NOW you say that!?

When Rose was swinging over the pit; that was a really goofy scene.

When Rose defiles the Church and that burned girl appears, a REALLY out of place organ tune plays. I swear I was half expecting to see the Phantom of the opera then the barewired girl.

I really joked with this one. Once they entered the Hotel Rose sees what looks, to me, like a VERY dull knife on the ground and says, "I'm taking this with me." I whisper to my friends
Me: What? A butter knife?!
Geez Rose, you were better off with the flashlight.

Overall: Yep, It was a video game movie. Don't expect too much from it. Lots of awesome gory visuals, as usual, and has tons of elements from the games but the last half of the movie the story really drags and you tire of it, the overemphasizing Religious cult stuff and the poor acting.

I give it the grade of a "C"...which is pretty good compared to every other Video game movie ever made.

[Decoy Octopus]

After all, I think Doom ruled.
You poor, pitiful fool... :wink:

I'll probably go see Silent Hill Monday night. I'm not too encouraged by the 28% at rottentomatoes.com (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_hill/) and 27 at metacritic.com (http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/silenthill), though.

I'm unable to turn my brain off and enjoy this movie simply as a fanboy. The shitty things I've been hearing about it are most likely going to stand out to me as they would in any other poorly constructed movie. Although, I've been playing the first Silent Hill again and the acting in the movie can't possibly be worse than in the game.

[Jenga]

My brief summary: It was great until it became dialouge heavy.

And I was waiting for one of the cult/church members to say "She turned me into a newt!" When you watch the movie you'll know what I mean.I was thinking the same thing. I half-expected for them to try to weigh Cybil against a duck.

[Jenga]

I swear they played Promise (Reprise) about three fucking times.
Oh no! Not THREE times!No fucking shit. Do you complain when you hear the same piece of music in the game more than twice?


**SPOILERS**
For those who are nitpicking, like I said earlier, you have to take these things as a 'take' on the series and not as a literal direct transltation of it.

I think that the reason you don't quite feel the same horror watching this is the fact that it's a movie and not a game. When you're playing the game, you are the main character, and the game focuses on what you would feel in a certain situation, being why the main character rarely emotes. But, this is a movie and you can't do that, so it must focus on what the main character feels, and it did just that. The first time Rose goes to the other world, she laid down and bawled her eyes out. But it doensn't show that in the game because that takes the focus off of your emotions and transfers them to the character on the screen. Games don't translate to movies well because you have to take the interactivity out of it. If you wanted to watch a videogame, then you should have done that instead of going to a movie based on a videogame.

I do agree with the comments about characters saying stupid lines, and bad acting, and plots that go nowhere.

I'm sorry, I can be a harsh movie critic but nitpicking stupid points about the ages of characters isn't exactly like the game just is dumb. **END SPOILERS**

Still dosen't excuse this movie for being a piece of shit.
And your main reasoning behind this is because it used too much good music and didn't have enough bullshit action.Where did I say that? The plot is awful. The acting is awful. The dialogue is awful. This movie is beautiful...but that's all it has going for it.So... do you like Silent Hill at all? That's what the series is about.What the fuck are you talking about? This movie sucks. It's nothing about transition between movies and games. The fact is, this movie is a piece of polished turd. Where did I mention anything about the ages of the characters? And even if I did, is there anything wrong with worrying about continuity? As for the music...are you deaf? I can just imagine Gans telling Jeff Danna to stuff as much music in it as possible.


I do agree with the comments about characters saying stupid lines, and bad acting, and plots that go nowhere. You do realize this is what makes a good movie? At least Silent Hill (The Game) had a reason for the wooden acting...the japanese voice director asked the voiceactors to talk slower and clearer because he couldn't understand them as well when they talked fast and emotionally. Don't tell me Gans told the actors to act shitty on purpose. The writing for this movie is atrocious. Don't even begin to compare this boring shitfest to the games.

I think that the reason you don't quite feel the same horror watching this is the fact that it's a movie and not a game. When you're playing the game, you are the main character, and the game focuses on what you would feel in a certain situation, being why the main character rarely emotes. But, this is a movie and you can't do that, so it must focus on what the main character feels, and it did just that. The first time Rose goes to the other world, she laid down and bawled her eyes out. But it doensn't show that in the game because that takes the focus off of your emotions and transfers them to the character on the screen. Games don't translate to movies well because you have to take the interactivity out of it. If you wanted to watch a videogame, then you should have done that instead of going to a movie based on a videogame....Whatever. Stop trying to tell me why I hate this movie.

[Amaterasu]

Something tells me (I haven't seen the movie yet) that they went a little overboard with the gore. Sure, the Silent Hill games are fucked up, but most of the actual deaths are off screen. For example,

spoilerPH stabbing Maria in the hallway in SH2.spoiler

C'mon now, barb-wire rape?! Augh.

[Razumen]

Saw it, loved it. I'm definitively going to buy it on DVD when it comes out. It's pretty much the best video game movie I've seen yet.

If you're even slightly interested in this movie you owe it to yourself to watch it and form your own opinion.

[RazorOutlaw]

I love the Silent Hill games but this movie really made me laugh and roll my eyes on a lot of parts:

*Spoilers about some really odd parts*

The Daughter doing the "Meow meow" thing...my god, I wanted to kill myself right there and now.

If I remember correctly When Cybil and Rose reunite and head to the Hotel.

Rose: People say that this place is haunted....I think I beleive them.
Me: What? After the ENTIRE scene in the alleyway where you almost got gang raped by imps and seeing Pyramid Head at the school NOW you say that!?

When Rose was swinging over the pit; that was a really goofy scene.

When Rose defiles the Church and that burned girl appears, a REALLY out of place organ tune plays. I swear I was half expecting to see the Phantom of the opera then the barewired girl.

I really joked with this one. Once they entered the Hotel Rose sees what looks, to me, like a VERY dull knife on the ground and says, "I'm taking this with me." I whisper to my friends
Me: What? A butter knife?!
Geez Rose, you were better off with the flashlight.

Yeah...those were just a few of the areas that made me roll my eyes. But for every crummy scene, I can think of at least one other that was done well. The movie has just got this inconsistency with its scenes (something ifirit noted himself).

Meh. We've got this diluge of posts now, can't reply to them all with something meaningful to say. But it's nice to see that the movie can be enjoyed by most people (and for the most part) despite its flaws. ^^

[Dexie]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p

[BocoDragon]

I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.

[Jenga]

I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away thinking this was a good movie. (Most critics hate it for a reason you know)

[ZeLLfAN666]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p
Ditto! I was trying to read that as well and got off with exact same info! I thought that was pretty cool, but I was half expecting to see like the GameFAQs page for the game to be on the screen, lol. About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.My sentiments exactly.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away thinking this was a good movie. (Most critics hate it for a reason you know)Most critics also have no or close to no knowledge of the source material.

[Jenga]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p
Ditto! I was trying to read that as well and got off with exact same info! I thought that was pretty cool, but I was half expecting to see like the GameFAQs page for the game to be on the screen, lol. About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.My sentiments exactly. :roll: If it was apart of Alessa's revenge then why did Dahlia have control over him?

[McCorvic]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p
Ditto! I was trying to read that as well and got off with exact same info! I thought that was pretty cool, but I was half expecting to see like the GameFAQs page for the game to be on the screen, lol. About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.My sentiments exactly. :roll: If it was apart of Alessa's revenge then why did Dahlia have control over him?

Because to little girls mother's are gods? So it was more like Dahlia telling her daughter she should die, and Alessa listening and actually controlling PH.

I dunno. I was thinking about this same thing last night and that was the best explanation I could come up with. :?

[ZeLLfAN666]

:roll: If it was apart of Alessa's revenge then why did Dahlia have control over him?Touche, lol. I didn't even think about that, well I did say IF I was correct. Both theories are plausible though IMO. Thanks for clearing it up though, cheers.

[Jenga]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p
Ditto! I was trying to read that as well and got off with exact same info! I thought that was pretty cool, but I was half expecting to see like the GameFAQs page for the game to be on the screen, lol. About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.My sentiments exactly.
I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away thinking this was a good movie. (Most critics hate it for a reason you know)Most critics also have no or close to no knowledge of the source material.And? Even if they did, I doubt they'd like it. Why do you have to have knowledge of the source to enjoy this? Do you have to be a fanboy to enjoy this? Because honestly, SH fanboys seem to be the only people that enjoyed the movie.

[Ezio]

(Most critics hate it for a reason you know)
Yes, they do.
It's based on a video game.

[Jenga]

(Most critics hate it for a reason you know)
Yes, they do.
It's based on a video game.Oh. I thought it was because of the lazy writing, plot, acting, and pacing. It's just me I guess.

[ifirit]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...


Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released. :p
Ditto. I'm going to go back tonight to watch the film again. (I got my Silent Hill T-shirt last night, so I'll wear that today. w00t!)

Anyway, it seems a little odd to be doing this now that the film has been released, but let's do another...

Silent Hill Film Update:
Official Film Site Update & Downloadable Film Clips:
Now that the film has been released, the official website has updated it's page to include some more awesome stuff. Part of this is the new PSP page filled with material that you can download onto your PSP, including actual clips from the film. (Warning: Clips may contain spoilers) In addition to downloading them, you can preview them on the website. Very cool for fanatics.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Official Film Website (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill)
Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Official Film Website - Video Clips Page (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/clips/)

Film Memorabilia, Props and Costumes Up for Bids:
In addition to the new features on the film website, you can also follow a link to bid on items from the film itself. If you collect costumes, then you'll find costumes for Rahda Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Alice Krige, Jodelle Ferland and the extras (Cult Member and Miner costumes). If props are what you seek, then you can get items like Rahda Mitchell's pendant or lighter, Laurie Holden's badge or Alice Krige's silver goblet. You can even purchase a bent metal bar ( :?: :!: :idea: ). For the film set fans, you can purchase background items such as a rusted lamp post, the Silent Hill Beautification Association trash can or some red-colored emergency lights. Too bad the prices for such things are beyond my current financial means. Oh, well, maybe you guys can enjoy them.

Premiere Props - #1 Movie Props and Memorabilia - Silent Hill (http://www.premiereprops.com/index.php/cPath/53?osCsid=c04a8706054dcba9b8dc9ae42051984d)

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers
About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.
You might have been correct about that had you considered something in addition to this: The Red Pyramid is based on the beliefs of the religion of Silent Hill. In the context of the games, the religion and the history of the town are tied together by the events that occured at the Toluca Prison and Prison Camp. However, in the film, the religion of Silent Hill (or more accurately, the cult of Silent Hill) is not shown as having a connection to the history of the prison (it's not even mentioned), being that the cult of Silent Hill follows the Puritan religion in terms of conservatism and practices. They were witch hunters, not hybrid pagan-christian worshippers. This change in the presentation of the cult fundementally changes the foundation on which it was built. Therefore, we can no longer associate the executioners of the Toluca Prison and Prison Camp with the present day beliefs of the cult of Silent Hill from the film.

Of course, we can make assumptions and other ties back to the history of Silent Hill and the cult during the U.S. Civil War, but such speculations could not be well supported since these ties were not made within the film itself. In other words, I'm not saying that it can't have the Red Pyramid because it is contradictive to the series; I'm saying that because they changed the nature of the cult, the resulting history from the games can no longer be applied. (Granted, had any one of the members of the cult who aided in the execution/purification of "witches" worn a triangle-shaped hood and robe at either of the burnings [Alessa's or Cybil's], I would have allowed for such an argument about the RP being an executioner fly.) Yet, as things are presented in the film, the Red Pyramid theory as an executioner cannot work in the context of the film. This is the primary reason why I wish to discuss the monsters from the film again now knowing the new context.

Consequently, I know that a lot of people may disagree about this, but Gans and company failed to make a strong connection between the history of Silent Hill from the games to the film. Therefore, I'm calling out for a discussion on the subject to keep this from becoming considered a continuity error.

[Aetherius]

(Most critics hate it for a reason you know)
Yes, they do.
It's based on a video game.Oh. I thought it was because of the lazy writing, plot, acting, and pacing. It's just me I guess.

I've seen a plethora of TERRIBLE movies in my time, and this is not one of them. Either you're too picky, or your opinion is the polar opposite of everyone else's, in which empassioned (but flawed) writing becomes lazy writing, plot must not exist in order to be plot, and none of the actors should ever say anything. Also, the movie should only be 3 seconds long.

[BocoDragon]

Jenga: You can't defer to the critics on this one. You just can't.

The studio didn't screen it for critics. It's a new studio policy this year to not screen genre films. In the past, not screening for critics meant it was absolute shit..... keep in mind, they did screen the RE movies..... Not screening used to mean far worse than even that.

So you're a critic, say Ebert, and you know that this is a videogame horror movie that was not screened for critics. You already "know" it's crappy, because the studio has told you so in so many words.

And on top of that, it's Silent fucking Hill, strange and ambigious as always. If you don't get it, and the studio has told you it's shit, then what are you likely to say? That it was interesting but a little confusing? No, THEY ALREADY TOLD YOU IT WAS SHIT BY NOT SCREENING IT. If you're a critic, would you dare give the benefit of the doubt..... no... it is a videogame horror movie... why appear foolish? It's probably just shallow and there's nothing to get, right?

Not screening it was a critical kiss of death, even though it was likely pulled from critic screenings because it was a little wierd, in a year when they're pulling any movie they feel like.

So the critics liked RE the movie more than SH. Does this make sense??

[Aetherius]

It wasn't screened for US critics, but it was for international critics.

The reason for this (from what I gather) is that Gans felt that the US critics wouldn't be able to handle the ambiguity, and the content.

[BocoDragon]

It wasn't screened for US critics, but it was for international critics.

The reason for this (from what I gather) is that Gans felt that the US critics wouldn't be able to handle the ambiguity, and the content.

From what I can tell, they can't. Very literal people, these critics.....

[RazorOutlaw]

Considering the way American movies are made in general, I'm not surprised as his decision. /jab

[Trygon]

After all, I think Doom ruled.
You poor, pitiful fool... :wink:
It was an action movie based on a plotless video game! It made me jump a few times, and the plot worked just well enough to keep me from groaning out loud. *laughs* I swear, people were expecting it to be as much of a landmark movie as it was a landmark game.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I thouroughly enjoyed the film, with the exception of 2 scenes near the end of the film that were so bad they were funny. But as far as capturing the feel of the games, I think Gans did an amazing job. The first half of the movie was utterly fantastic and had lots of homage to the games and a great atmosphere.

I was surprised at how good most of it was, so I came away from the theater pleased.

ifirit: I agree with what you said about the movies spawning their own sort of universe. But I disagree with the fact that you think the movie cannot be logically continued to the story of Silent Hill 2. I think they set it up PERFECTLY for a sequel based off of 2. Now you've got Christopher de Silva all alone in the "real" world thinking his wife is dead, because obviously Rose and Sharon/Alessa are now in the misty version of reality. How easy would it be to start a 2nd SH movie off with Chris receiving a letter from Rose several years down the line, telling him that she's still alive and in Silent Hill waiting for him? The stage is set, all that's needed now is for the movie to be made.

[Israfel]

It wasn't screened for US critics, but it was for international critics.

The reason for this (from what I gather) is that Gans felt that the US critics wouldn't be able to handle the ambiguity, and the content.

Actually, from what I understand the screenings were strictly up to Sony and not something that Gans was in control of.

[Israfel]

I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away thinking this was a good movie. (Most critics hate it for a reason you know)

Yeah. Nothing sucks more than seeing a film you like. Oh! how I envy the viewers who hated those two hours instead of enjoying them.

I wonder, are people watching films these days with an attitude of "entertain me, I dare ya. I betcha can't"? :P

[Aetherius]

Has anyone ever come across semi-high quality videos from the Lost Memories/Art DVD?

I'll buy it if I have to, but I'm a poor poor man.

[BocoDragon]

I wonder, are people watching films these days with an attitude of "entertain me, I dare ya. I betcha can't"? :P

[CIaude]

I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away not enjoying this.I'm sorry for the few fans who somehow came away thinking this was a good movie. (Most critics hate it for a reason you know)

Yeah. Nothing sucks more than seeing a film you like. Oh! how I envy the viewers who hated those two hours instead of enjoying them.

