Silent Hill
Blu-ray (Collector’s Edition)
Director: Christophe Gans
Screenwriters: Roger Avary, Christophe Gans, Nicolas Boukhrief
Cast: Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates, Tanya Allen, Alice Krige, Jodelle Ferland
Distributor: Scream Factory
Rated R | 125 Minutes
Release Date: July 9, 2019

Directed by Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf), 2006’s Silent Hill is an adaptation of Konami’s 1999 survival horror video game of the same name. Written by Gans and Roger Avary (Beowulf), the film stars Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black, Rogue) as Rose, a woman searching for her missing daughter (Jodelle Ferland) in the abandoned town of Silent Hill.

A ghost town for 30 years, Silent Hill was the site of a massive coal-seam fire. Now, it exists as a town trapped in a dark dream, occupied by damned souls and hideous monsters. Like the Playstation game, the film incorporates elements of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, while building dread through its eerie atmosphere.

Trapped in the nightmarish dimension, Rose teams up with motorcycle police officer Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden of The Mist and AMC’s The Walking Dead) to navigate the smoldering ruins of Silent Hill. Meanwhile, her husband, Christopher (Sean Bean), works with a policeman (Kim Coates of Sons of Anarchy) to track down his family.

Silent Hill is an underrated video game adaptation and a solid horror movie. Utilizing the game’s iconic creature designs, the movie introduces audiences to Pyramid Head, a humanoid monster wearing a triangle-shaped helmet; the disfigured, weapon-wielding Dark Nurses; and the Janitor, a pedophile bound by barb wire.

While Gans’ film has been released on Blu-ray before, Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition is by far the best this movie has ever looked. The HD master approved by the director is gorgeous – well, as gorgeous as a movie in which a crazy cult lady, Christabella (Alice Krige), gets ripped to shreds by razor wire can be.

In addition to the 1080p high-definition widescreen presentation (2.35:1 aspect ratio) and nerve-jangling DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, the main selling point of this Collector’s Edition is the insane amount of newly produced and previously released bonus features assembled. There’s a new commentary track with cinematographer Dan Laustsen (of The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak).

There are plenty of new interviews too, with Gans, Ferland, makeup-effects artist Paul Jones, and Roberto Campanella, who plays Pyramid Head and the Janitor. There’s also Path Of Darkness: The Making of Silent Hill, a six-part documentary from the original DVD Release that covers every aspect of the film’s production. Rounding out the bonus features are vintage featurettes, on-set interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as photo galleries and a theatrical trailer.

Overall, the visually striking Silent Hill is worthy of your attention and Scream Factory’s new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is more than worthy of your hard-earned cash. Gans’ movie was one of Sony’s very first Blu-rays to ever hit the market back in 2006, and this new release is a massive upgrade, with vibrant colors and deep dark levels. I watched this disc on a 4K player and it looked absolutely incredible – if you’re already a fan, you’re going to be beyond satisfied with the time and effort put into this new release.

Silent Hill (Collector’s Edition) is now available at Amazon. For more reviews of Scream Factory releases, click here.

Trailer

Clip: Get Out

Clip: Christophe Gans Discusses His Concept for the Film

Cover Art

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