Silent Hill

[schild]

Comes out this Friday. STOKED. 2 of my roommates and I (the other one is a big pussy when it comes to horror movies) are going. It's going to be the best movie ever. So, who's with me?



And who wants to go with us? Comeon, come out of the woodwork. Take a day trip to Phoenix. COMEON.

[stray]

Not sure about best movie ever, but it's the first horror in a long time that I actually gave a shit about.

[schild]

Come to Phoenix! Everyone come to Phoenix!

Edit: And by best movie ever, I mean, the best movie I care about right now that I can't go into my living room and watch. I set the bar low for the movie folks, god knows they need the help.

[Lantyssa]

I am going on Sunday because I caved during a moment of weakness.  A certain someone is going to have the added realism of scratch-marks suddenly appearing across their body during tense moments.  Lots of them.  To heighten the experience of course.

[SurfD]

One way or another i will probably give you guys my thoughts on it (no spoilers tho) on Thursday night, when i prescreen a copy at work.

[Hoax]

I've already got playoff hockey on tap for this weekend (I think, goddamn schedule needs to come out already).

[Strazos]

Sorry, you couldn't pay me to stay Anywhere in Arizona....nothing personal.

[schild]

Are people from New Jersey allowed to make statements like that about....anywhere? No? Didn't think so.

[Surlyboi]

I've already got playoff hockey on tap for this weekend (I think, goddamn schedule needs to come out already).

If I know those guys at NHL broadcasting (well, actually... I do know those guys...) they're still sitting there at right now trying to hammer out the playoff schedule as usual.

[Strazos]

Of course. You can't get a schedule done until you know who is playing who.

Are people from New Jersey allowed to make statements like that about....anywhere? No? Didn't think so.

Hey, it's not as if I like living here, or even have a real choice in the matter. I'm the last person who would say Anything positive about NJ.....

Well, besides the highway architecture for the most part. It's pretty easy to get around on them.

[Engels]

So, like, I don't know jack about this movie. And I don't want to get an 'opinion' from some professional movie reviewer, because most of the time they are either full of crap, don't like the genre in the first place or are catering to some wierd imagined movie bourgoisie in their head.

So Schild, why should I see this movie?

[schild]

It's not by Uwe Boll? Oh, you're serious.

I wasn't excited until I found out Christopher Gans was attached to the project in a big way. Brotherhood of the Wolf may not have earth-shattering but it proved that he's more than capable of making a beautiful film with a story portrayed more by the environment than the words in the script. In other words, he's a good name to have attached to a piece of survival horror.

Horror is a touchy genre. A lot of it is shit (see, 90% of the entire genre) and very rarely is it good (Ringu and Silence of the Lambs being notable exceptions to the rule). Brotherhood of the wolf was really 1 step away from being a period piece AND incredible horror movie. The guy has the chops, he just needed a setting to make it happen. Silent Hill is really a fantastic place for this to happen.

Also, it's not by Uwe Boll.

[stray]

I know I wasn't asked specifically, but for one, it looks to be the first video game based movie written by a better than average script writer (not that the games weren't already good though). Secondly, it looks to be the first horror in a long while written by a better than average script writer (at least English speaking ones).

Anyways, there's some interesting comments here about game adaptations (as well as Avary's opinons on Gans).

[stray]

Random Silent Hill fan said:

If they ruin this, I WILL destroy. This movie had better have the same effect as Frankenstein did way back when. People fainting; vomiting; going into shock. That is Silent Hill to me. I had better walk away feeling nauseous and very very depressed. Nausea, melancholia, and confusion are key, you sloppy c*nts.


DO IT RIGHT OR I AM COMING FOR YOU.

Damn, I thought I had high expectations.

[Surlyboi]

Of course. You can't get a schedule done until you know who is playing who.

It's harder than that. They also have to work out broadcasting issues. One of the most dreaded days in the NHL offices has always been playoff schedule day becuase you're guaranteed an all-nighter on random conference calls with everybody and his brother trying to work out rights and venues and teams.