I wonder, are people watching films these days with an attitude of "entertain me, I dare ya. I betcha can't"? :P

My theory is that Gans made it a gore-fest as a sort of middle finger to critics such as Ebert who say video games aren't art. Even though it's (probably) not true, I like that thought and it makes me happy on the inside.

[Navi]

Can I get a list of all the game tracks used in the movie? I know a couple off the top of my head, but I'd like a list.

Also, visually stunning, amazing first half...TERRIBLE dialogue. I liked the movie a lot but I couldn't get past the constant bombardment of terribly written/conveyed dialogue.

edit: oh, yeah, what was that one industrial/hiphop sounding track that came on somewhere near the end...i think it was when the cult was leading rose to the elevator...

[Monsty]

Too busy to review/offer meaningful discussion, but my verdict is as such:

Needs more Pyramid Head.

[BocoDragon]

Also, visually stunning, amazing first half...TERRIBLE dialogue.

You're definitely not alone... I've heard this all over, but personally I didn't notice any bad lines and I'm sensitive to that kind of thing.

[Linearity]

I'm floored: the first video game movie I've seen that didn't blow any significant chunks.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I'm floored: the first video game movie I've seen that didn't blow any significant chunks.

I think, to be fair, it blew significant chunks in very small portions near the end.

[Linearity]

I should qualify: I never played Silent Hill.

I suppose the razor wire flying up from hell idea isn't completely original or fascinating. But overall, damn. I didn't think it could be done (in light of Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, etc.).

[CIaude]

Also, visually stunning, amazing first half...TERRIBLE dialogue.

You're definitely not alone... I've heard this all over, but personally I didn't notice any bad lines and I'm sensitive to that kind of thing.

I never thought it was good. But it certainly wasn't THAT bad. If I may quote Star Wars...

"I don't like sand."

Or my favorite...

"From my point of view, YOU'RE the evil one."

That's terrible dialouge.

Silent Hill's dialouge simply "wasn't good." It's not awful, it's just "not good."

Edit:I suppose the razor wire flying up from hell idea isn't completely original or fascinating. But overall, damn. I didn't think it could be done (in light of Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, etc.).

I'm not the biggest fan series, but I'm still a big fan to say the least. I love the movie. Walking out of the theater, I was conflicted on what I truly thought of the film. I can say now, with no doubt, that I loved that film. I loved every second of blood and gore. Sure the violence was... Well it was very bloody.

[BocoDragon]

Silent Hill's dialouge simply "wasn't good." It's not awful, it's just "not good."

Fair enough. Then I agree to a certain extent. It just wasn't cringe-worthy, but maybe thin and unrealistic.

Also, don't quote Anakin please :lol:

[CIaude]

I'm going to switch topics for a second here.

When I first played Silent Hill 2, I posted in this thread about it. After beating it I said I didn't like it and said that the "Water" ending was shit. This lead to flame-war between me and UE. I always thought UE was just being a dick...

Up until a couple of weeks ago when I began playing Silent Hill 2 a second time.

I'm sorry UE, I was wrong. I was very stupid. Please forgive me. :oops:

[ILLiterate]

Well that was a hell of a movie. The Dialouge wasn't terrible to me, infact I was a bit happy that the dialouge was like it was, reminded me some more of the games, made me smile

Spoilers in ( )

Did anyone notice that the movie was LOUD AS HELL? (When that baby screamed my ears hurt) Still, helped the movie out

If I had any problems at all it would be three specific ones. One, the people in the audience who didn't play the Silent Hill games where annoying as hell. They didn't get the plot, laughed at some monsters, and other gay gay gay actions where made by them. Two would have to do with the ending. (When Sean Bean's character is at home and notices the door is open, I thought he was going to look outside and see the car had returned, but instead I got a lame bush D:) Three would be where is Kaufmann?

(Also I'm as to why the alternate world of Silent Hill still exists at the end of the movie when the revenge is completed, can anyone explain for me?)

[Aetherius]

Oh, I just remembered something.

Spoiler:
Did anyone else think it was a little goofy how they had Rose drop her knife as she jumped between buildings? It was just like in the games where its 'you use an item, you lose it', since she'd used it to rip the painting. I just thought it was a little silly to do that, since there was really nothing else she could have done with the knife.

EasyP, nobody knows why the movie ended with the foggy dimension still existing. It's pretty ridiculous. The only explanation is that there were plans for a sequel, Roger Avery is dumb, and that they died in the car crash, making the whole movie a pointless venture.

Kauffman does not appear in the movie, as this movie is not a direct adaptation of the game, so Kauffman's character was unnecessary. In a sense, his character is almost replaced by (spoiler) Colin, who rapes/molests alessa (possibly impregnating her...)

[ILLiterate]

^ ha yea, all my friends and me had a good laugh out of it (The knife part that is)

[UnforgivingEdges]

I'm going to switch topics for a second here.

When I first played Silent Hill 2, I posted in this thread about it. After beating it I said I didn't like it and said that the "Water" ending was shit. This lead to flame-war between me and UE. I always thought UE was just being a dick...

Up until a couple of weeks ago when I began playing Silent Hill 2 a second time.

I'm sorry UE, I was wrong. I was very stupid. Please forgive me. :oops:

:P

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Was anybody else reminded of Jenga (or at least his sig) when Christabell got raped and mutuilated?

[ifirit]

I should qualify: I never played Silent Hill.Speaking of bad dialogue...

Warning: Silent Hill and Silent Hill Spoilers
(Also I'm as to why the alternate world of Silent Hill still exists at the end of the movie when the revenge is completed, can anyone explain for me?)EasyP, nobody knows why the movie ended with the foggy dimension still existing. It's pretty ridiculous. The only explanation is that there were plans for a sequel, Roger Avery is dumb, and that they died in the car crash, making the whole movie a pointless venture.
The ending seems to be a culmination of both the Good and the Bad Ending from the original Silent Hill. As you may be aware, the Bad Ending occurs when you fail to save Cybil and Kaufman, who aid in helping Harry escape from Nowhere. In this Bad Ending, Harry feels that he has completely lost all hope of rescuing his daughter and gives up. The resulting scene is one where we see an unconscious Harry behind the wheel of his Jeep, bleeding from the forehead (presumably dead). This ending suggests many things, such as Harry's adventure was simply the dream before his death, exposing his inner fears; that Harry's inability to save Cheryl/Alessa (and as a result himself) caused him to die in the "real world;" or even that he gets sent back to the beginning of his adventure to try again, assuming that the crash didn't actually kill him. The Good Ending is the ending that occurs where Harry was able to save Kaufman, who, in turn, was able to release the Incubus from Alessa. Because Harry then killed the god, this allowed Alessa to escape from Dahlia's confinement spell in a new form as she and her world collapsed.

In the film, however, the construction of the worlds is somewhat different than in the game. While both the Misty and the Alternate worlds are considered creations by Alessa/Cheryl/Incubus in the games, it seems that only the Dark World was created by Alessa, while the Misty world is a separate entity that Alessa/Dark Alessa cannot control (which is why Dark Alessa has to hide within the body of Rose in order to enter the church). It seems that the cult of Silent Hill is able to repel the darkness created by Alessa with their prayers. So, Alessa/Dark Alessa/Sharon cannot control this world, which probably means that they cannot escape it (at least I think Dark Alessa is not able to entirely escape). Dark Alessa attempts to escape from Silent Hill after Alessa's revenge is completed by possessing Sharon. However, while it doesn't create the Dark World of Alessa's nightmares, Sharon is still unable to escape the Misty World.

From a personal interpretation, it appears to me that Rose realizing that she has become "damned" and unable to escape the Misty limbo that she and Sharon are in, begins to deny her fate and heads home, leaving Dahlia to regret her mistakes without the release of true death. Sharon, now possessed by a Dark Alessa, has lost her innocence and is no longer the cheerful, smiling girl that Rose once knew. Yet, Rose will continue to be her mother, as all mothers bear their young. Still, seeing as that she has lost all that she loved she returns to her home to see out the rest of her existance near her beloved as is interpretted from Rose's final action (sitting on the chair across from Christopher). Rose shares a fate similar to Dahlia and will not meet a true death, yet she can live with her guilt near those that she loved. A sad, but beautifully quiet ending.

[Aetherius]

That's a nice interpretation, ifrit, but What's rose guilty of? Helping the Dark Alessa? Why is that a problem? It seemed to me that all of the other people were guilty of creating the dark Alessa. Why shouldn't she be able to come home? Why is the misty reality even separate from the reality that Christopher lives in? It doesn't seem to be that way in the games.

[ILLiterate]

Why is the misty reality even separate from the reality that Christopher lives in? It doesn't seem to be that way in the games.
To my understanding, it isn't that way in the games, but I believe it helps the movie because if this where the case everyone could enter the true Silent Hill, when Silent Hill only opens its doors to those who it wants inside them

EDIT:

Oh, I finally finally think I understand the ending completely

(Rose is dead, she had been stabbed in the real world, and for that she is dead. As soon as Dark Alissa comes out of her blood they land in the SH world where Alissa has the power to heal Rose and does. THIS is why they cannot leave Misty Silent Hill because they are dead in the real world yet Dark Alissa wants Rose to continue to live somehow with her daughter, the only way would be to keep the Misty world of Silent Hill alive and disgard the Dark Silent Hill as there is no use to it anymore)

[Monobrow]

Just want to say that I'd never put my faith into a movie critic, especially Ebert. The guy gave Rugrats in Paris twice as many stars. He's trite, full of himself, and he doesn't give a shit.

Anyway, I think this movie was better than any other video game movie I've seen, but I think it could have been so much better, honestly. There was just so much potential...And I think Gans made some "bad" choices in what to focus on part of the time. And I think the original cult storyline was much more enthralling. Anyway, I guess my expectations were too high...Then again, at least Konami made some money off of this. :)

[Zarggg]

Maybe it's because I never played the games, but I actually liked this movie.

[benevolensaurus]

Maybe it's because I never played the games, but I actually liked this movie.

Same.

Some notes, though (SPOILERS):
The nurses' "Thriller" shuffle, haha. Seriously, though, it looked too natural. Like people trying to be monsters, instead of actual monsters. They should have been less fluid, more jerky.

Pyramid Head was pretty awesome. That makes me want to play Silent Hill for real. I thought his inclusion was appropriate enough. If he was being controlled by Dahlia, and she's the mother of Alessa, it makes sense that Dahlia would want revenge as well. Although it doesn't make sense why it attacks Rose and Cybil, then. How do we know it's controlled by Dahlia, though? I don't remember her making any deals with demons, and I didn't see any indications of PH being Dahlia-controlled. It didn't attack her, yeah, but that could be due to Alessa's control as well. When I watched it, I just figured PH was another part of the nightmare reality spawned by Alessa. Oh well, his scenes were still cool.

That organ music at the end. Baaaad. Speaking of which, those tentacle wires weren't the most creative or demonic things ever either.

The puritan-esque cult was kind of cliche, I thought. I'm not familiar with the original SH cult, but it sounds like it was more interesting than what was in this movie. I agree, the movie cult was like that Monty Python scene... only they were trying to be serious.

Overall, I liked it, but moreso before they met the cult than after. There's something about large groups of (relatively) normal people in a horror movie, near the protagonist, which is a big no-no for me. The protagonist needs isolation. It's much scarier when the protagonist is alone. I think it would have been better if they developed the plot more subtly, like with brief documents about the cult and what they did to Alessa. Or maybe just a random cult member here or there, being insane and/or trying to kill something. Certainly not a large group, though. Baaaad.

Nice graphics, too. The music was fitting and quite good, I thought (mostly). Being unfamiliar with the games, I didn't know some of it was from the original SH soundtrack. The fact that I didn't notice any out of place-ness (well, except for... see above) shows that recycling the SH track worked just fine, despite how strange it might seem to people already familiar with it. Also, I didn't mind them reusing the same theme more than once. They do that in lots of movies, games, etc. I know Jeremy Soule always does it. You listen to some of his battle music from games like Dungeon Siege, Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind, etc., and lots of times he throws in the main theme for effect. I think most of us here consider Jeremy Soule to be a pretty accomplished musician. If the music was exactly the same in multiple places (I wasn't paying enough attention to detail to notice whether or not that was the case), I guess that's less excusable, but I see that happen relatively often too (K-Pax comes to mind. Maybe not exactly the same, but very similar pieces of music at various different places throughout the movie. I liked that soundtrack too, by the way).

But yeah, I liked the movie. Good stuff overall. One of the best VG movies I've seen so far.

[Nulion]

Hmm...more or less everything that can be said about the movie has already been said...And yeah, I thought it was great too :D

Anyway...I found something kinda interesting for Oblivion while snooping around in the forums down there. Apparently, someone is making a mod for Pyramid Head armor. I think I mentioned this before but it was only a weird idea someone threw out, but now the guy has some pictures.

Sure, it doesn't fit Oblivion one bit, but it could be fun running around in PH armor killing everything with that knife! ;)

Pyramid Head Armor and Knife Mod (http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=396070)

Not gonna link directly to the pics as it's Imageshack and they have a tendency to always have bandwidth issues...So just go there and look on the first page. Two pics at the first post, and further down there's 4 more or so.

[binster]

Just wanted to chime in with my thoughts.

The film's ace! It has bad bits, but as a complete thing it's wonderfully horrid. :)

SPOILERS : (How do I do white text?)

I wasn't keen on the nurses role in this film. I think these nurses were modelled on the nurses from SH2 - all sexy and busty. That worked in that game due to the overall themes of lust and that, but here they seemed out of place.

SPOILERS END

Does Christopher Gans have an email address? I want to write to him and thank him for this film. </FANBOY MODE>

[tekkdeath]

It seems this discussion has been going on for sometime lol but I'd like to put my 2 cents in for the movie.
Spilers obviously:
Gamewise I was kind of disappointed in how they adapted the movie. The plot made no sense as they mixed in random things fromSH1, 2, and 3. Pyramid Head (or as my friends like to call him in the movie "triangular prism head") was a completely useless monster. He had been reduced to an ambient silent hill monster and lost all psychological value he had in the 2nd game. I don't know why they changed Dhalia to being a good person when in the games it was her fault for setting Alessa on fire in order to give birth to god. Alessa didn't even exist for the reason she did in the game. The cult wanted to kill her because she had no father when, if I remember correctly, they really wanted to keep her alive to focus her anger and hate to help give birth to god. Even looking away from the game storylines the ending made no sense at all. Silent Hill had no reason to exist anymore and Alessa could die happily after exacting revenge.

Overall it was a decent adaptation of a game to movie. They could have done alot better in my opinion (Pyramid Head's entrance made him look kinda pathetic shuffliny through cockroaches) and maybe make the movie a bit more coherent. None the less I enjoyed it purely because I got to see Pyramid Head (and the crucified miner was pretty cool) and will probably get it on DVD when it comes out purely because I'm a SH fan.

[Razumen]

I wasn't keen on the nurses role in this film. I think these nurses were modelled on the nurses from SH2 - all sexy and busty. That worked in that game due to the overall themes of lust and that, but here they seemed out of place.

I dunno,

They could relate to alessa's stay in the hospital, where a lot of the nurses were good looking young women. After a while she starts to become jealous and even hate them and thus spawns perversions of them in her realm - Who knows, maybe some of them were actual people at one time, like the janitor in the bathroom.

Heh, they really did seem to throw aspects from all the games into the movie.

I don't think Dahlia had direct control over PH, it seemed to me that he only attacked Anna because Alessa would naturally obey her mother.

The cult aspect of the movie, while consistent with the story of the games, conflicts with the general practice of the game, which is to limit the amount of actual human characters interacting at once to a bare minimum to emphasise the isolation. I suppose it was necessary for the movie, but I felt they lingered on too long in the church and the movie ended too quickly afterwords. Such a large gathering of people should be hard to come by and quick to disperse or lose in the Silent Hill realm

[Dj_Qbert]

Loved the movie. Piramyd head was baddass. I also experienced stupid audience members who laughed at every scene. I really had to control myself not to punch them in the heart. There was funny parts though but you can tell when the rest of the theater is laughing. I really liked the part when she runs into the garbadge can, its like the video games and the bad camera angles. I really liked the music beforhand so I dont see how it can become bad in the movie. Im definatly going to go see it agian in theaters. Hopefully there wont be any clowns.

