Day 12 - Your favourite horror film involving the occult.

 

    I was going to save this film for the "guilty pleasure" post, but I couldn't think of a better film than this one. The first time I watched Silent Hill (2006), I was a wee lass. I carry a soft spot for early 2000's films because they premiered during my childhood. The things that you see during adolescence really do stick with you.

    I remember renting video tapes with my mother. We'd go to 2 different places to rent them and I would always remember the movie posters hanging up. A lot of the posters were horror films like Dead Silence (2007), The Grudge (2004), Saw II (2005), House of Wax (2005), etc. And if it wasn't on a poster, it was on the cover of the VHS.

    I remember playing with all of our VHS tapes, stacking them on top of each other. My parents made sure to put all of the inappropriate tapes in the hallway closet. I would sneakily open up the closet to look at all of the tapes, particularly Thir13en Ghosts (2001). The cover image was very striking to me, it scared me a bit. I couldn't help but look at the Angry Princess on the back of the cover... Now I have a thing for evil redheads, go figure.

The Angry Princess from Thir13en Ghosts

Kaolinite from Sailor Moon

Elle from Evil Dead Rise

    Silent Hill's poster intrigued me very much as well. It was really haunting for me to look at. There was this aesthetic that a lot of the horror films of that era shared. It was very graphic, varying in cold blue-blacks or a warm rust. They looked like films older teenage brothers would watch because they were "cool". My parents ended up buying the DVD, so I would just stare at the case in awe. I currently have that exact DVD sitting on my bookshelf with all of my other DVDs. I can't remember the exact age I watched the film, but it was around that time. Too young to watch it for sure, but that didn't stop me.

    The film's score was harrowing, yet enchanting. I had never heard anything else like it. That paired with the set and character designs... What the film did right was recreate everything from the video game. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! The film, despite its plot and pacing, is very impressive. Especially during a time when video game film adaptations were notoriously dogshit. See House of the Dead (2003). Of course, when it came out, die-hard fans fucking hated the film. For valid reasons. 

    It's the kind of film I want to watch during late Aumtun. Early in the morning, when the rain has passed and the sun shines through the clouds. The sky still manages to be this muddy blue color. The leaves are orange and falling off of the trees, landing in big puddles. The air is cold and crisp, smelling of rain and wet cement. Those are the vibes Silent Hill gives me. 

    It's not a perfect film, but it's perfect to me! It is the best one out of the whole series... Wretched Return to Silent Hill (2026). Silent Hill has easily become one of my comfort movies. When I'm working on a certain project, I like to put on Silent Hill while I'm working to put me in that headspace. It's nostalgic to me, as it brings back those feelings from my childhood. Those feelings of awe and fear, creating excitement within me. I not only own it physically, but digitally as well. I can't go without it!!