[Yegolev]

Tell your roommate that my extra-squeamish wife is also STOKED about Silent Hill.  She never watches horror movies, nightmares and creepouts and whatnot.  She'll watch this one... and I didn't even suggest it, she brought it up to me.

[bhodi]

Where are the reviews?! Holding the movie in close and screening it as close to the wide release date as possible screams "BOMB! THIS MOVIE IS TRASH!" to me. And I want to see it, I want to like it.

[Lantyssa]

It also has Sean Bean.

[Yegolev]

It also has Sean Bean.

Which I like to pronounce "Seen Been" in a loud voice.  He rocks.  Equilibrium > Matrix.  And... uh... National Treasure.  Awesome.

[Morfiend]

[National Treasure.  Awesome.

I loled just seeing those words next to each other.

I fall under the "big pussy" catagory, when it comes to horror movies. I cant help it, they influence me way to easilly. If I see a decent horror movie I have bad dreams about it for several weeks. My entire life this has happened to me, and I have never found a way around it. It only seems to happen with movies like the Ring, or The House on Haunted Hill (I think thats the name, not the Haunting of Hill House, the one in the old asylem was fucking scary). I have no problems with movies like Scream or Silence of the Lambs. If it has a creepy little kid in it, im fucking done for. That girl from the Ring haunted my dreams for months. And Silent Hill looks like it has creepy kids galore. Its to bad really, cause I would love to enjoy these movies. I just cant knowing I will have major bad dreams afterward.

[stray]

Its to bad really, cause I would love to enjoy these movies. I just cant knowing I will have major bad dreams afterward.

Wait...I thought bad dreams defined the very meaning of "enjoyment" when it comes to good horror stories. How else would you enjoy them?

[Flood]

Aye it shall rocketh.

I won't get to go until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week due to work constraints, but I plan on hitting it up first thing on my day off.  Going to get as drunk and stoned as possible in the Red Robin that is immediately adjacent to the theaters right before I go in.  Although the though of Whiskey BBQ Burgers coming back up isn't appealing.

[Dren]

Random Silent Hill fan said:

If they ruin this, I WILL destroy. This movie had better have the same effect as Frankenstein did way back when. People fainting; vomiting; going into shock. That is Silent Hill to me. I had better walk away feeling nauseous and very very depressed. Nausea, melancholia, and confusion are key, you sloppy c*nts.


DO IT RIGHT OR I AM COMING FOR YOU.

Damn, I thought I had high expectations.

That person describes exactly why I don't like horror movies.  I hate that feeling afterward.  Of course, I get that feeling to a small degree from watching any movie in the theater.  I had a tinge just watching Ice Age 2 last weekend.

Silly?  Yes.  Sorry, just me.  I think I might have an inner ear thing or something.  Large screens with lots of movement affect me 100x more than it did when I was a kid.  That added to my aversion to horror movies (always had that) makes it even worse.

Hell, I DO read the spoilers for horror movies (I like the concept of them, just can't handle them.)  Even when I do that, I get that creepy, sick feeling just reading about them.  I was ill for hours after reading about Hostel.

Now, you may laugh at my expense.

[Signe]

Scary games bother me more than scary films.  I like scary films.  I've always enjoyed being creeped out.  I don't know what it is about games, though.  They make me nervous.  My saving grace is that I'm much less of a big girlie's blouse than Dren.  Ha!

[Yegolev]

So how far did you get in Silent Hill, the game?  I made it to the school (?), but I didn't stop because it was too creepy.

[Signe]

Who me?     I never bought it.  I did have Fatal Frame, although I was too scared to open it.  It looked like a disturbing game to play.

[kaid]

Fatal frame was pretty freaky. Trying to avoid the evil undead with a wussy little asian girl armed with her magic camera was a bit spooky.

Nothing like having to look through the camera for massive tunnel vision to make things jumping out at you even more freaky.

kaid

[Dren]

Scary games bother me more than scary films.  I like scary films.  I've always enjoyed being creeped out.  I don't know what it is about games, though.  They make me nervous.  My saving grace is that I'm much less of a big girlie's blouse than Dren.  Ha!