[CE]

Loved the movie. Piramyd head was baddass. I also experienced stupid audience members who laughed at every scene. I really had to control myself not to punch them in the heart. There was funny parts though but you can tell when the rest of the theater is laughing. I really liked the part when she runs into the garbadge can, its like the video games and the bad camera angles. I really liked the music beforhand so I dont see how it can become bad in the movie. Im definatly going to go see it agian in theaters. Hopefully there wont be any clowns.

You have GOT to teach me that move. Does it involve a scalpel?

[BocoDragon]

I told some kids to shut up at my screening :lol:

[RamRod]

I told some kids to shut up at my screening :lol:

Not here. In fact, this was the first movie in looooooong time where I didn't hear a single cell phone go off or I didn't have to shush somebody. Or throw something at somebody for not being quiet.

[Kiyosuki]

Alrighty, its been a while since I touched this thread.

Prepare for a long post because I have a lot to say.

First of all....I think if you go into this trying to compare it to the games it won't make too much sense. You have to think of this as its own thing. I know its hard...but if you think of it on its own it does actually make sense.

My take on what happens.

SPOILER!

I think "foggy" Silent Hill is literally limbo in the movie. The place between the world of the living and the afterlife where spirits with unfinished business go.

Remember when Gucci says that staying in Silent Hill for too long would kill someone because of the fumes? I believe this was said for a reason, a lot of people forgot about it. I think personally...Rose and Sharon died in the car. Cybil died on the motorcycle...thats why Rose looks at it with this sort of realizing look at the end.

What I think happened is that they spent too much time unconscious and the fumes killed them. Remember when Rose points out that Cybil had a nasty looking injury on her head? Cybil looked surprised...like she didn't notice. I think Cybil's soul was in limbo because she didn't realize she was dead. Later on...she stays in limbo until her unfortunate fate because of her sense of duty to protect the innocent...Rose and her daughter here namely. Thats why Gucci makes this big deal about how Cybil stayed with the boy throughout the night, she's a rare officer dedicated to her duty. Thats her sole reason for being there.

Here's what I believe is going on in the town. Whoever the "other girl" is...I think its either Samael or maybe even Death incarnate itself. I'll get into that later...but anyways, the other girl lured Rose and Sharon to Silent Hill so they could die...and their souls be stuck in limbo so she/it could execute its plans. Remember...all the cult members are dead...its said so in the very dialogue. This is a huge hint to whats happening. I think what happened is that they all died in the fire...but their pious...zealous refusal to admit that they are both dead and damned has allowed them to avoid going to hell (or whatever fate awaits after limbo) because they refuse to admit their sins. Only Dahlia admits hers...but Alessa doesn't want Dahlia judged because she's "god" to her no matter how wraithful Alessa is.

The mysterious being comes to Alessa as she's dying because it knows that these souls who tortured her are avoiding their judgement (judgement is said throughout the film) and together with Alessa...the being twists the limbo Silent Hill into a constantly dark place full of monsters in order to slowly pick at them. But no matter what they can never get into the church...the cult's place of protection against their damned fate. So the being sends out a living embodyment of all thats good in Alessa...all thats left of her goodness and its adopted by Rose. Its all part of the being's plan to get to the cult's souls.

Once Rose is there, Alessa and the being guide her through all her perils without her knowing until everything worked out the way it did. They got Rose into the Church because she could go in there...and all Rose had to do was lay just one single little thread of doubt in all the cultists and the being and Alessa were free to let loose their wraith on the cultists. Perhaps for the being...it was so he could simply clean out limbo. I think death doesn't like the idea of souls cheating their judgement.

Think about it, it all makes sense. Thats why Rose is treated like a haunting to Christopher both when he's in town and at the end. Now one thing someone will probably say to challenge this is that they didn't find the bodies of the three girls in the car/motorcycle. But remember..Chris says so himself, "your hiding something". Notice how Gucci is so desperate to get Chris out of the area? What if its a cover up and they did find them...? But because of the spooky events of long ago the police and people of Brahams covered up the whole thing so no mention of the cult could escape. The way Gucci exits his role in the film is so abrupt...it almost feels like he was rushing Chris out of there so he wouldn't find out. I mean...his wife and daughter are missing yet Gucci sort of treats that like a second-fiddle. What if he cared more about protecting the cover up than the lives of the two girls and his very own officer? What if the cult's notorious exploits were that prolific?

In the end...when Rose's purpose is done...I think the ending could be one of two things.

1.) Rose doesn't realize she's dead, and she's stuck in limbo because of that. She suspects it...hense her defeated look in the end...but she's stuck there. Maybe on a dark note...because the being is bored. We have to remember that while Sharon is one body, she has a fragmented soul. If they were in limbo...perhaps fragments of Sharon, Alessa, and the being combined into one hense her disturbing look in the end.
2.) This is my personal favorite explanation. What if Rose didn't realize she was dead...but the sight of the bike and a few other hints sparked the realization...but in the end Rose's only unfinished business was to make it home with Sharon. Maybe the little girl in the car was Sharon, Alessa and the being combined into one as stated in the previous theory. As sort of a morbid gratitude for helping it, the being helps guide Rose home so she can be complete. In the end...when she sits on the couch and the girl leaves...her job finished...she just looks outside...then we go to Christopher looking around the house. What if...Rose exited limbo then and went to the afterlife? Her job was technically done.

When Cybil is burned earlier, she exits limbo that way so in a way she gets off good if this is the explanation. Thats why she says the cult's in their own hell...she maybe realizes then whats going on and just accepts it. It doesn't even matter.

Thats my take on what happened in the film.

Not hiding this but MORE SPOILERS

Now on the film itself...it is by far the best game adaptation yet although it still suffered from some problems. First of all...I while Gans did the game great justice in the film as far as atmosphere goes...he still suffered from the problem so many directors who do game movies suffer...they treat it too much like a "video game movie" rather than just a "movie". Its based on something, you have to take some liberties in order to successfully translate it over to film. Now at first...he did this in an exceptional way...even the recreated legendary scene in the first part where Rose is assaulted by the little demons, thats taken straight out of SH1 was done quite well. As you guys said though...when we got to the cult the pacing got awkward. The film lost that isolated feel that the games are so well known for. Thats sort of rectified in the end by the possible explanation of the plot though...but I think another problem is that the monster's are treated too much like events.

Like the nurses for example. Why stuff them all into one single little corridor for one scene? I think it would of been much more effective to have some build up...like Rose walking down a dark corridor then suddenlly...just out of random there's one of those horrid things. The monster in the closet trick, its what makes Silent Hill so unforgetable in terror. Gans should of used that to greater extent.

Now as for the Pyramid Head...I have an explantion for that. I think it may offer some new light onto the story of the games. Maybe...the Pyramid Head is wandering judgement in limbo. It may take the same ugly form...but it comes at people in different ways depending on their shame. Thats why it is the way it is to James...and her it hunts down souls ready for judgement. Now why it was attacking Cybil and Rose I can't say...maybe it just doesn't differentiate. Its blind justice.

One thing though...is that I think when the bed with Alessa comes out at the end in the Church, am I not the only one that thinks that would of been the PERFECT time for a small army of Pyramid Heads to come out from hell and "judge" the cult? That would of been far more prolific and horrific than the barbed wires. It would of cemented their role as limbo's judgement...used by death (or Samael) itself as weapons against the damned.

I know her death is prolific, but I think Cybil's death was a bit unecessary. Maybe its my small bit of bias...but I kind of wish Cybil was allowed to exit the film on a more dignified note than being burned at the stake (and in such a graphic way too). I think if they all are really dead, keeping Cybil around...to eventually finish her business in limbo then leave would of been much more of a punch to the face for the viewer...realizing they're all dead. Imagine...Rose thanking Cybil afterwards for helping...whom says some cryptic line about finishing up... then speeds off on her bike. Then later on...Rose passing the empty crashed bike like it was always there. Would that have not been an awsome scene?

Then all the gratuitous amounts of gore in the end...I think it was totally over the top. The games were never about horrific gore although it certainly packed a punch. This seemed more...mindless though. It was Gans' big no no of the film I thought. If he was to show the grusomeness of the damned punishment...I think using Pyramid Head would of been far more effective even with gore.

All and all...it was a great film but the ending tried to wrap itself up too fast. I think if any of the above were done it would of wrapped up in a more clean...and errilly beautiful way more accessable for the audience. But I hope this is a benchmark for future game adaptations...the sub-genre's gotta escape from its menial fate sometime with at least one film.

[danny B]

I want my 9 dollars back.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Now as for the Pyramid Head...I have an explantion for that. I think it may offer some new light onto the story of the games. Maybe...the Pyramid Head is wandering judgement in limbo. It may take the same ugly form...but it comes at people in different ways depending on their shame. Thats why it is the way it is to James...and her it hunts down souls ready for judgement. Now why it was attacking Cybil and Rose I can't say...maybe it just doesn't differentiate. Its blind justice.

I got to see the movie again and I thought about PH's exsistance in this.

Spoilers:

I believe that the monsters are instruments of Alessa's revenege. PH fit's in perfect, he's the resemblance of an executioner, executioners execute criminals, what the people did to Alessa was a crime.

Living in Silent Hill, she more than likely knew about the executioners of the old days and modeled a monster after them and used it to kill those that sinned against her.

The monsters were attacking everyone in Silent Hill except Dahilia. My guess as to why they were attacking Rose and Cybil was because the monsters didn't know that weren't of the cult yet... either that or it was somekind of trail.

As for when PH appeared when Dahilia gave Anna the 'horns', I'm betting it's because Dahilia knew Anna was going to be punished for what she did (throwing stones at her and such) but had nothing to do with PH showing up.

I think I had more to this but I can't remember.

[Aetherius]

Blah blah blah they're all dead.

You fail at silent hill. If your theory's true, Gans didn't understand the game at all.

[Raenok]

I only saw the beginning and end of the movie (Went to see Scary Movie 4). The church scene? Bad-ass. That's what they get for shunning a child who only wanted to be accepted.

Then again, I'm not sure Alyssa was eveil to begin with...

[Kiyosuki]

Blah blah blah they're all dead.

You fail at silent hill. If your theory's true, Gans didn't understand the game at all.

I fail at Silent Hill? Mmmm...ok.

The fact is, is that since the series is so interpretive...if any of us made a movie half of SH's fanbase wouldn't like it because its "not in line with the games". As I said...you have to sort of look at it as its own thing. You can't expect everyone to look at it the way you yourself do.

[Ezio]

On another note, Silent Hill made the most money this weekend, earning $20.2 million.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/23/boxoffice.ap/index.html

[Bahamut]

On another note, Silent Hill made the most money this weekend.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/23/boxoffice.ap/index.html

Strange, there was like no one in the theater when I saw it earlier today.

[Calpis]

I was surprised. I went to see the movie again today and the theater was packed once the movie started. That's saying a lot for a movie based on a videogame in Utah on Sunday afternoon.

[Kiyosuki]

On another note, Silent Hill made the most money this weekend.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/23/boxoffice.ap/index.html

Strange, there was like no one in the theater when I saw it earlier today.

Mmmm, my theatre was packed to capacity believe it or not. People were sitting in the ailways.

When a friend of mine saw it, he said his was very crowded too.

Ohhh...it could be a moderate financial success.

[Aetherius]

I was surprised. I went to see the movie again today and the theater was packed once the movie started. That's saying a lot for a movie based on a videogame in Utah on Sunday afternoon.

Mormons love puritan cults, rape and gore, didn't you know?

[Navi]

edit: oh, yeah, what was that one industrial/hiphop sounding track that came on somewhere near the end...i think it was when the cult was leading rose to the elevator...

[Manic Cinq]

myf, I could be wrong, but I think it's "I'll Kill You" - SH1 OST track 22

Edit: It's "Dance With Night Wind" from Silent Hill 3 (Track 13).

I think. That could be it, too. I don't remember now. But they're both great tracks anyway. "Dance With Night Wind" has a good piano part and "I'll Kill You" has really cool drums.

[Ezio]

It's "Dance With Night Wind" from Silent Hill 3 (Track 13).

I think.

[Navi]

It's "Dance With Night Wind" from Silent Hill 3 (Track 13).

I think.

sounds like it might be it. can't remember now.

[Skilless]

This is one of the better videogame to movie makes ive seen. The acting was really bad in my opinion however the sound was awesome. Silent Hill is know for its good sound effect and that was prominent in the movie for me. I never played the 1st Silent Hill but i know alot of the stuff from the second game was in the movie seeing that the 1st and 2nd games are based out of Silent Hill. Even the gap between the buildings at the hotel was there. I was sort of confused at the end but after reading some of your posts it all makes sence now and I kind of feel dumb for not realizing what was happening. Id like to see them make another.

On a side note - I watched this movie with the WORST audience ever! fist of all there was a lady who brought her 6 year old to the movie. Not only was it a midnight showing but Silent Hill is know for its creepy images. Its beyond me as to why she brought her kid. Needless to say the kid cryed through most of the movie until everyone in the theatre told her to take her kid out. Then there was the guy who had to yell out 'LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU' or 'YOU SHOULD HAVE CLOSED THE DOOR' the whole entire movie. Im a passive person but I wanted to blind side this guy with my fist after hearing a hour and a half of his fucking commentary.

[Legion303]

That was the worst movie I've seen all year.

Seriously, what a steaming load of shit.

Spoilers, I guess:

Sony: "Hey, let's introduce the radio static plot device at the very beginning, then never mention it again, because building suspense would be a bad thing for a horror movie!"

Me: "Go fuck yourself, Sony."

Sony: "Also, we should subsitute buckets of blood for the creepy suspense that was used more effectively in the games."

Me: "Please die."

Sony: "Say, is your autistic cousin available to do some editing? We'd like to jump from scene to scene without making much sense or giving any explanation as to why the characters are acting the way they do."

Me: "Yeah, I noticed that discontinuity. Eat shit."

Sony: "While we're at it, we're going to make some really stupid and arbitrary changes, like the little girl's name. Marketing indicates more little girls will identify with a 'Sharon' than they would with a 'Cheryl,' hence buying more Burger King Silent Hill collector's cups."

Me: "You suck."

The two good things about it were the nurse scene and the fact that the protagonist is a hottie. The nurse scene lasts about 90 seconds, and I bet there are pictures of the hottie protagonist on IMDB, so take that into consideration before you spend money here.

Edit: I forgot the

Cybil: "I'm keeping you at bay with this gun, but it's just a bluff. Here, I'll prove it...*click*...see? Oops, I probably should have thought that one through a bit more."

-steve

[Aetherius]

awww steve. :( your staunchness disappoints me.

[speculative]

I'm with Steve. What a flaming pile of horse poop.

Ebert's review is illiminating: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/REVIEWS/60421001 The only real draw to this movie would be horror film fans, or people who have played the game. I only played 3, not 1 or 2, so I had not idea what the plot would be. To me, the story had absolutely no point. There was no suspense. Nothing made me care about the characters. I could have written a better script in an afternoon. Not worth the money. However, I went in just wanting to see how they turned the game into a film, not expecting something great anyways.

Edit: In fact, the movie was so bad that now I have absolutely no desire to play SH1 or SH2.

[Merk]

That was the worst movie I've seen all year.

Seriously, what a steaming load of shit.

Spoilers, I guess:

Sony: "Hey, let's introduce the radio static plot device at the very beginning, then never mention it again, because building suspense would be a bad thing for a horror movie!"

Me: "Go fuck yourself, Sony."

Sony: "Also, we should subsitute buckets of blood for the creepy suspense that was used more effectively in the games."

Me: "Please die."

Sony: "Say, is your autistic cousin available to do some editing? We'd like to jump from scene to scene without making much sense or giving any explanation as to why the characters are acting the way they do."

