Oct. 24, 2012 - Issue #888: Winter Guide 2012
Silent Hill Revelations
Such is life for Heather Mason (Adelaide Clemens), who, on the eve of adulthood learns that everything she presumed about her current identity—such as her mother dying in a car crash, which also caused her blank memory of the event—is completely false. For as long as Heather can remember, she's been plagued by chilling nightmares where figures within her subconscious keep telling her to come to Silent Hill, not to mention that she and her father Christopher De Silva (Sean Bean)—or Harry Mason as he's also known—have spent years on the run from forces she doesn't fully understand.
The clues begin to fall into place when her father is kidnapped and Heather is has no choice but to go to Silent Hill, a town with a dark secret of its own that threatens to trap her forever.
The second installment in the live action adaptation of the video game by Konami comes six years after the first was released, meaning viewers may have to brush up on the backstory before heading to theatres. Revelation goes over details that fill in some of the gaps, but it's not one to see if you're not already familiar with the franchise to some degree.
Despite its complex plot, acting also isn't Revelation's strong suit. There are moments of convincing terror, but several scenes with Clemens and Bean in particular sound scripted and are not delivered with conviction. Dialogue dwindles to being nearly non-existent towards the middle of the film once Heather enters Silent Hill where she does a lot of running around coupled with overly dramatic heavy breathing. However, Lack of dialogue may be to the film's benefit, as it leaves the impressively grotesque set design and eerie score to shine.
The production values are the highlight of the horror adventure. Revelation plays to its origins through video game-inspired camera angles and action sequences, with the 3D aspect complimenting its macabre aesthetic—blood spattering anyone? Silent Hill itself is made into a chilling realm of terror with a dreary colour palette, derelict buildings and a sense of hopelessness that feels as though it sucks the life right out of anyone who enters, and it just might, given what's lurking beyond its entrance. Unfortunately, the stiff acting and drawn-out running sequences do the same thing to an audience.
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