5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill: Revelation Did Better)

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The Silent Hill movies are a notch above most video game movies, but there are things each movie did better than the other.

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5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

When it comes to the movies and even with the loss of Hideo Kojima’s Silent Hills, fans of the Silent Hill games could count themselves lucky because their movies aren’t the worst. Video game movies are generally terrible, but the Silent Hill films could be seen as the exception to this rule. In fact, original director Christophe Gans’ recent announcement of a new Silent Hill movie was met with excitement rather than concern.

However, the reception of the Silent Hill movies isn’t unanimous. While the first entry can be a bit polarizing, its sequel is almost universally despised. That’s not to say that Revelation didn’t get anything right – and we’re not talking about its 3D effects. Here are five things that Silent Hill got right and five more things its sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, did better.

10 SILENT HILL – The Town

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

The eponymous Silent Hill isn’t just a regular haunted town but one that can be either viewed as Purgatory or Hell itself. The first movie got the town’s depiction right, showing it as a derelict town that masks a foggy landscape and The Other World, where the town seems to be rotting while its remaining residents hide in fear.

Revelation returns to Silent Hill but it looks like the discount version of the one seen in the original movie. Silent Hill still looks dirty and bloody, but it lacks the first movie’s foreboding atmosphere. The sequel’s production design isn’t terrible, but it looks more like a cheap haunted house attraction rather than an uncanny hellscape.

9 REVELATION – The Pop-Tart Jump Scare

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Revelation has been criticized for a lot of things, primarily not being as disturbing or scary as the first movie. It does, however, have one effective jump scare that comes courtesy of – wait for it – a Pop-Tart.

Somewhere during production, someone decided that a Pop-Tart jumping out of a toaster would be a great jump scare to add in a horror movie about the eternally damned. This jump scare is so misplaced that it only draws more attention to itself by existing. In fact, the fanmade Silent Hill wiki gave it an entire entry, where it claims that the Pop-Tart represents Heather’s fear of diabetes.

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8 SILENT HILL – The Monsters

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Silent Hill’s monsters are drenched in tragic symbolism that only emphasizes the titular town’s status as a living Hell, and the first movie did a great job of bringing them to life while adding some new ones. Outside of their tortuous appearances, what makes these formerly human monsters disturbing is how they embody the dark elements of Alessa’s psyche.

Revelation also has some new and familiar nightmares, but they look and act more like generic video game bosses or movie monsters rather than eternal damnation made physical. The worst offender is Pyramid Head, who lumbers around in the sequel like Jason Voorhees rather than towering over the damned like Hell’s official executioner.

7 REVELATION – Easter Eggs

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

While Easter Eggs, like the hospital map, are present, Silent Hill doesn’t really draw too much attention to them. Revelation, meanwhile, went in the other direction. From Robbie the Rabbit to the Order’s insignia, Revelation overflows with shout-outs that long-time fans will spot.

The biggest one is the ending, which directly hints at three games: Harry willingly entering Silent Hill to find his wife parallels Silent Hill 2, the truck driver who gives Heather and Vincent a lift is Travis from Silent Hill: Origins, and a passing prison convoy is the one from Silent Hill: Downpour. Maybe there’s a Silent Hill cinematic universe in the works?

6 SILENT HILL – Streamlining The Lore

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

To put it kindly, Silent Hill’s lore can be confusing. If the game’s not expositing about the player character’s connection to some ancient demon, there’s a convoluted backstory about the town’s eldritch origins going on in the background. Blasphemous as it may be for some diehard fans, Silent Hill’s choice to dump this lore in favor of a new one for the movie was a good idea.

The movie incorporates a more familiar narrative about a puritan cult that echoes the Salem Witch Trials, thus making Silent Hill more accessible to outsiders. But even if the names and motives were tweaked, the games’ lore remained in spirit, as the new cult was just as frightening as the Order of Valtiel.

5 REVELATION – The Order Of Valtiel

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Some purists took issue with Silent Hill divorcing itself from the games’ lore. For them, the movie was Silent Hill in name only. Revelation was the return to form these fans wanted, as it centered on one of the franchise’s well-known antagonists: The Order of Valtiel.

Led by Claudia Wolf, the Order seeks to bring their demon god forth into the world by having Alessa/Heather give birth to it. Though they’re not as disturbing as the original movie’s cult and could be dismissed as fanservice, the Order’s presence was something that long-time fans appreciated – even if as a novelty.

4 SILENT HILL – The Characters

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Before it showed, Silent Hill caused a minor uproar among fans when it was announced that it would feature a new character, Rose, a single mother who was based on Harry from the original game. This change turned out to be a good one, with Rose becoming the movie’s emotional core. The supporting cast was a bit crowded, but they helped bolster the movie’s emotional weight and humanity.

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Revelation, in contrast, chose to draw directly from the games. This familiarity didn’t do it any favors, as it either got the characterizations wrong or didn’t develop them properly. Heather is reduced from a troubled yet relatable teenager to a whiny kid, much to her fans’ anger. Established secondary roles like Vincent Smith, Detective Cartland, Leonard Wolf, and even a returning Rose were simplified or butchered to the point of irrelevance.

3 REVELATION – A Brand New Soundtrack

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Akira Yamaoka’s soundtrack is synonymous with Silent Hill, and the absence of his hauntingly beautiful scores can spell doom for an entry in the franchise. Both movies wisely use his works in their soundtracks, but Revelation wins this comparison by a slim margin thanks to some new compositions.

The Silent Hill soundtrack is primarily composed of pieces and songs lifted directly from the actual games, while Revelation boasts some new tracks. Brand new additions include some fresh intstrumentals and the original song “Silent Scream,” sung by Silent Hill veteran Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

2 SILENT HILL – It’s A Good Video Game Movie

5 Things That Silent Hill Did Right (& 5 Things Silent Hill Revelation Did Better)

Silent Hill doesn’t get enough praise for being one of the few video game adaptations that is not awful. It has its flaws, but Silent Hill doesn’t only respect the source material; amazingly, it can also stand as its own atmospheric horror movie.

Some newcomers credit the 2006 movie for introducing them to the games, while older fans appreciated the genuine passion that went into the movie’s creation. Time has since vindicated Silent Hill and before Detective Pikachu came along, it was commonly regarded as Hollywood’s best attempt at translating a video game to the big screen.

1 REVELATION – It’s Basically A B-Movie

We won’t kid ourselves. Revelation is a downgrade from Silent Hill and it’s a subpar Silent Hill 3 adaptation. But if one were to view it as the kind of B-grade horror movie that Joe Bob Briggs might’ve recommended back in the day, Revelation could get promoted to guilty pleasure status. Think about it this way; if Silent Hill is a legitimate attempt at a Gothic horror movie, Revelation is the theme park version.

Heather literally goes through a haunted carnival and bumps into one spooky 3D attraction after another, including an older Alessa who looks more like a stereotypical Goth girl than her darker side made flesh. All that’s missing is for Heather to sit in a train car while the faceless nurses and Pop-Tarts jumped at her and audiences on cue. Also, B-movie veteran Malcolm McDowell is in it and there’s a monster versus monster brawl at the end. Those should count for something!

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/silent-hill-movies-revelations-comparison-right/

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