Me: "Yeah, I noticed that discontinuity. Eat shit."

Sony: "While we're at it, we're going to make some really stupid and arbitrary changes, like the little girl's name. Marketing indicates more little girls will identify with a 'Sharon' than they would with a 'Cheryl,' hence buying more Burger King Silent Hill collector's cups."

Me: "You suck."

The two good things about it were the nurse scene and the fact that the protagonist is a hottie. The nurse scene lasts about 90 seconds, and I bet there are pictures of the hottie protagonist on IMDB, so take that into consideration before you spend money here.

Edit: I forgot the

Cybil: "I'm keeping you at bay with this gun, but it's just a bluff. Here, I'll prove it...*click*...see? Oops, I probably should have thought that one through a bit more."

-steve

Is that really all Sony's fault though? Wouldn't it make more sense to be angry at Gans?

Ebert's review is illiminating...

Do you expect any critic to give a HORROR movie based off a VIDEO GAME that wasn't SCREENED beforehand good reviews?

I'm not saying it was a work of art, just that those three things probably gave the rating before the movie even started.

[Aetherius]

I'm with Steve. What a flaming pile of horse poop.

Ebert's review is illiminating: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/REVIEWS/60421001 The only real draw to this movie would be horror film fans, or people who have played the game. I only played 3, not 1 or 2, so I had not idea what the plot would be. To me, the story had absolutely no point. There was no suspense. Nothing made me care about the characters. I could have written a better script in an afternoon. Not worth the money. However, I went in just wanting to see how they turned the game into a film, not expecting something great anyways.

Edit: In fact, the movie was so bad that now I have absolutely no desire to play SH1 or SH2.

Anyone else wanna cry with me over this one?

edit: Gans had a big 'fuck you' to say to Ebert before Ebert had even written his review. I say the same.

[CIaude]

Edit: In fact, the movie was so bad that now I have absolutely no desire to play SH1 or SH2.
Good, I don't want you tainting my games.

[ifirit]

Blah blah blah they're all dead.
You fail at silent hill. If your theory's true, Gans didn't understand the game at all.
I'm going to have to back Kiyosuki on this one, because his understanding of both the film and the series is beyond accurate. However, you have to consider that the script and the resulting story was written by Roger Avary, a casual gamer introduced to Silent Hill by Gans. It may be that they did understand the series somewhat, but when they strayed outside the familiar, the story fell apart, because the original story of Silent Hill is so intricately interconnected. I do differ with Kiyosuki on some things about the ending, but for the most part I agree, which I guess would mean that Gans' grasp on the story was not conveyed on the screen, if he truly did grasp it.

With that said, Gans has stated that unless the film is huge success among its fans, he will not be returning for a second film. (Don't interpret that as being that a second film won't exist, but that Gans will not likely be attached.)

Spoilers, I guess:

Sony: "Hey, let's introduce the radio static plot device at the very beginning, then never mention it again, because building suspense would be a bad thing for a horror movie!"

Me: "Go fuck yourself, Sony."

Sony: "Also, we should subsitute buckets of blood for the creepy suspense that was used more effectively in the games."

Me: "Please die."

Sony: "Say, is your autistic cousin available to do some editing? We'd like to jump from scene to scene without making much sense or giving any explanation as to why the characters are acting the way they do."

Me: "Yeah, I noticed that discontinuity. Eat shit."
Make sure you replace Sony with Davis Films, since Tristar, followed by Sony, didn't pick up the film until the script was finalized and production had already begun.

Sony: "While we're at it, we're going to make some really stupid and arbitrary changes, like the little girl's name. Marketing indicates more little girls will identify with a 'Sharon' than they would with a 'Cheryl,' hence buying more Burger King Silent Hill collector's cups."

Me: "You suck."
Really?! They've got collector's cups at Burger King?! [/j/k]
Sharon was a directorial change made for the film, to not only differentiate the character from the game, but from what I have heard, be a reference to a famous french actress, much as Cheryl is a reference to Sheryl Lee, a well-known actress in North America. I've forgotten who the other actress was, but regardless, the change was not arbitrary. Still, why complain about the name "Sharon," when Rose's original concept name was "Harriet?"

Edit: In fact, the movie was so bad that now I have absolutely no desire to play SH1 or SH2.
The games are way better than the film, in my own opinion. The only person that you are cheating by avoiding them, is yourself. I say this especially after what you've written about the film bogarting suspense and tension for gore. The original Silent Hill was a masterpiece of terror. I still can't play that game at night, by myself, with the lights out. Though most people can't tolerate the last generation graphics, it's still worth playing, multiple times. The updated version is going to appear on the PSP this summer at E3. So, make sure to keep an eye on that.

The follow-up, Silent Hill 2, is a work of art, from it's story to the character interactions to the monster designs to atmosphere and music. It inspires a bevy of emotions: fear, love, hatred, compassion, regret, realization, and so much in between. There's a reason why this game is a fan favorite. Takayoshi Sato is true artisan. It's too bad that his lack of skills with money and budgets lead him to get fired. Hopefully, EA will treat him better. Check out GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (http://www.ea.com/official/goldeneye/rogue/us/home.jsp) for a sample of his subsequent work with EA, or visit his website (http://www.satoworks.com/).

[Eccles]

Y'know, as much as some people complain about it I don't mind the use of music the film.

I felt really happy when the main theme/hometown blasted through the surround speakers...I hadn't heard it played like that since Chris rigged his PS1 up to the projector and we played SH1 on the big screen. I also thought it was pretty badass when Tears of pain came through at the end.

The only problem I had with it...is how I kept hearing "I'm looking for mama" and such during the film. or maybe that was my desperate need to substitute actual speech in for "Mew!" "Mew!" "Meow!" "Mrow!"

[Aetherius]

I'm going to have to back Kiyosuki on this one, because his understanding of both the film and the series is beyond accurate. However, you have to consider that the script and the resulting story was written by Roger Avary, a casual gamer introduced to Silent Hill by Gans. It may be that they did understand the series somewhat, but when they strayed outside the familiar, the story fell apart, because the original story of Silent Hill is so intricately interconnected. I do differ with Kiyosuki on some things about the ending, but for the most part I agree, which I guess would mean that Gans' grasp on the story was not conveyed on the screen, if he truly did grasp it.

I understand that Gans has played the game, and that Avary has too, but my quarrel is with the idea that What happens in silent hill in the movie is just a cop out 'it was all a dream' ending, rather than reality. It seems to me like maybe they got the bad ending one too many times, and thought it was the real one.

I can accept them all being dead if and only if they'd intended a sequel based on Silent Hill 2, using Sean Bean's Character as James. However, until that sequel appears, I reject the literal-metaphorical heaven/hell/purgatory interpretation entirely.

[binster]

Edit: I forgot the

Cybil: "I'm keeping you at bay with this gun, but it's just a bluff. Here, I'll prove it...*click*...see? Oops, I probably should have thought that one through a bit more."

-steve

Got to pick you up on that one at least. Did you notice the way Cybil was smiling when she pulled the trigger? My reading of it was that she knew the gun was empty, but equally she knew Rose had to get in that lift. When Rose was safely on the descent, she had won. They could beat her all they wanted, she'd done what she had to. Hence, the smile and the click. I thought it was beautifully done.

I doubt that'll make a difference to what you think of the film, but I thought it needed pointing out.

[Aetherius]

...Has there ever been any discussion on the "Born from a wish" scenario? I think I'd like to delve into that.

[speculative]

Just curious - if you liked the film, what specifically did you like about it? (Besides the fact that it's tied to a game.)

[Manic Cinq]

Just curious - if you liked the film, what specifically did you like about it? (Besides the fact that it's tied to a game.)
I'm not sure I would like it if it weren't for the video game connection. I probably would still like it since I like horror movies. People seem to keep saying that only horror & game fans can enjoy this movie, but I don't see that as being a bad thing. I am a horror & game fan and I do enjoy this movie. I'm not a fan of war-films, but that doesn't make all war-films intrinsically bad. Anyway, things I liked in the movie were things I already liked from the games and without them the movie might have little left over. I doubt there will be a "perfect" game->film conversion of anything ever. Unless money is not a factor; but money is always a factor. The people with the money aren't the artists, and if they were, they'd probably have some "vision" to shape the product into.

...Has there ever been any discussion on the "Born from a wish" scenario? I think I'd like to delve into that.

Like what? The rebirth connection? Or the side-characters introduced in it? How rich the family owning that mansion was?

I've recently been reading theories about Xuchilbara & Lobsel Vith
ex: Xuchilbara = Valtiel = rebirth = butterflies = Maria

stuff like that. I think the sub-scenario just cements some theories about Maria. Unless there's more to it.

[Israfel]

Just curious - if you liked the film, what specifically did you like about it? (Besides the fact that it's tied to a game.)

Well, in my case, I couldn't care less that it's based on game. I watched it as a horror film, not as a "video game movie." But anyway, here's a post I did on another forum that explains why I like the film. I assume you'll disagree with my reasoning, but that's fine. :P

I'm a big fan of horror movies and I really liked this one.

One thing that I feel needs to be stressed is that Silent Hill is not a drama; those who consider good character development and/or plot to be necessary for a film to be well-done are not going to enjoy this, or indeed, a great many other horror films (aside from horror/dramas à la The Others, Sixth Sense, Jacob's Ladder etc.)

Like many horror movies, Silent Hill is almost entirely about the visuals. And even the negative reviews admit that this film has some amazing imagery. The problem is, rather than seeing the visuals (and the atmosphere they create) as the main course, the reviewers are inclined to toss them aside as a superficial garnish. This sets them up to dislike the film and it is perhaps largely responsible not only for the bad reviews that this movie in particular is receiving, but for the poor reception of most non-drama horror in general (for instance, Wolf Creek, High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes and Saw I/II: all recent horror films that are generally highly regarded among genre fans but rate in the 30%-50% range on rottentomatoes).

Think of the 70's Argento film, Suspiria--a major horror release and something of a minor classic even outside the genre. But why is it well-liked? Surely not for the poorly dubbed dialogue, the paper-thin characters or the thoroughly uninteresting plot. No, it's a classic because of its imagery; its imagery is the whole point. It's not that it's style over substance, but rather, the style is the substance. Horror films derive more from paintings than from books; they are not trying to tell a disturbing story so much as trying to show one. As a philosophy, they take the moniker of "moving picture" quite literally.

Silent Hill is simply following in the tradition of visually-oriented horror films. And appreciated in this light, it is a marvelous work.

[Aetherius]

Like what? The rebirth connection? Or the side-characters introduced in it? How rich the family owning that mansion was?
I think the sub-scenario just cements some theories about Maria. Unless there's more to it.

I was more interested in hearing any theories about what exactly happened in Ernest's life before Maria came aong. You can gather some facts, but I'd like to nkow the whole story.

[Ffej]

Having liked the Silent Hill movie, and with my only experience with Silent Hill being the demo of 4, I must say, I am intrigued. The acting may have been subpar, but the music was excellent (seeing as how it was from the games), and the direction was beautiful. Also, I slept with the light on that night. Colin scares me. And Red Pyramid.

[CIaude]

Silent Hill is the "Tron" of horror and video-game-based films.

[Razumen]

Having liked the Silent Hill movie, and with my only experience with Silent Hill being the demo of 4, I must say, I am intrigued. The acting may have been subpar, but the music was excellent (seeing as how it was from the games), and the direction was beautiful. Also, I slept with the light on that night. Colin scares me. And Red Pyramid.

Luckily, I had work that night so I had stuff to occupy my mind (although I was all alone in a empty grocery store) I did almost freak myself out when I went to the bathroom though... :roll:

In some ways, those are the best parts of seeing movies like Silent Hill.

[BocoDragon]

I'm going to have to back Kiyosuki on this one, because his understanding of both the film and the series is beyond accurate. However, you have to consider that the script and the resulting story was written by Roger Avary, a casual gamer introduced to Silent Hill by Gans. It may be that they did understand the series somewhat, but when they strayed outside the familiar, the story fell apart, because the original story of Silent Hill is so intricately interconnected. I do differ with Kiyosuki on some things about the ending, but for the most part I agree, which I guess would mean that Gans' grasp on the story was not conveyed on the screen, if he truly did grasp it.

I understand that Gans has played the game, and that Avary has too, but my quarrel is with the idea that What happens in silent hill in the movie is just a cop out 'it was all a dream' ending, rather than reality. It seems to me like maybe they got the bad ending one too many times, and thought it was the real one.

I can accept them all being dead if and only if they'd intended a sequel based on Silent Hill 2, using Sean Bean's Character as James. However, until that sequel appears, I reject the literal-metaphorical heaven/hell/purgatory interpretation entirely.

Man.... before I saw the movie I was seriously saddened that they had literallized the concept of Silent Hill so much, with the whole coal mining/abandoment backstory, ruling out any possible ambiguous endings.

I was delighted when it ended with that possibility anyway.

FYI, here was one fan who was lookng for the "it was all a dream ending". I would have been pissed if it was just a scary town run by evil magic, and that was the only way to interpret it.

Fans interpret the games differently. The film rightly allows for all possible interpretations (well, not the "Silent Hill is a normal contemporary town and the main character's just nuts" possibility.....)

And this is not directed only at you, but the idea I've heard all over the net since friday (so no offense, mate. And I think you were just bringing up the possibility anyway): The possibility of Chris as the new James is dumb. It doesn't work. It's not just about a man with a dead wife. SH2 SPOILER:
"It's about a man who has murdered his wife"

Change the story if you want. Change the characters. Hell, change the personal SIN if you want... but Chris just wandering around looking for Rose, whose death he had nothing to do with, is just wrong. I don't care if they secretly had marital problems or whatever... it doesn't work.

And on top of that, I don't think it's what Gans was getting at. It was just showing that life went on for Chris, while his wife never showed up. That's all.

[Aetherius]

I simply meant reusing the idea of a letter from beyond the grave inviting to silent hill, not the actual plot of the second game. Particularly since the plot of the movie is so divergent from that of the first game, the word Gans has created is very different from the SH world, unfortunately.

[UnforgivingEdges]

Change the story if you want. Change the characters. Hell, change the personal SIN if you want... but Chris just wandering around looking for Rose, whose death he had nothing to do with, is just wrong. I don't care if they secretly had marital problems or whatever... it doesn't work.

Good thing you're not the director.

[BocoDragon]

I simply meant reusing the idea of a letter from beyond the grave inviting to silent hill, not the actual plot of the second game. Particularly since the plot of the movie is so divergent from that of the first game, the word Gans has created is very different from the SH world, unfortunately.

Yeah. It would end up being only a setup for a story though... not a story in itself. I loved that SH2's opening only appeared to be a gimmick until you got far enough..... (ooh your wife is dead... scary! SPOILER: But it's because you euthenized her....... oh, that is kinda sad and disturbing.)

But Gans loves SH2. It was his original plan to adapt that one. Do you think he will really give up the "sinners being drawn to SH" storyline? Even if it's completely different (which I don't expect), I believe it will still deal with that focus. If Rose does summon Chris, he better have killed their first child or something. :lol:

And I don't think it's divergent at all, in concept. Yes, the backstory has been filled in, and the story doesn't lead too well into SH3... but he made all these changes with SH2 love, and likely intends to follow it up with a telling of that game as promised.

Like I said, change all you want. Perhaps some completely different sinners are drawn to SH and it's SH2 in spirit only. Fine by me. But tying it into the first one just turns the "dead wife letter" into what it appeared at first glance: a gimmick.

[BocoDragon]

Change the story if you want. Change the characters. Hell, change the personal SIN if you want...

but Chris just wandering around looking for Rose, whose death he had nothing to do with, is just wrong. I don't care if they secretly had marital problems or whatever... it doesn't work.

Good thing you're not the director.

If you're referring to the first part: I don't think things should be changed. I'm just not against it.

If you're referring to the second part: Why? Because it's such a good idea to shoehorn a tragedy-less character from the first movie into a tragic plot thread from SH2?

[Ffej]

Having liked the Silent Hill movie, and with my only experience with Silent Hill being the demo of 4, I must say, I am intrigued. The acting may have been subpar, but the music was excellent (seeing as how it was from the games), and the direction was beautiful. Also, I slept with the light on that night. Colin scares me. And Red Pyramid.