HEY!  I like the games actually.  Maybe it is because I can stop and start whenever I want.  In the theater, I'm stuck for a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Plus, my blouse isn't that big.  Please.

[Signe]

It's not as if they lock you in the theatre, now, is it?  You could leave anytime you like... if you weren't so afraid of the usher.

[SurfD]

Ok, just got done screening our copy before it goes up for public enjoyment later today, and i must say, WOO HOO, that was great.

Opinion Note: I did not find it scary.  I have seen friday the 13th / Nightmare on elmstreet installments that I consider more "scary" then Silent Hill.  I did however find it quite sufficiently creepy, and very satisfyingly fuck-with-your-headish.

Starts off kind of slow, but once they actually get into Silent Hill, things really pick up, and you are in for a decently gripping ride into bizzaro land.

I do have to give them mad props for the visual effects.  Shit is REALLY well done, and some of the scenes just leave you going "wow, that was SOOOO fucking sweet".

Cant really say too much, or risk spoilers, and there was one bit of the move that i was somewhat dissapointed with (sort of broke the flow of the whole thing), but on the whole, it really is just a spot on cover of the way the game felt.

Man, I REALLY hope they re-release the first game, I have a crazy urge to play that sucker now.

[stray]

I'll probably see it tonight. Kind of a shame that you say Freddy and Jason offered more thrills, seeing that those movies are shit (imo, of course). Still, the rest of what you say keeps me from completely holding off.

[SurfD]

I'll probably see it tonight. Kind of a shame that you say Freddy and Jason offered more thrills, seeing that those movies are shit (imo, of course). Still, the rest of what you say keeps me from completely holding off.

Well, its a question of what do you find "scary".

 In all honesty, I couldnt really think of a move I have seen ( with the possible exception of the Grudge) that I sould consider "scary" since I watched Pet Cemetery back when i was 12 or so.  For me, Pet Cemetery was the horror movie I hold other movies up to to measure how scary I find them.   (For reference: I watched Pet Cemetery at a friends place, and the movie scared the fuck out of me.  I remember watching the last 3rd or so of that movie from behind my friends couch, with a fortress of cushions built up in wich to hide).

In hindsight, I imagine I would not find that movie quite as frightening as I did when I saw it way back when if I were to watch it again, but there you have it.

As to Silent hill, there was very very little of the typical "BWAGH" loud-noize-sudden-movement-thing-jumps-out kind of shit that freddy and jason movies love to call "scarry".  I wouldnt really call Silent Hill a Horror/Thriller in that sense.   It is more of a Psychological/Thriller with moments of mindfuckery kind of thing.  None of the "omfg that sudden movement was scary" things, but rather a long scene of "wtf was that and why the hell do i feel really creaped out all of a sudden kind of feeling.

Thats sort of what I meant when I said I dont find Silent Hill "scary".  It doesent go for the vicereal, heartpounding scare, but rather the building sense of something being just wrong, and not in a good way.

[stray]

I'll probably see it tonight. Kind of a shame that you say Freddy and Jason offered more thrills, seeing that those movies are shit (imo, of course). Still, the rest of what you say keeps me from completely holding off.

Well, its a question of what do you find "scary".

Heh, I may be missing something, but the last thing that scared me were the Silent Hill games actually.

Other than that, the best I can ask for is "disturbing" or "unsettling" (which usually comes down to something dealing with psychosis. Jacob's Ladder or Oldboy come to mind). Sometimes, I find the best kind of horror in films that aren't billed as such (Irreversible).

Anyways, since you say Silent Hill deals with mindfuckery, I'm sure I'll be happy enough (wait, is that a good thing?).

[schild]

Silent Hill 1 is being remade for the PSP. It comes out in October.

[schild]

Having read some reviews, I have this to say.

When movie critics see movies based on games, they disdain them in the same way game critics look at games based on movies. In other words: It's a pissing fight.

Who can piss further? I dunno. 100 reviews for Silent Hill should be out by next week. And in a couple weeks we'll see the gaming industry's reviews of X3.