‘Silent Hill’ Descends Into Occultism But Holds Atmosphere and Tension Sacrosanct

We critics all have our biases. I loathe religious fanatic horror for the simple reason that it’s so real. Give me a hundred Jasons, Freddys, and Michaels—or zombie horror—any day of the week. While they can often be mindless—and atmospheric when done right—they work to scare us, entertain us, and exorcise our demons. Religious fanaticism, on the other hand, actually happened and disturbs me on a much deeper level. That’s why Robert Eggers’ “The Vvitch” and “Fear Street: 1666” remain the most disturbing of the recent horror I’ve seen. There’s something about a brainwashed hysteric yelling “witch!” before a mob attacks an innocent woman and burns her to death that just rubs me the wrong way. But I digress. 

Because before “Silent Hill,” the 2006 picture starring Rhada Mitchell and Sean Bean gets there, a lot more happens. Of the video games that inspired this movie—which a friend loves—I profess ignorance. I’ve never played them. However, looking at this film in 2026, I can’t help but see the inspiration for 2013’s “The Last of Us.” Here, the plot differs from the 1999 video game but the scope remain the same: a parent (Mitchell) drives to the decayed, abandoned town of Silent Hill, trying to abate her daughter’s recurrent nightmares. In the game a father searches for his daughter and her it’s her mother once the two crash on their way into town. The opening is effectively creepy. Mitchell’s Rose Da Silva notices the motes of white floating down around her and realizes its ash, not snow. The town is smoldering. A fire still burns underneath from a coal fire long ago. 

A Chilling Atmosphere

The atmosphere of “Silent Hill” is well done. Director Christophe Gans and Cinematographer Dan Laustsen create a murky world that pulls you in immediately. Per IMDb, it took Gans five years to obtain the rights to make the film and his love of the medium shows. What I liked most about the opening is the forlorn route that Rose takes with her daughter to get to the town, as well as how she’s being pursued by a police officer (Laurie Holden) for no apparent reason. Before the movie’s over, both Rose and her husband, Chris are easily taken into custody, which I found a bit silly. That’s until you understand the people on the outskirts of this town know something. However, it takes most of the movie’s run for the audience to catch up. Spoiler alert: Sean Bean doesn’t die in this film. But he has a minimal role and tries as much as can as the material will allow. 

The majority of “Silent Hill” is a mystery to unravel. After the car wreck, Rose embarks on a mad search to find her daughter, Sharon (Jordelle Ferland). Along the way she finds a lot of disturbing things. We see the remains of a burned town, a host of zombies that are literally burning like ash, and a titanic demon of some sort with a metal triangle for a head that swings a sword so long it defies physics. These scenes reminded me of the better parts of industrial horror I’ve seen. “Doom,” “Resident Evil,” and “Hellraiser” come to mind, with the latter showing the most direct visual influence. Silent Hill becomes a prison for Rose and others, and the film’s slow to expose that something odd is occurring. In one of the film’s best sequences, Bean’s Chris Da Silva walks with a cop (Kim Coates) in present day Silent Hill. Here everything looks normal, and nothing like the ash-covered landscape his wife confronts. Chris and his wife occupy the same building from two different worlds, separated by some time barrier or mysticism. He smells her perfume. He knows she’s there. Yet there’s something awry and the two can only sense the other but not see them.

Good Performances Elevate ‘Silent Hill’

Acting-wise the film is apt. Mitchell is competent if not overly original. She clearly cares about her daughter but reminds me of a more timid version of her character from “Pitch Black.” But she moves from timid to brave to wrathful throughout the movie’s progression, and Mitchell gives it her all. I also liked Ferland’s performance here, especially in the beginning as she appears, truly, as a scared kid. Movies like to show young children (I’m guessing she’s 8 or 9) as having bravery beyond their ability. But here she screams, cries, covers her face during a horrific crash—all things an 8-year-old would really do. Sharon becomes an enigma after this. However, it all comes together in a way reminiscent of some of most revenge films, with parts of “The Sixth Sense” and “The Others” mixed in. 

Where the movie took a dive for me was its descent into religious madness, though I know it’s necessary for the story. We’re introduced to some characters that help spell out the story. One, Anna (Tanya Allen) is a bit mawkish and odd. And another we meet, Christabella (Alice Krige) appears and begins ranting about demons and faith and believers. She reminded me of Mrs. Carmody in “The Mist” who you just want to scream “you’re insane” moments after she begins talking. Yet when Rose meets her it’s to seek haven. Every so often (nightly, it seems) Silent Hill turns from ash-covered placidness into a hellscape, and Christabella promises shelter from the storm. She promises a lot of things to her legion of followers, and Gans (and the game) are clearly saying something about cultism, fear, and blind faith. 

Swan Dives into Occultism

But it’s this transition—from Silent Hill as Rose walks alone, encounters horrors, and looks feverishly for her daughter—to Christabella’s cultism—that dents the film. There’s too much story packed into too little time. Some of it is explained well and other parts aren’t. If you’ve played the ’99 game I’m sure it’s filled in, but my wife and I had to rely on Google to put together some of the pieces.

Yet amidst demons, swarms of locusts, and triangle-head-sword-swinging demons, “Silent Hill” becomes a simpler story. It reminded me of the excellent remake of “The Grudge.” Decades ago, a terrible horror occurred in this town and a heinous fate claimed an innocent. Who that innocent is and what innocence was lost at the hands of Christabella’s mob is better left to discover for the uninitiated. Its recanting is overlong and arduous, yet its resolution was rewarding. Practically channeling Pinhead from “Hellraiser” it was both satisfying to see justice yet sad to see its necessity. It all revolves around a little girl, and the saddest part is this film’s cinema: no such justice met all the “witches” burned throughout history, yet I guess this is the reason we watch movies in the first place. 

Still, Adequately Creepy

Yet the film’s criticisms aside (mostly a lot of telling in lieu of showing and cultist pomposity that becomes a lot to carry), “Silent Hill” is an effective movie. Mitchell, Ferland, and Bean are likable, as is much of the support cast. The atmosphere and score (cellos, violas, and eeriness line the wasteland) are apropos, and the ending—albeit bittersweet—was kind in its own way. If you’re looking for a good throwback or industrial horror, you could do worse than “Silent Hill.” If anything, it makes me want to look for some of the PlayStation 5 remakes and give them a try. Like “The Last of Us,” I’m aware a movie can only capture so much compared to video games’ immersive experience. But for a ghost story on top of an apocalypse on top of a revenge tale, “Silent Hill” may just be the creep factor you need this Spooky Season.