Luckily, I had work that night so I had stuff to occupy my mind (although I was all alone in a empty grocery store) I did almost freak myself out when I went to the bathroom though... :roll:

In some ways, those are the best parts of seeing movies like Silent Hill.
An empty grocery store... reminds me of 28 Days Later. :-p

On another note, I have come up with a theory that the town of Silent Hill, West Virginia is an allegory for Hell. Well, Dark Silent Hill, anyway. Also, I think the intial darkness may have been a hallucination caused by breathing the fumes (note how those monsters never appear again, and they do nothing to her when she falls and passes out), and Rose entered purgatory/Hell only after going unconcious (and dying from fumes) in that basement/sewer thing.

[Aetherius]

FYI, here was one fan who was lookng for the "it was all a dream ending". I would have been pissed if it was just a scary town run by evil magic, and that was the only way to interpret it.

It's NOT just a scary town run by evil magic.
Despite what you may think, the only times that the games' PLOTS are open to interpretation is with multiple endings.
The games are pretty clear about what's going on.

Furthmore, with the advent of Silent Hill 3, the first game lost a lot of its ambiguity, as Silent Hill 3 Really hammered in the plot of silent hill 1.

SO, once again, I have to cry when people take the allegory that the movie is using, and then apply it literally, as though the allegory is no longer an allegory, but rather the real plot. No, my friends, it's just an allegory, for pete's sake.

[Kiyosuki]

I don't think it would be exactly a cop out if it was what I think it was. You have to look at this in an interpretive way rather than glaringly literal. If it is...what I say it is then Rose' only real way to escape that kind of limbo was to complete her little mission. Its not a dream and none of it ever happened scenerio...its a fight for the soul in a way if it were like that. Its similar in motif to Jacob's Ladder in that regard.

Think of it like...James' struggle to face his personal evil..just more in an intangible kind of way. It could be an interpretation of limbo like how Tron is an interpretation of whats going on inside a computer.

That said...I'm not saying and have never said that I'm 100% sure that I'm right, because I'm not. Its a very interpretive film...the games themselves are interpretive. 50% of the so called facts that SH fans see as canon facts about the series are just speculated. But thats what makes it so great.

I'm just trying to keep in mind that this film is a separate entity from the games...for now. It was made by a fan of the game...but also by people who are more casual to it than your average SH fan. There's dozens of ways to interpret a story like Silent Hill's and this film could be but a few of those. Its why this film is destined to be a cult film rather than a mainstream success...sadly not everyone likes to think, because you have to in this film.

No explanation is literal.

I will say though...that while its explainable why Pyramid Head is in there...thinking about it twice it really is probably a fanservice thing. It works...but it would of been far more effective if Gans or the design team had designed a primary monster especially for the story. Something that...represents something in this particular story like how Pyramid Head represents James' suppressed desire to punish himself.

[BocoDragon]

FYI, here was one fan who was lookng for the "it was
all a dream ending". I would have been pissed if it was just a scary town run by evil magic, and that was the only way to interpret it.

It's NOT just a scary town run by evil magic.
Despite what you may think, the only times that the games' PLOTS are open to interpretation is with multiple endings.
The games are pretty clear about what's going on.

Exactly... multiple endings. The evidence within the games points to each of the endings as being possible. You would be wrong to assume there are "true" and "false" endings. To be sure, there are "better" and "worse" endings, or perhaps endings confirmed as "true" by sequels, but within each game all endings are possible.

SH2, especially, takes care to make each ending plausible given the events that come before. SH2 SPOILER: Is it more likely that James commited suicide? Went home with a sexier replica of his dead wife? Or ressurected her in a dark ceremony? All are possible. All are implied by the narrative. There is no true ending.

Basically, it's the ending to Jacob's Ladder. With that linear film, we had a "true" ending that said Jacob was killed in the army and it was all a coma-hallucination. Within the movie, they also hint that perhaps the army tested chemicals on him and he made it home. This would be analagous to the Alessa plotline in the movie, after which they tell us "it was all the dream of some dead folks.... or was it? Maybe they're lost in a limbo dimension? Maybe they're still stuck in SH?" Yes, you are certainly intended to consider all plotlines as legitimate.

SH is strongly based on Jacob's Ladder, but I'm positive you know that.

EDIT: Also holy crap.... two JL mentions in two posts. See the post above mine :)

Furthmore, with the advent of Silent Hill 3, the first game lost a lot of its ambiguity, as Silent Hill 3 Really hammered in the plot of silent hill 1.

I agree, but such is the necessity of a direct sequel.

Also, if SH5 stars a ressurected Mary, would you then be forced to consider the ressurection as the true ending?

I'm reminded of Mortal Kombat 3, which stated that no one had one the MK2 tournament. Basically, all the MK2 endings were false. Just an analogy. I know MK sucks :lol:

SO, once again, I have to cry when people take the allegory that the movie is using, and then apply it literally, as though the allegory is no longer an allegory, but rather the real plot. No, my friends, it's just an allegory, for pete's sake.

I didn't say it was the real plot. I said it was one of many possible plots. I have always loved that fact that SH is open to multiple interpretations. They clearly intend that or they wouldn't be so ambiguous about it.

[BocoDragon]

Kiyosuki are we psychically linked or something? We were both writing those posts at the same time and I think they have a similar message :)

[Aetherius]

edit: Boco, you are the king of the double-post. This is a bad thing.

With respect to jacob's ladder:
Actually, it's made pretty clear in the movie that what's happening is Jacob's transition from life to death. Not a coma-induced hallucination.

quote:
If you're scared of dying, you'll see demons ripping your life away. But if you've made your peace, they're really angels, freeing you from the Earth.

blah blah blah.

It's bothering me that you kids keep talking about Silent Hill 2, and comparing it to the movie, as though you hadn't played the other three. Silent Hill 2 is a completely different idea.

I won't disagree that the movie's silent hill is a representation of limbo, but I DO disagree that the movie's silent hill IS limbo.

Furthermore, I keep seeing people digging for explanations, when in truth, it's just a horribly flawed script. That said, I see no reason to speculate.

Once again, I say there ARE NOT dozens of ways to interpret the first silent hill game. It's a pretty pre-packaged story, with clues that give you all the information you need to know what's happening.

I agree, that in the movie, you have to think, but I disagree that you have to think so far outside 'the box' that you haven't even got anything connecting your ideas to the box itself. The movie requires thought, but not so much thought, that it is necessary to fabricate a structural system for which there is only a speculative basis, when there's a concrete basis right there in the film.

...I have a feeling that we're going to end up in some ridiculous argument where you guys argue art for arts sake, and I start arguing the intention of the artist.

Sure I can speculate on any of the games, if I want to, but there's plenty of evidence within the games to show that those speculations are actually wrong.

[Calpis]

Okay, I need a little clarification. I have yet to finish all the games here as my PS2 refuses to work. I've only finished the first one, and that was when it was first released. Are 2 and 4 reinterpretations of the original story or isolated events that happened to people unrelated to Alessa, or should I just not worry about that until I finish all the games?

[UnforgivingEdges]

Okay, I need a little clarification. I have yet to finish all the games here as my PS2 refuses to work. I've only finished the first one, and that was when it was first released. Are 2 and 4 reinterpretations of the original story or isolated events that happened to people unrelated to Alessa, or should I just not worry about that until I finish all the games?

2 and 4 are unrelated to 1 and 3, for the most part. 2 and 4 are also loosely related to each other.

Silent Hill 2 is also one of the greatest video games ever made.

[BocoDragon]

...I have a feeling that we're going to end up in some ridiculous argument where you guys argue art for arts sake, and I start arguing the intention of the artist.

No, I think we're done, since we agree on nothing.

Suffice it to say that I do disagree with most of the stuff you just posted. I disagree with your "rules" for Jacob's Ladder, and I disagree on your "rules" for SH, movie and games alike. We have a differing opinion, and as someone who's played all the games and seen the movie, my opinion is informed, as yours might also be.

edit: Boco, you are the king of the double-post. This is a bad thing.


A different post is required to make a different point. I don't know if it's against the rules of OCR or if you just don't like it for some reason, but personally I would rather people post separate topics in separate entries. I won't do it again because obviously it offends you.

[UnforgivingEdges]

Change the story if you want. Change the characters. Hell, change the personal SIN if you want...

but Chris just wandering around looking for Rose, whose death he had nothing to do with, is just wrong. I don't care if they secretly had marital problems or whatever... it doesn't work.

Good thing you're not the director.

If you're referring to the second part: Why? Because it's such a good idea to shoehorn a tragedy-less character from the first movie into a tragic plot thread from SH2?

A film is going to be adapted in different ways when making the transition from another medium,

The ending was left open to continue the same basic narratives found in the second game. If you can't see that as a possible scenario, then you're blind.

[BocoDragon]

The ending was left open to continue the same basic narratives found in the second game. If you can't see that as a possible scenario, then you're blind.

You've convinced me.

And Eddie is no longer on the run for murdering cops, now he's wandering into SH looking for work!

And Angela no longer killed her father for abusing her, now her father's actually in jail for tax evasion, and she's in town for some sightseeing!

:roll:

Again, change all you'd like to make a better film. I'm no SH fundamentalist. But with that scenario, you've changed the protagonists's dead wife from a tragic reminder of the his past sins into an evil carrot-on-a-stick used to lure him into the town.

[Aetherius]

But with that scenario, you've changed the protagonists's dead wife from a tragic reminder of the his past sins into an evil carrot-on-a-stick used to lure him into the town.

...So? You could go anywhere from there. It's not guaranteed to suck.

(speaking of which, that carrot on a stick idea is exactly what DOES happen in Silent Hill 2)

[Kiyosuki]

The reason why a lot of "kids" seem to refer to the second game a lot is because it has a lot in common with the film in motif, even though the story is derived from the first game. It pushes the personal purgatory thing, and the possibility of after-death scenerio's made physical.

In a way...the fourth game also has some possible similarity in how Walter functions after his apparent death. Its almost as if the cult had found a way to enter the netherrelm of the world...using less than savory means but a means nonetheless. This is all purely speculative of course.

Gans did definitely understand the core concept of Silent Hill though, according to interviews I've seen. Basically the idea of the "normal" world, the foggy world...and then the "other" world. How people are drawn to those other two sub-worlds differs from game to game...and the nature of it is something players have to put together completely on their own, using hints thrown out and around. Maybe thats what he was trying to go for.

[BocoDragon]

But with that scenario, you've changed the protagonists's dead wife from a tragic reminder of the his past sins into an evil carrot-on-a-stick used to lure him into the town.

...So? You could go anywhere from there. It's not guaranteed to suck.

(speaking of which, that carrot on a stick idea is exactly what DOES happen in Silent Hill 2)

With a payoff. She didn't die randomly... she died due to the actions of the main character. SH2 was an average ghost story, until we learn that there's actually a reason his dead wife was calling out to him.

It's as if I were to adapt Jurassic Park, but instead of humans cloning the dinosaurs, we'll just have aliens plant the dinosaurs on an island. I mean, it's all the same right? People trapped on an island with dinosaurs? It works right?

Except it doesn't. You've removed the moral idea (and appeal) from the original concept. That man shouldn't play God, in that case. That James is being punished by the town for murder, in this case. It isn't the same thing.

It's not guaranteed to suck, but if Rose really is just calling out to Chris as an excuse to get him into the town, then yes, it will suck. That sounds like a videogame movie.

[RoboPanda]

Basically, it's the ending to Jacob's Ladder. With that linear film, we had a "true" ending that said Jacob was killed in the army and it was all a coma-hallucination. Within the movie, they also hint that perhaps the army tested chemicals on him and he made it home.

Ya know, on the DVD there is a second ending which actually follows the chemicals plotline. It's very strange, but isn't nearly as impressive as the real ending.

[ifirit]

I will say though...that while its explainable why Pyramid Head is in there...thinking about it twice it really is probably a fanservice thing. It works...but it would of been far more effective if Gans or the design team had designed a primary monster especially for the story. Something that...represents something in this particular story like how Pyramid Head represents James' suppressed desire to punish himself.
They could have, but Masahiro Ito, monster designer for SH1, SH2 and SH3, already left Konami. (It's undetermined whether or not he was fired.) Masahiro Ito currently draws and animates from his home studio. You can visit his website (http://www.geocities.jp/nobu_hill/) for more artwork from Silent Hill and other series. (Warning: Link contains material that is NOT WORK APPROPRIATE)

Now that the film has been completed, I wonder who Konami has cut from Team Silent now. (It's part of the curse of Silent Hill for Konami to fire/let go of one of the primary creators for the series after the completion of a major project.) I wonder if it's affecting the series...?

[UnforgivingEdges]

The ending was left open to continue the same basic narratives found in the second game. If you can't see that as a possible scenario, then you're blind.

You've convinced me.

And Eddie is no longer on the run for murdering cops, now he's wandering into SH looking for work!

And Angela no longer killed her father for abusing her, now her father's actually in jail for tax evasion, and she's in town for some sightseeing!

:roll:

Again, change all you'd like to make a better film. I'm no SH fundamentalist. But with that scenario, you've changed the protagonists's dead wife from a tragic reminder of the his past sins into an evil carrot-on-a-stick used to lure him into the town.

You're a shortsighted idiot. I'm not changing anything. I'm merely stating that another director could come along and create a film adaptation of the 2nd game's storyline.

[speculative]

Just curious - if you liked the film, what specifically did you like about it? (Besides the fact that it's tied to a game.)

Well, in my case, I couldn't care less that it's based on game. I watched it as a horror film, not as a "video game movie." But anyway, here's a post I did on another forum that explains why I like the film. I assume you'll disagree with my reasoning, but that's fine. :P

I'm a big fan of horror movies and I really liked this one.

One thing that I feel needs to be stressed is that Silent Hill is not a drama; those who consider good character development and/or plot to be necessary for a film to be well-done are not going to enjoy this, or indeed, a great many other horror films (aside from horror/dramas à la The Others, Sixth Sense, Jacob's Ladder etc.)

Like many horror movies, Silent Hill is almost entirely about the visuals. And even the negative reviews admit that this film has some amazing imagery. The problem is, rather than seeing the visuals (and the atmosphere they create) as the main course, the reviewers are inclined to toss them aside as a superficial garnish. This sets them up to dislike the film and it is perhaps largely responsible not only for the bad reviews that this movie in particular is receiving, but for the poor reception of most non-drama horror in general (for instance, Wolf Creek, High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes and Saw I/II: all recent horror films that are generally highly regarded among genre fans but rate in the 30%-50% range on rottentomatoes).

Think of the 70's Argento film, Suspiria--a major horror release and something of a minor classic even outside the genre. But why is it well-liked? Surely not for the poorly dubbed dialogue, the paper-thin characters or the thoroughly uninteresting plot. No, it's a classic because of its imagery; its imagery is the whole point. It's not that it's style over substance, but rather, the style is the substance. Horror films derive more from paintings than from books; they are not trying to tell a disturbing story so much as trying to show one. As a philosophy, they take the moniker of "moving picture" quite literally.

Silent Hill is simply following in the tradition of visually-oriented horror films. And appreciated in this light, it is a marvelous work.

Thanks for posting that. The visuals/audio was indeed very well done. I guess I don't see how having a plot would detract from the visuals, but that's just personal taste in the end.

[ifirit]

F.Y.I.: Jodelle Ferland is appearing on Ellen today. Catch it if you can.

[BocoDragon]

The ending was left open to continue the same basic narratives found in the second game. If you can't see that as a possible scenario, then you're blind.

You've convinced me.

And Eddie is no longer on the run for murdering cops, now he's wandering into SH looking for work!

And Angela no longer killed her father for abusing her, now her father's actually in jail for tax evasion, and she's in town for some sightseeing!

:roll:

Again, change all you'd like to make a better film. I'm no SH fundamentalist. But with that scenario, you've changed the protagonists's dead wife from a tragic reminder of the his past sins into an evil carrot-on-a-stick used to lure him into the town.

