Silent Hill: Revelation – Canada/France/Japan – 2012 – Horror, Supernatural
Directed by: MJ Bassett
Written by: MJ Bassett
Main Players: Adelaide Clemens; Kit Harington; Sean Bean; Carrie-Anne Moss; Malcolm McDowell; Radha Mitchell; Martin Donovan; Deborah Kara Unger
Heather Mason (Clemens) runs through a creepy amusement park with hooded strangers all around, while being chased by an unseen force. She tries to hide, but Pyramid Head reveals himself and the cloaked people move in closer. Some kind of creepy demonic version of herself tells her not to go to Silent Hill. Heather wakes from this nightmare, screaming.
In walks her father Harry (Bean). It was just a dream! The pair has just moved again, finding a new city and taking new names. Heather reveals she used to be Sharon, and Harry used to be Christopher. So, where is Rose (Mitchell)?! Why does Harry have a strange box in his closet?! As we get a tiny bit of explanation and exposition, we have to accept it at face value.
Heather joins a new school and classmate Vincent Cooper (Harington) is intrigued by her nonchalant attitude, as he is also new to the class. So, what happens when shit gets weird and Heather finds herself in a collision course with her past? Do you care?
Silent Hill: Revelation is mostly a mess, story wise. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. While the cast has veteran actors, and some okay newbies, primarily they are stuck with the mediocre at best dialogue and script. Most of the ‘scares’ are generic and far less psychological than the original.
Again, this film borrows elements from multiple Silent Hill games, but has less success than the first one. It is totally by the numbers, and usually uninspired. This movie is absolutely trashed by critics and most fans, so keep your expectation bar on the ground floor. I don’t hate it as much as most people, but admit it is not a great time.
So, what is good about it? The actors are chiefly okay despite some poor writing. At least they try their best. Some of the monsters are interesting, and the effects are okay. Set design is solid. It flirts with a few decent ideas, even if it never exploits them. It has as short runtime. Mostly it makes you appreciate the first film more.
See this if you absolutely could not get enough of the first film, or are a completionist, but understand that it is a large dip in quality.
You are now leaving Silent Hill.
See This If You Liked:
Silent Hill; Smile; Smile 2; The Ring (Ringu); The Ring; The Mist (2007); Bring Her Back; The Void (2016); Hellraiser (1987; 2022); 1408; The Babadook; Evil Dead; Evil Dead Rise; The Exorcist; Oculus; Weapons; Longlegs; When Evil Lurks (Cuando Acecha la Maldad); Lights Out (2016)
Score:
5.0