You're a shortsighted idiot. I'm not changing anything. I'm merely stating that another director could come along and create a film adaptation of the 2nd game's storyline.

Irony: I'm shortsighted?

[Israfel]

I guess I don't see how having a plot would detract from the visuals, but that's just personal taste in the end.

In my experience, it's very hard (if not impossible) to do character development/exposition in a horror movie without sacrificing atmosphere. True horror (in my opinion) is only acheived by immersion--by sustaining an appropriate atmosphere. And this is difficult when the tension is constantly being lessened in order to further the plot or develop the characters (and to the extent that Silent Hill does this, particularly with the Sean Bean plot, I think it loses its effectiveness).

But part of this comes from my underlying philosophy that horror movies should be less like stories and more like rides.

Not surprisingly I think that games, where you often go hours with no exposition getting in the way, are the best medium for horror.

[BocoDragon]

Basically, it's the ending to Jacob's Ladder. With that linear film, we had a "true" ending that said Jacob was killed in the army and it was all a coma-hallucination. Within the movie, they also hint that perhaps the army tested chemicals on him and he made it home.

Ya know, on the DVD there is a second ending which actually follows the chemicals plotline. It's very strange, but isn't nearly as impressive as the real ending.

Yes I remember that :) Ever more proof that it's not "it means Jacob's trapped in limbo and that's it!", but rather interpretive.

The filmmakers obviously thought it was okay to go with a different ending, so the concept was never set in stone, but rather, it could have gone in multiple directions.

It is very analagous to the multiple possibilities of SH.

[Aetherius]

Yes I remember that :) Ever more proof that it's not "it means Jacob's trapped in limbo and that's it!", but rather interpretive.

The filmmakers obviously thought it was okay to go with a different ending, so the concept was never set in stone, but rather, it could have gone in multiple directions.

It is very analagous to the multiple possibilities of SH.

Actually, it just means that the film makers chose to give it the ending you see in the normal version. Deleted endings are deleted because they're not what the film maker wants. So, that in mind, the alternate ending is a possibility, but it's not THE ending.
(also, the impression I got from the film was that the chemical stuff really did happen, and wasn't all just made up.)

Once again, sure, you can speculate on anything about the silent Hill games, but there's very little in the games to support those speculations, since there are only 4 or so endings per game, and all of them pertain to the future, rather than the past. you only see what's GOING to happen, not what did happen. SO, there's really only ONE interpretation of what DID happen, and several possibilities of what COULD happen.

[Manic Cinq]

about Jacob's Ladder:
(also, the impression I got from the film was that the chemical stuff really did happen, and wasn't all just made up.)
I thought the chemical stuff really did happen, but I guess it's just as likely to be real as Jezebel.

Random SH2 theory: I don't believe Laura is real. I believe James created her to help him search for Mary. When he starts to give up a little, she pushes him forward.

[Aetherius]

Yeah, Laura's a bit tricky. I always thought her character sucked, though. There were probably other ways to help James realize what was going on without her having to be in the game.

[Manic Cinq]

I always found Laura to be annoying... anyone notice there are a lot of blondes in SH2?

[BocoDragon]

Once again, sure, you can speculate on anything about the silent Hill games, but there's very little in the games to support those speculations, since there are only 4 or so endings per game, and all of them pertain to the future, rather than the past. you only see what's GOING to happen, not what did happen. SO, there's really only ONE interpretation of what DID happen, and several possibilities of what COULD happen.

And I agree. I believe in the main storyline of SH, but this is a series that has carefully implied alternate interpretations. That's what I've been defending. But no more of that for now. :)

Interestingly, I'm watching Jacob's Ladder right now with some friends.... they requested it due to the SH fervor going around. (SPOILERS)

The chemical stuff must have happened, otherwise who killed Jacob? Do we assume the Vietnamese enemy actually showed up, or is Jacob's dream closer to the truth than we know? If we are to take the death at face value, than the opening scene with the soldiers going crazy must have been real as well.

The snake eats its tail.... either that or Jacob is psychically aware of the chemical testing situation.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

You guys make me not want to make sense of Silent Hill games anymore.

[Manic Cinq]

It feels better not to face the truth.

[BocoDragon]

You guys make me not want to make sense of Silent Hill games anymore.

Shut up and put on your tin foil hat.

[Aetherius]

You guys make me not want to make sense of Silent Hill games anymore.

My point is that they don't NEED sense made of them. They already make sense.

[Kiyosuki]

You guys lets not degrade into high and mighty name calling. This is one of the only Silent Hill based discussions I've seen that hasn't succumbed to that. When it starts becoming more about proving personal opinions superior rather than discussing the game the discussion is basically dead.

I was just thinking...you guys know about the rumor of a remake of the first game right?

Am I the only one that hopes that if that does happen, that Konami won't change the main character? (Its supposedly rumored that if the film did well they'd change the main character possibly to the mother instead of Harry.) A mother risking life and limb to save her child is always endearing, but I find something uniquely emotional about a single father doing the same thing. I think it brought this sort of intangible atmosphere to the first game.

Maybe its because you expect it so much more from the mother instead of the father...so when a father is maternal like that its a bit more unexpected for us.

[Aetherius]

I've been trying to change the topic for days.

- Born from a wish

- Are the priests with the conical hoods supposed to represent the executioners of the civil war? (silent Hill 4)

- Art of Silent Hill/Lost Memories DVD. Anyone seen it? Anyone own it? Anyone know where I can get it?

Discuss.

[Kiyosuki]

I've been trying to change the topic for days.

- Born from a wish

- Are the priests with the conical hoods supposed to represent the executioners of the civil war? (silent Hill 4)

- Art of Silent Hill/Lost Memories DVD. Anyone seen it? Anyone own it? Anyone know where I can get it?

Discuss.

You could of answered mine first before throwing out random discussion....

I've seen the movies that are on the Art of Silent Hill dvd, the ones with the really weird Robbie the Rabbit film and that wacked out Fukuro music video. I can't watch that last one twice in a row because its so goddamn trippy.

Its a special dvd like Document of Metal Gear Solid 2. Its Japan only so you have to find an importer. Its usually treated like a standard import title although I don't know how hard it could be to find or not at this point.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=art+of+silent+hill

I did a quick search on ebay for it. It seems to be something people charge you lots of money for, but there's one on this search thats 26 dollars although..it has 5 days left.

[Legion303]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/24

I LOLed.

-steve

[McCorvic]

You guys lets not degrade into high and mighty name calling. This is one of the only Silent Hill based discussions I've seen that hasn't succumbed to that. When it starts becoming more about proving personal opinions superior rather than discussing the game the discussion is basically dead.

I was just thinking...you guys know about the rumor of a remake of the first game right?

Am I the only one that hopes that if that does happen, that Konami won't change the main character? (Its supposedly rumored that if the film did well they'd change the main character possibly to the mother instead of Harry.) A mother risking life and limb to save her child is always endearing, but I find something uniquely emotional about a single father doing the same thing. I think it brought this sort of intangible atmosphere to the first game.

Maybe its because you expect it so much more from the mother instead of the father...so when a father is maternal like that its a bit more unexpected for us.

I have heard and I agree with the 'let's not make Harry a Harriette' thing.

[JH Sounds]

Gah! :x I was hoping the new film would be good...

[Aetherius]

I pretty much agree with tycho's newspost for that comic, though he's a bit angrier. The flaw is in the script, not the direction or casting.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Shut up and put on your tin foil hat.

I wear Cheese Helmets for protection, thanks.

SH2 didn't take as much explaining as SH1 did. I know this. My first time through SH1 I got the Bad ending (No Cybil, No Kauffman), how the hell was I supposed to tell what the hell was going on with Alessa/Cherly at that point? It was like "ARGH, WTF IS THIS?!"

[Aetherius]

Shut up and put on your tin foil hat.

I wear Cheese Helmets for protection, thanks.

SH2 didn't take as much explaining as SH1 did. I know this. My first time through SH1 I got the Bad ending (No Cybil, No Kauffman), how the hell was I supposed to tell what the hell was going on with Alessa/Cherly at that point? It was like "ARGH, WTF IS THIS?!"

well, at least you got an appropriate ending. If you have no idea what's going on, it doesn't matter, because it was alla dream and you died.

[Kiyosuki]

I don't know if its been posted here before, but I found a making of Silent Hill 3 video on youtube. Its the first I had seen of it, it offers some interesting insight to the development's ideas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7f6EWqCscyc&search=silent%20hill%203

[Manic Cinq]

Akira Yamaoka listens to PJ Harvey.

[ifirit]

I don't know if its been posted here before, but I found a making of Silent Hill 3 video on youtube. Its the first I had seen of it, it offers some interesting insight to the development's ideas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7f6EWqCscyc&search=silent%20hill%203
Umm... Haven't I posted links to this a few times already? It wasn't even that long ago. (I remember discussing it with parjay on here.) Oh, well, I guess that's another reason for me to compose an essential links list.

*Ahem* The Making of Silent Hill 3 was released by PlayStation World magazine (a publication exclusive to the United Kingdom) on the bonus DVD in issue #37. I believe the magazine also featured information and a video as well for Metal Gear Solid 3, which makes it a highly popular item, thus very rare to find. (I've asked Eccles before if he had access to this magazine, but he claims to have never come across it.) Some fans have been kind enough to have ripped the video and hosted it on the internet, DUST (formerly Dustfungus) most prominently. The video itself was produced by WE Productions (a studio originally a part of FunTV France, later it's own production studio), the same company to have made the "Making of Silent Hill 2" documentary. However, the video was only released in PlayStation World as opposed to the Europe-wide release of "Silent Hill 2: Special Version."

Technically, the "Making of Silent Hill 3" documentary is about the same as the one for SH2, but for some reason, a large chunk of the video is untranslated (on the original print). It has been speculated that this was simply a production error on the fault of the translator/scripter, and not an intentional ommission due to permission issues. The untranslated section has been roughly translated on the forums, which explains that Masahiro Ito's monster designs were inspired by religious paintings, not so much by the subject matter, but for the depiction of suffering and disfigurement placed in the background, particularly the inspiration for the Insane Cancer.

I've been trying to change the topic for days.

- Born from a wish
There's a little bit of discussion on the bottom of my post here (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=819751#819751). Some discussion follows this post about the subject of Maria and her role in the "Born From A Wish" scenario. I highly suggest that you read through this thread to find out the information that you wish and to play the game for an upclose and personal experience.

Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America (http://www.konami.com) is having a sale on the PC version (http://www.konamistyle.com/b2c_kden/b2c/init.do?areaID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA0332&productID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA03324434E32C DD080056020000000ACA5313) of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99 and the PS2 Greatest Hits Version (http://www.konamistyle.com/b2c_kden/b2c/init.do?areaID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA0332&productID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA03324434E32C DD080056020000000ACA5313) for $19.99! (The both versions include the "Letter From Silent Heaven" scenario, with all endings, and the "Born From A Wish" scenario. The PC version includes a save-anywhere feature and FMV playback options as a bonus.) If you don't already own this game, now is the best time to do so.

[StarZander]

I don't know if its been posted here before, but I found a making of Silent Hill 3 video on youtube. Its the first I had seen of it, it offers some interesting insight to the development's ideas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7f6EWqCscyc&search=silent%20hill%203
Umm... Haven't I posted links to this a few times already? It wasn't even that long ago. (I remember discussing it with parjay on here.) Oh, well, I guess that's another reason for me to compose an essential links list.

*Ahem* The Making of Silent Hill 3 was released by PlayStation World magazine (a publication exclusive to the United Kingdom) on the bonus DVD in issue #37. I believe the magazine also featured information and a video as well for Metal Gear Solid 3, which makes it a highly popular item, thus very rare to find. (I've asked Eccles before if he had access to this magazine, but he claims to have never come across it.) Some fans have been kind enough to have ripped the video and hosted it on the internet, DUST (formerly Dustfungus) most prominently. The video itself was produced by WE Productions (a studio originally a part of FunTV France, later it's own production studio), the same company to have made the "Making of Silent Hill 2" documentary. However, the video was only released in PlayStation World as opposed to the Europe-wide release of "Silent Hill 2: Special Version."

Technically, the "Making of Silent Hill 3" documentary is about the same as the one for SH2, but for some reason, a large chunk of the video is untranslated (on the original print). It has been speculated that this was simply a production error on the fault of the translator/scripter, and not an intentional ommission due to permission issues. The untranslated section has been roughly translated on the forums, which explains that Masahiro Ito's monster designs were inspired by religious paintings, not so much by the subject matter, but for the depiction of suffering and disfigurement placed in the background, particularly the inspiration for the Insane Cancer.

I might add that this, or atleast a very similar, DVD disc was released in Sweden aswell, with the magazine SuperPLAY. I have this magazine and the disc, with the making of SH3 on it, and the MGS3 thing. Quite interesting to watch.

EDIT: All of it has subtitles aswell, from what I can remember. I have to watch it again some day...

[Kiyosuki]

I don't know if its been posted here before, but I found a making of Silent Hill 3 video on youtube. Its the first I had seen of it, it offers some interesting insight to the development's ideas.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7f6EWqCscyc&search=silent%20hill%203
Umm... Haven't I posted links to this a few times already? It wasn't even that long ago. (I remember discussing it with parjay on here.) Oh, well, I guess that's another reason for me to compose an essential links list.



Well to my defense the thread is more than 100 pages long. I can't check it every day, but I was pretty certain the link was posted before. Nonetheless it is something good to even remind-post from time to time perhaps because it offers some actual canon explanations for some things. Like how a lot of people try to give meaning to a lot of the monsters in the first, third, and fourth games like the monsters in the second game have...but I think each game has a different motif. The second one was primarilly the centered on self exploration...its sort of its unique thing. As the staff here says...this game was designed to take on a more direct approach to making the player feel uncertain and eventually scared. I think its similar to the first game in that regard...in a way your entering someone else' nightmare rather than your own.

Its stuff I'm sure you all know already, but the point is...is sometimes I think people tend to overanalyze some things in the games..things that may possibly just not even be there. Its what makes the series what it is I guess but I think its something important to keep in mind from time to time. Saves brain power.

Like for instance...this particular theory that Mary is in the trunk of James' car in the second game. I've been hearing about this more and more...and I guess it kinda makes sense but I'm genuinly curious. Whats the evidence to support this? There's little to no hint whatsoever over it.

Really, where'd this come from?

Oh...also I'm sure this has been posted already too, but has anyone here seen this computer generated fan film before?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search=silent+hill+no+escape&search_type=search_videos

[StarZander]

Oh...also I'm sure this has been posted already too, but has anyone here seen this computer generated fan film before?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search=silent+hill+no+escape&search_type=search_videos

Yes, it has been posted many many times, since way back when the first episode was released. It is a very good animated series, especially for being fan made. For all those of you who haven't seen i yet, I highly recommend it.

[Legion303]

Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America (http://www.konami.com) is having a sale on the PC version (http://www.konamistyle.com/b2c_kden/b2c/init.do?areaID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA0332&productID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA03324434E32C DD080056020000000ACA5313) of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99

Bought it and MGS2 PC for the same price, but people should know the shipping is like $8 on that. Ouch.

-steve

[Aetherius]

Like for instance...this particular theory that Mary is in the trunk of James' car in the second game. I've been hearing about this more and more...and I guess it kinda makes sense but I'm genuinly curious. Whats the evidence to support this? There's little to no hint whatsoever over it.


no evidence. It just seemed likely to people. Its another one of those things that get speculated about with NO evidence.

[Kiyosuki]

Mmmm...I guess I can kind of see where its coming from. It makes the In Water ending feel so much more right...even though a part of me prefers James getting outta there. Guess its all part of the tragedy.

Yeah...I've been on youtube a bit more than usual past few days. I just saw this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwiZR8YvoU

Its a music video called the Photograph is Proof. I know a lot of you have probably seen it as usual, but I haven't seen it yet. Just incase it hasn't...it'd be a shame if it were never mentioned.

Its sort of funny how Henry seems to be yearning...for Heather. Really nice use of the character models though. It reminds me of the music video of You're not Here with Heather singing...(now I know you guys have seen that so I won't bother posting that one.)

The way Henry looks and how his mannerisms are in this video remind me a lot of myself..

[ifirit]

Mmmm...I guess I can kind of see where its coming from. It makes the In Water ending feel so much more right...even though a part of me prefers James getting outta there. Guess its all part of the tragedy.

Yeah...I've been on youtube a bit more than usual past few days. I just saw this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwiZR8YvoU

Its a music video called the Photograph is Proof. I know a lot of you have probably seen it as usual, but I haven't seen it yet. Just incase it hasn't...it'd be a shame if it were never mentioned.

Its sort of funny how Henry seems to be yearning...for Heather. Really nice use of the character models though. It reminds me of the music video of You're not Here with Heather singing...(now I know you guys have seen that so I won't bother posting that one.)

The way Henry looks and how his mannerisms are in this video remind me a lot of myself..
Please, Kiyosuki, I understand if you feel that there is a lot of awesome and cool stuff out on the internet with items featuring Silent Hill, but this is getting ridiculous. If you spent the amount of time reading through this thread as you do researching those meaterials on your own, you'd probably be caught up on current events. It doesn't really take that long. I went through the entire thread already on Friday.

This applies to all new people as well. Please, please, please read through the thread on your own. Many people spent a lot of time to construct this thread to contain a great collection of information. Yet, by continually re-posting these pieces of information, you make the thread disposable. Ignoring past remarks and posts out of apathy is not the way a thread should exist, and neither is it the way to conduct conversations. It goes against the entire site's mission statement.

I know it's a lot of work (I blame it partly on the lack of a search page function on the boards), but this information was posted with great care for a reason. If I or anyone else were to just post a link without any context, much of the relevent and important information that we have now would not exist. So, please, Kiyosuki and everyone else on here, read through the thread, make searches on the boards, PM each other, just do something to form a dialogue with each other to better inform yourselves, before we lose the entire spirit of our work.

Thank you.

Warning: Silent Hill 2 Spoilers
Like for instance...this particular theory that Mary is in the trunk of James' car in the second game. I've been hearing about this more and more...and I guess it kinda makes sense but I'm genuinly curious. Whats the evidence to support this? There's little to no hint whatsoever over it.

Really, where'd this come from?
Although there is no hard evidence to support this theory, there is a number of suggestions to make the player suspect that Mary is in the trunk of James' car. Consider the endings. First in the In Water Ending, what is the last thing that James does before reading Mary's letter? He picks Mary up and takes here out of the room. In the Rebirth Ending, James says what at the end? He remarks about the way that Mary appears as if he where looking directly at her body. You have to ask yourself, "If Mary is actually there; where did she come from?" She wasn't in Silent Hill of her own accord (unlike her letter suggested). She didn't get there on her own. She wasn't living there, as some theories claim. The most logical option then is that someone brought her there. Thinking that, all fingers point to James. Still, the only thing James brought with him was his car and you can't see anyone in the passenger side (a quick check on the passenger side will verify that). So, the only place left to check is in the backseat or the trunk. But, James doesn't want to open his trunk, which raises my suspicions even more. (Also, I want to believe that if Mary were in the backseat, he'd notice it. James may appear dense, but not that dense.)

However, I have to state my assupmtion that in order for this theory to work, it has to adhere to the theory that what James experiences in Silent Hill is real (or at least somewhat real) and not constructions of his psyche. In addition to this, I know that this theory could still waiver on the assumption that Maria could be in Mary's guise during the endings, as she does in the Maria ending. But, you then have to ask yourself questions such as, "Is Maria actually Mary?", "Is it a dream or daydream in James's mind?" or "Did Mary return from the dead, or did the Crimson Ceremony create Mary out of nothing?" Why would Maria pretend to be Mary if her fate is to make James suffer? Do we truly understand Maria's intentions in the "Letter from Silent Heaven" scenario? Is Maria so desperate to seek out a life outside of Silent Hill that she'd be the vessel from which James rebirthes his wife? Is it even real? This topic raises a lot of questions that extend beyond the scope of the game, so the theory that Mary's body is in James' car helps to circumvent these more difficult and speculative questions.

In addition, you have to consider what Henry says about the Sunderlands from his examination of the photo of the South Ashfield Heights apartment complex. He states that both the superintendent's son AND daughter-in-law went missing in Silent Hill. If James had only killed Mary and left her in their home (as it appears so in the endings where James speaks to Mary after killing Marya), wouldn't Frank have known his daughter-in-law to be dead and only stated that his son went missing? If her body had been found, wouldn't someone have notified the next of kin? The most logical conclusion is that Mary's body was never recovered, indicating that she was either buried by James somewhere before his trip to South Vale, or that he took the body with him. (Morbid, I know, but not beyond James' actions, in my opinion.)

As for hints in the game that Mary's body is with James, there are some subtle and subconscious hints. In the title FMV montage, we see a silohette of James carrying a human-shaped object up and carrying it toward the screen. The scene is suggestive to the idea that James is carrying Mary someplace. It could be symbolic of his carrying Mary when he killed her. Or of carrying the burden of her death. But, what's interesting is that the orientation of the direction that he moves, is the same orientation as if he were to pick something out of his trunk and carry it toward the staircase to the cemetary and the town. You can decide for yourself what that scene means, but it doesn't point against this theory.

All-in-all, the theory is a partical solution to a difficult and lingering question, while not breaching the scope of the game. It is both poetic and thought-provoking, but not infallible, so it can go either way. Believe it or not, it's entirely up to you.

[Kiyosuki]

Ifrit....you can't expect everyone who reads this forum to have the time to read through 100 page long threads...especially if its a thread full of in depth information, thats just absurd. I try to keep up as much as I can but I just can't know absolutely every little detail.

I'm well aware a lot of this stuff has been posted already but that doesn't mean I can't jump in late and still at least get some opinions. I'm not trying to be special by posting something first.

The thread's more than 100 pages long now, people are going to come in to this late...or miss a few things and come in later like I have. Its inevitable. If I were blatantly being a troll I'd understand but all I've done is repost some links and ask what people think. I guess I'll stop posting things I want opinions on...but I'd be careful not to start alienating posters who haven't been on 100% of a thread thats been around for almost 3 years. Its just not very considerate and its honestly a little elitist.

Your posts, and the posts of many others in this thread are great. I love reading them but I certainly hope you all don't start getting a bit..expectant of people.

As for the Mary in the trunk thing...I thought about it a bit and it does make a lot of sense. What comes to mind for me is that if he killed her three days ago...unless he's really good with covering up his tracks wouldn't the doctors and maybe further investigation be able to tell that she was killed with the pillow..in other words by means not related to her illness? That would make it tough to...give the body to authorities.

I know she's obviously with him at the town when she's killed...her last days before she dies anyways. If thats the case then I guess he could of gotten away with it. If Escape were to be the canon ending there'd only be three possible things that could of happened to Mary's body and James himself.

-James takes (or took) Mary to the authorities and said she died afterwards of her illness..a lie in other words. Although she would aprove probably...to allow James to take care of Laura.
-James takes(or took) Mary to the authorities and maybe..initially said she died by illness but later confessed and came clean. Hey...he'd still be alive...although it'd be kinda funny if he got the death penalty after anyways.
-James...disposes of the body...ahg dark.

Whether he took Mary with him or not (it does seem likely now that you spell it out.) he'd have to do something with her after. As much as I want James to have escaped and...lived with Laura. Truly learning from his ordeal...I still can't help but feel that maybe In Water really is the most plausable ending it seems...

Got me thinking too....a lot of people I noticed like the idea of the 21 Sacraments ending being the most plausable ending to the fourth game. I don't agree though...its too possibly apocalyptic. I personally think the best ending (escape) is the most fitting. Eileen and Henry are innocent really...they have no tie to anything having to do with SH or the cult. Plus aesthetically its the most sensible. I always though the room was an allegory for Henry's difficulty with opening up to people...like Eileen. Ironically he's trapped in the room and denied contact. Through his journey he gets to know Eileen and in the end...as the room is finally opens up he himself finally opens up...kinda symbolized by him going to see Eileen. Maybe they'd help eachother find a new place.

Its almost like the Room taught Henry a lesson..at least thats what I got from the game.
What do you guys think would be each individual games most "plausable" ending...in your opinion of course but nonetheless.

Edit: I forgot to white out.

[Aetherius]

While we may not be allowed to expect you to read EVERY post n this thread (though it's probably a good idea), we SHOULD be able to expect you to white out your spoilers. That last post is full of 'em. Watch what you're doing.

In other news:
Just to give the trunk thing a new perspective, I've always felt that the idea of making silent Hill all a fantasy is too extreme, while having it all be an explainable delusion of a psychotic mind is too extreme as well.

My thoughts were that the town is real, and that what happens is real. The monsters are real, the people are real, the events are real.

So, things like Mary returning after James has killed her don't necessarily have to be imagined, or just dreams. She's just there, with no explanation, by virtue of the nature of the town. That's how I'd prefer to look at it anyway. It takes too much away to make it all a dream, and it adds too much hokey-pokey 'So he's/she's just a psycho' if it's all in the character's psyche.

I figure if you die in silent hill, you're dead unless silent hill wants you alive. You weren't dead from the beginning.

That's just my way of seeing it.

edit: in water seems to me to be the best ending. Most of the elements of the game are focused in such a way that that ending seems the most justified.
The leave or rebirth endings seem to be the next most likely. or maybe the dog ending. Gotta love that dog ending.

[Zarggg]

Ifrit....you can't expect everyone who reads this forum to have the time to read through 100 page long threads...especially if its a thread full of in depth information, thats just absurd.

It's not as absurd as you may think. It's called "skimming".

[CIaude]

Word.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/TangDave/there_was_a_hole_here.jpg

[Razumen]

Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America (http://www.konami.com) is having a sale on the PC version (http://www.konamistyle.com/b2c_kden/b2c/init.do?areaID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA0332&productID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA03324434E32C DD080056020000000ACA5313) of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99

Bought it and MGS2 PC for the same price, but people should know the shipping is like $8 on that. Ouch.

-steve

That doesn't have the extra content like the Restless Dreams version does, does it? well for 4.99 it's a steal , so I think I'll get it regardless.

[ifirit]

Ifrit....you can't expect everyone who reads this forum to have the time to read through 100 page long threads...especially if its a thread full of in depth information, thats just absurd. I try to keep up as much as I can but I just can't know absolutely every little detail.

I'm well aware a lot of this stuff has been posted already but that doesn't mean I can't jump in late and still at least get some opinions. I'm not trying to be special by posting something first.

The thread's more than 100 pages long now, people are going to come in to this late...or miss a few things and come in later like I have. Its inevitable. If I were blatantly being a troll I'd understand but all I've done is repost some links and ask what people think. I guess I'll stop posting things I want opinions on...but I'd be careful not to start alienating posters who haven't been on 100% of a thread thats been around for almost 3 years. Its just not very considerate and its honestly a little elitist.

Your posts, and the posts of many others in this thread are great. I love reading them but I certainly hope you all don't start getting a bit..expectant of people.
I understand your objections and the situation. But, it's important to make sure you provide a context when you post and/or repost an item. My problem wasn't in posting something you thought was cool and asking for feedback, but in the lack of an explanation of what it was, why it should be relevant or details of it's origins. Without a context or history to accompany the selected item posted, a level of quality cannot be determined, without actually opening up the item and judging for oneself. (This opens up a way for trolls to simply post poor quality, irrelevant or aggravating items.) The importance of this is to provide ALL surfers (dial-up & broadband) the ability to obtain the media based on an informed decision, not simply because it has a familiar name or subject matter. (A lot of great Silent Hill media has large file sizes or long connection times, so it helps people to understand this when they download beforehand. In addition, since many fans use freesites to post their works, the risk of contraction of viruses, parasites and other dangerous items is possible; so a little information and assurance makes good prevention.)

I know that it can be hard to find the information that you wish on such a large thread, but I have constructed my posts (and in turn encouraged others to post in the same manner) on such items to be easy to find by adding headers and isolating the links on separate lines. I knew that the reappearance of posts and links would occur then and took measures to reduce the injury caused by the thread's size to help readers. Still, it seems that these efforts have not proven affective as many people still do not wish to search the thread, so I will have to construct an essential links list to help readers find out about the wealth of information on Silent Hill, forgoing all previous efforts to inform and persuade readers of context, history and details.

In the meantime, please visit these sites for a wealth of information:
Silent Hill Media (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com) (A site containing a HUGE collection of media directly from and connected to the games. Great collection of affliates.)
Silent Hill - Lost Memories (http://www.sh-lostmemories.net/main/main_lt.htm) (An Eastern European site constructed in the same vein as "Silent Hill Heaven" containing information on the games as well as a great databased of fan-created projects and music.) Non-English site (Note: Silent Hill Heaven is still currently unavailable.)
Silent Hill Fever (http://silenthillfever.com/) (An index/ring of sites and other pages on the subject of Silent Hill.)
Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk) (A forum that specializes in all topics Silent Hill, well organized with a preview option that allows readers to preview a topic before reading. Any new or interesting information can be obtained from there first. Fan-projects also have a dominating force there.)

And as always, my PM button is at the bottom of the post.

As for the Mary in the trunk thing...I thought about it a bit and it does make a lot of sense. What comes to mind for me is that if he killed her three days ago...unless he's really good with covering up his tracks wouldn't the doctors and maybe further investigation be able to tell that she was killed with the pillow..in other words by means not related to her illness? That would make it tough to...give the body to authorities.
Mary's condition, while left as almost a complete mystery, does have two noticable symptoms: a disfiguring skin condition and a whooping cough. (When Mary dies in the In Water ending, she coughs quite a bit and then stops breathing. Also, when Maria starts getting sick, she also develops a cough.) Because of these two dominant symptoms, it's likely to assume that Mary would have died because of resperatory failure. You can then assume that the doctors would have been aware of this. So by smuthering Mary with a pillow, without careful examination, most of the authorities would have concluded that she dies naturally from her disease which caused the resperatory failure.

I don't think James had that planned out, but it does seem coincidental. Personally, I want to think that his method helped him to disassociate from the action, because he didn't have to look at her face or hear her cries clearly. His method appears to be more connected to how he felt about Mary (still in love, but wanting to be free of his burden), rather than what he believed would deter the police.

If Escape were to be the canon ending there'd only be three possible things that could of happened to Mary's body and James himself.
You mean the Leave ending. The Escape Ending is from SH4.
----

As much as I want James to have escaped and...lived with Laura. Truly learning from his ordeal...I still can't help but feel that maybe In Water really is the most plausable ending it seems...
The In Water ending is the only ending, omitting joke endings like the Dog and UFO endings, that doesn't end with the suggestion of a loop. Although some endings have the suggestion made apparent, others are not completely clear to the majority of fans. Obviously, the Maria Ending makes the suggestion by the cough Maria makes at the end. This suggesting that although James decides to move on with a different Mary, she still succumbs to illness like the first one. The Rebirth ending makes the suggestion that by bringing Mary back from the dead, doesn't mean that she won't still be ill. But, also more by the idea that the risen dead are almost never like they were before death. What if Mary remembered what James did? What if she disapproves of James' actions to bring her back and thus, loathes herself again because of her new condition, projecting her anger on again James in the process? It's incredibly likely that James would then kill her again possibly repeating his actions and thus repeating the game.

The Leave ending might be somewhat less obvious to determine why it could loop. Yet, it still doesn't mean that it's not plausible. Laura mentioned that she had met Mary in the hospital where she was being treated, yet never said why. It's likely that Laura was sick as well and required daily or weekly attention, based on the assumption that she was an orphan and spent so much time in the hospital. If Laura was sick (yet her condition was maintained by her constant care, such as diabetes, leukemia, aids or a non-viral infection), then without James' awareness of such a disease and immediate treatment, she could take a turn for the worse and become no better than when Mary was ill. If this was to happen, James' may either attempt to kill her to stop his pain or deny Laura's condition to save himself from shouldering the responsibility of caring for her. This would then lead to his guilt and back to Silent Hill. Of course, there may be nothing wrong with her and everything could work out fine, but you can't ignore this possibility.

As such, the In Water is the only ending that doesn't suggest that the story leads to a loop, just as in SH1 where the Good Ending doesn't lead to a loop either.
----

Got me thinking too....a lot of people I noticed like the idea of the 21 Sacraments ending being the most plausable ending to the fourth game. I don't agree though...its too possibly apocalyptic. I personally think the best ending (escape) is the most fitting. Eileen and Henry are innocent really...they have no tie to anything having to do with SH or the cult. Plus aesthetically its the most sensible. I always though the room was an allegory for Henry's difficulty with opening up to people...like Eileen. Ironically he's trapped in the room and denied contact. Through his journey he gets to know Eileen and in the end...as the room is finally opens up he himself finally opens up...kinda symbolized by him going to see Eileen. Maybe they'd help eachother find a new place.
I've convinced myself that the true ending to Silent Hill 4: The Room is the Mother ending, especially if the purpose of the game is to fulfill the Ceremony of the Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother (i.e. 21 Sacraments). The reasoning is that in the main story arc of the previous games the Holy Mother was always birthed (or prophesied to be born), and in previous titles, a woman always birthed her. Based on the 21 Sacraments ending, we learn that with all 21 victims killed, Room 302 and subsequently, all of South Ashfield Heights become "possessed" (for lack of a better word) and share similar events as were reported in Silent Hill many years ago, which suggest the reasons to its current state. The state of the Room and the news report in this ending provide evidence to this. However, in the Mother ending, we are given a last look at Henry's apartment after his visit to the hospital, where we see room 302 in the same condition as in the 21 Sacraments ending. If Walter had failed to kill all 21 of his victims, wouldn't the room have not been affected, just as it appears in the Eileen's Death ending? Wouldn't the entirty of Walter's world have collapsed only with him? This last shot suggests that this is not the case and that Walter (or at least his actions) continue to be in motion.

In addition to this, I think that the true method to performing the 21 Sacraments is not by killing all the Signs, they are never refered to in the scriptures as "victims," but simply using their blood, maybe only small amounts the way witches use small amounts of their own blood in their spells. The presence of the revival of Atzec/Mayan blood-rites within the cult of Silent Hill may have lead to some distortion as to the proper method of performing the ceremony. As such, the Descent of the Holy Mother details the ceremony for bringing the Holy Mother into this world. However, if the Holy Mother is to descend on this world, it needs a vessel to contain it's soul (see the "Drawing Power Conversation" from SH1). Thus, the position of the Mother Reborn is used to house this vessel and that role in SH4 is filled by... (wait for it)... Eileen Galvin!

So in addition to Eileen's injuries, Eileen has been impregnated by the spirit of the "Devil" as the Crimson Tome states it. This means that another version of the god from the main story arc has been called to this world, suggesting that the main story arc has not completely ended. (The 21 Sacraments ending explains the after-effects of the Ceremony of the Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother on the "real world," but does not continur the arc since there is not vessel to contain the spirit of the "Devil." So, it should be assumed that the darkness "possessing" the Room is contained within the apartment complex.) While SH4 will always be considered a self-contained title, it will provide the background for any other sequel as to the presense of the god in the story.

As such, I believe the Mother ending to be the "true" ending of the game since it leads to continuing the main storyline.
----


Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America (http://www.konami.com) is having a sale on the PC version (http://www.konamistyle.com/b2c_kden/b2c/init.do?areaID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA0332&productID=43744690E9DF0051000000000ACA03324434E32C DD080056020000000ACA5313) of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99

Bought it and MGS2 PC for the same price, but people should know the shipping is like $8 on that. Ouch.

-steve

That doesn't have the extra content like the Restless Dreams version does, does it? well for 4.99 it's a steal , so I think I'll get it regardless.
Yes, the PC version of Silent Hill 2 contains the material for Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, released for the X-Box and re-released for the PS2 on the Greatest Hits collection. However, the PC version sports two new features not found on the console versions: a save-anywhere feature and an FMV playback feature. Also, please remember to download the patches (http://www.konami.com/gs/support.php) for the PC version to ensure correct loading for the program. And for additional fun, you can download the camera hack modification (http://www.psxzone.opalnet.pl/Podstrony/Silent_Hill/download.htm) that allows you to completely control the camera, increasing your range of view and revealing previously unseen objects, like the dead man's face in the Woodside Apartment Complex, Marya's face at the top of the Alternate Lakeview Hotel, or Angela's fate at the top of the staircase in the Alternate Lakeview Hotel.

Broken Notes Productions Update:
Third Album, Sanatorium, Released (Chapter 1):
The staff (http://www.brokennotes.com/team/team.html) at Broken Notes (http://www.brokennotes.com) (creators of the Silent Hill Fan Soundtrack and Broken Notes: A Tribute to Akira Yamaoka) and Macrabre Productions (http://www.macabre-productions.com/) (headed by John Anthony Mathewson; register on OCR as "parjay") has released the first of four chapters of their long-awaited third (main) album of music inspired by/arranged from/remixed from Akira Yamaoka (http://www.blog.konami.jp/gs/cat67/index.html)'s Silent Hill soundtracks, called Sanatorium. The 11 track soundtrack has focused on using symphonic elements to create their fanworks, featuring symphonic versions of Silent Hill, Tears of... and Overdose Delusion as well as a new symphonic tribute told in six movements. As a bonus, two extra tracks have been added remixing the (imo) awesome Robbie theme, acting as an extension for the Japan-only released remix album "Silent Hill 4: Robbie Tracks." Entitled "RUSSIAN" and "POLISH," these tracks take the popular electronica stylings from the referenced nation and reconstruct the Robbie Theme in said style.

The album, created by Jason Gervais, Christopher So, and Christophe Frutuoso and released on May 1, 2006, acts to create fitting tributes to an awesome composer (not simply for games), hoping to inspire others to create such outstanding and incredible arrangements as well as to provide fans and listeners with some great new music.

As a precaution, the site has reported that the .rar files have not been working properly due to a naming error of the file. (If the file you downloaded has numbers appearing in the title of the file, please delete the file and download it again.) The site has changed the files to appropriately host the uncorrupted files, but if you see this problem elsewhere please notify the staff immediately. Also, One of the servers has been hacked into and files have been added on to it, so please use caution when downloading. If you see a hacking message appear, disconnect your download immediately and try again at later time. Currently, the site seems to not be having this problem, but in any case, be careful.

Tracks can be downloaded individually (from one server) or as a package (from another server). Remember to please not hot link any of the tracks on the forums.

Broken Notes Productions - Sanatorium (Chapter 1) 11-9-12-12-13-5 (http://www.brokennotes.com/productions/sanatorium/sanatorium.html) [.rar file / containing .mp3 files / 69.0 MB]

Silent Hill Rumor Control:
Silent Hill Next?:
A video has appeared on YouTube on April 25, 2006 featuring an video that appears to contain a preview shot of a new Silent Hill videogame. The video was posted by "selfservice" and claims that it is exclusive footage for a new Silent Hill game called, "Silent Hill Next." The video itself shows small FMV clips from previous games, followed by some Japanese text (possibly about each title), then opens up to pan shot of a derelict kitchen until it faces a male character standing over a sink looking at a mirror. The video, running at 1:51, has a low-grade quality to it that suggests that it is not real, but a number of other details suggest that this is only an early build. The camera shaking is a very difficult techinique to do with a computer, yet feels smooth; the grain filter is the same one used for SH4, but has not been ripped from the game, because it was hand made during each scene. In addition, the video appears to be shown in a theater on a large screen. Although many people are claiming that this is for the next generation of consoles, the most likely case is that this is going to be a PSP release, if true.

Currently, I can find no other information about this video, which suggests to it not being official, but I can't help feel that it could be. The only location where I can find this is from YouTube, although reports on the subject have appeared on [http://www.gamersreports.com]GamersReports.com, which also features some insight on the Japanese text in the video. (A Russian magazine, GameMag (http://www.gamemag.ru), has also posted an article on the subject, but I am unable to determine what it says.)

YouTube - Silent Hill NeXT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le8nMAW29mE)
GamersReports - Silent Hill NeXT Video Footage (http://www.gamersreports.com/news/2308/)
GameMag - Silent Hill 5? (http://www.gamemag.ru/?act=showart&id=12362)

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Ever put an image to something, like a game or a movie, and thought of that when you thought of the thing, or vica versa? Just for shits and giggles, I'm gonna post what image comes to mind when I think of each SH game.

SH1 = French Fries (Probably because of the textures in the "hell" version of Silent Hill.)

SH2 = Foggy day in the Woods (Like the scene in Monty Phyton and the Holy Grail "NI!")

SH3 = Sunset (Sort of like when your on the top floor of a house and can see all the roofs of the other houses and the sun going down behind them.)

SH4 = Rainy day (It's always grey outside of Ashfield Heights.)

Yeah, might've been a waste of time but I wanted to share the thoughts, damnit!

[Roboduck]

Is there any sigificance to the # 111 that I'm forgetting? A friend of mine thinks its the psalm # but it doesn't fit all that well.

[Razumen]

Yes, the PC version of Silent Hill 2 contains the material for Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, released for the X-Box and re-released for the PS2 on the Greatest Hits collection.

Awesome, too bad they don't ship to Canada :-(, perhaps someone might be willing to order it, and I'll reimburse them?

Silent Hill Rumor Control:
Silent Hill Next?:
A video has appeared on YouTube on April 25, 2006 featuring an video that appears to contain a preview shot of a new Silent Hill videogame. The video was posted by "selfservice" and claims that it is exclusive footage for a new Silent Hill game called, "Silent Hill Next." The video itself shows small FMV clips from previous games, followed by some Japanese text (possibly about each title), then opens up to pan shot of a derelict kitchen until it faces a male character standing over a sink looking at a mirror. The video, running at 1:51, has a low-grade quality to it that suggests that it is not real, but a number of other details suggest that this is only an early build. The camera shaking is a very difficult techinique to do with a computer, yet feels smooth; the grain filter is the same one used for SH4, but has not been ripped from the game, because it was hand made during each scene. In addition, the video appears to be shown in a theater on a large screen. Although many people are claiming that this is for the next generation of consoles, the most likely case is that this is going to be a PSP release, if true.

That video is really interesting, It does really look like it could be real, and that awkard 'Silent Hill Next' title could just be a placeholder codename.

If it is a real game, I'm 100% sure it's not for the PSP. There is no way the PSP could handle what that trailer shows - yes, the graphics don't exactly jump out at you and scream "NEXTGENOHYEAH!", but the room in that video is really quite detailed, with quite a few subtle special effects like reflections, lensflare, dynamic lighting and shadows that show it may just be for the next generation of consoles. (and if it's a early build, it will likely get a lot better) This would make even more sense if it is for the Wii as well, as the game wouldn't be able to pull out all the graphical stops unlike if it was for PS3/360 only.

I wonder though, remember how they were considering a SH game played from the first person perspective? If they were to try that, (Something I'd be very receptive to) I'd imagine the possibilities and ease of use that the Wii's unique control scheme offers would be very hard to ignore for them.

[Sentora]

I was in Barnes and Nobles the other day, and skimming the Graphic Novel section I ran across Slient Hill: Dying Inside.

...Man what a waste. The artstyle fit beautifully, and the first half of the story was perfectly in spirit of Silent Hill...but that last half was such a let down. Especially after seeing the artist's work on 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales.

[Sentora]

Ever put an image to something, like a game or a movie, and thought of that when you thought of the thing, or vica versa? Just for shits and giggles, I'm gonna post what image comes to mind when I think of each SH game.

SH1 = French Fries (Probably because of the textures in the "hell" version of Silent Hill.)

SH2 = Foggy day in the Woods (Like the scene in Monty Phyton and the Holy Grail "NI!")

SH3 = Sunset (Sort of like when your on the top floor of a house and can see all the roofs of the other houses and the sun going down behind them.)

SH4 = Rainy day (It's always grey outside of Ashfield Heights.)

Yeah, might've been a waste of time but I wanted to share the thoughts, damnit!

The Huey P Long bridge for part 1-3 in my case. Go ahead and laugh.

Returning to Lousiana from North Carolina at night, Granddad got a little lost and we had to cross the Huey P just as this thick ass fog rolled in to get back on track. Now for those of you who've never been on this bridge, picture a giant rusted as all hell railroad bridge with two winding, one way lanes for cars on the right and left hand sides of the bridge. There's hardly room on these lanes and you can practically reach out your window and touch the car beside you. And on windy days, the fucker seems to sway a bit.

Now imagine driving down through an area still in disrepair after Katrina, then tearing down that bridge around midnight, in a fog that looks right out of Part 2 and seems to moving to intentionally block you and you have only an inch to screw up and take a header into the water. I swear I kept expecting something to lunge out of the fog like those flying bastards in part 1. :oops: :lol:

[Parjay]

Gotta apologise for the site outtage, our host has been a target for hackers recently - which unfortunately affected our side as well.

[Nulion]

Well! Glad I'm the first one to say it (Since we all hate repeat information), but Silent Hill Origins has been announced, complete with pictures, a trailer, and some more information...

Silent Hill Origins (http://psp.ign.com/articles/706/706177p1.html)

The game is for PSP, and is NOT a remake of Silent Hill 1....it's an entirely new story, that should help explain Silent Hill's past. It follows a truck driver who gets stranded in Silent Hill, and apparently the truck driver has some serious issues from his past that might involve hospitalization :)

The article here also confirms the soundtrack will again be done by Yamaoka, so that's always a good thing!

Also...That video clip you posted a bit ago, ifirit, seems to have been an actual, real clip from this game right here. So it was real!

[Razumen]

Well! Glad I'm the first one to say it (Since we all hate repeat information), but Silent Hill Origins has been announced, complete with pictures, a trailer, and some more information...

Silent Hill Origins (http://psp.ign.com/articles/706/706177p1.html)

The game is for PSP, and is NOT a remake of Silent Hill 1....it's an entirely new story, that should help explain Silent Hill's past. It follows a truck driver who gets stranded in Silent Hill, and apparently the truck driver has some serious issues from his past that might involve hospitalization :)

The article here also confirms the soundtrack will again be done by Yamaoka, so that's always a good thing!

Also...That video clip you posted a bit ago, ifirit, seems to have been an actual, real clip from this game right here. So it was real!

Well I'll be damned. I still have some trouble believing that that video was in-game, given what I've seen from other PSP titles, it was probably a FMV. Although I might be underestimating what the SH team can squeeze out of it's hardware, especially considering their history of doing the same with the PS2.

[RazorOutlaw]

Call me a whiner, but I'm not fond of the monster designs so much. The level designs, from the snippets I've seen there, seem to have more in common with SH4 than any previous title. Not that it's bad, SH4 has just got this stigma in my mind as being the worst in the series.

Actually, at this point I think I've undertaken an unhealthy cynicism and skepticism towards the series. Heh...not sure what to do about that one...

[Poiso]

Saw the movie a week ago. Then I saw it again with some friends.

Woah. Amazing.

*Gets into games*

[Aetherius]

Call me a whiner

You're a whiner.

I think it's a bit harsh to call a really good game, that's the least awesome, in a group of AMAZING games, the 'worst' when it's simply the 'least awesome.'

[Kiyosuki]

I saw this trailer today in Konami's booth, it looks pretty interesting and I'm glad the PSP is finally getting some non port games.

The meat hanging on hooks seems to be something that has a lot of significance in the story, maybe thats a good place to start speculating.

[RazorOutlaw]

Call me a whiner

You're a whiner.

I think it's a bit harsh to call a really good game, that's the least awesome, in a group of AMAZING games, the 'worst' when it's simply the 'least awesome.'
I disagree that it is harsh especially if I think that the game was not the "least awesome", rather just downright bad. Sorry.

[Aetherius]

Well, I spit on you.

[Razumen]

SH4 was a good game with some good ideas, but they really needed more time to polish it and create more content.

[ILLiterate]

So...

Silent Hill 3 - HomeRAVE [Hometown ReMix by EazyP] (http://ezp.icynipple.net/Messing%20Around/EazyP_-_HomeRAVE(Silent_Hill_3).mp3)

F4T4L encouraged me to do it