Silent Hill: Revelation - Kill It With Fire

Silent Hill: Revelation is a 2012 film loosely based on the video game Silent Hill 3, and was produced as a direct sequel to the previous film. A sequel was discussed just a few months after the first movie had been released but soon entered development hell when director Christophe Gans dropped out and writer Roger Roberts Avary was imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter. In 2010, M. J. Bassett took over the writer and director positions, and allowed fans to post casting suggestions on their blog. None of the suggestions were used however, and the post was eventually removed. Filming took place in Canada while audio mixing was done in France. The movie cost $20 million to produce and grossed $55.9 million worldwide, but did not fair well critically. In a 2018 interview, M. J. Bassett stated that trying to please both gamers and general movie goers while filming in 3D was a tough balancing act, and that it "was one or the other".

Credit Music: Rain of Brass Petals-Three Voices (by Akira Yamaoka)

Silent Scream (by Akira Yamaoka)

Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis and my opinions at the very end.

 

Summary

Sharon Da Silva (aka Heather Mason) is chased by cultists through a dilapidated fair grounds, taking shelter on a carousel manually powered by a chained Pyramid Head. A dark version of herself appears and instructs Sharon "not to come to Silent Hill" before setting her on fire. Sharon then awakens from her nightmare and in the morning tells her adoptive father Christopher Da Silva (Harry Mason in the game) that she is tired of moving from from town to town and assuming different identities.

In one of the mirrors of his home, Christopher sees the image of his deceased wife, Rose Da Silva. Using one half of a talisman called the "Seal of Metatron", she was able to free Sharon from the fog world but remains trapped herself. Rose warns Christopher that a cult known as the "Order of Valtiel" needs Sharon to complete a ritual.

At school Sharon alternates between visions of Silent Hill, including being chased by a straightjacket (armless monster), before snapping back to reality. Christopher offers to pick her up at the mall when it becomes apparent that she is being followed by private investigator Douglas Cartland, who was hired by the Order to find her. A monster called the Missionary (only vaguely similar to the game version) kills Douglas, making Sharon a suspect in his murder. Fellow student Vincent Cooper (no relation to the game character Vincent Smith) escorts Sharon home only to find the place empty except for a message written in blood instructing them to come to Silent Hill.

 
On the drive to Silent Hill, Vincent reveals that he is the son of Claudia Wolf, the Order's leader, and was able to leave the fog world through human sacrifice and suffering. He was sent by the Order to make sure Sharon came to the town and instructs her to find his grandfather Leonard Wolf, who possesses the other half of the Seal of Metatron. A Missionary then drags Vincent off, leaving Sharon to venture into the fog alone.

Half of the runtime is spent just getting to the town of Silent Hill.

She encounters a woman named Dahlia whose child, Alessa Gillespie, was burned alive by the Order and through her anger created Silent Hill. Sharon is a piece of Alessa which is why the Order needs her to complete their ritual. When the foggy town of Silent Hill transitions to its grimier 'otherworld' state, Sharon flees to a nearby building and is chased through a storehouse by a mannequin spider monster (unique to the film).

The doll spider was originally suppose to appear at the mall and was meant to kill or 'commodify' a school bully who had teased Sharon about getting her "clothes from Goodwill". The irony was lost when the scene was changed for unknown reasons.

She finds Leonard at an asylum and he fuses Sharon's half of the amulet with the one he possesses, turning himself into a monster. Sharon then grabs the amulet from his open chest cavity, killing him. Vincent is rolled into one of the rooms strapped to a gurney. Sharon frees him, but any noise brings the nurse monsters in the room to life. The duo heads to the Lakeside Amusement Park where Sharon absorbs the dark version of herself on the carousel, making Alessa whole once again.

She then confronts Claudia, who is holding Christopher and Vincent hostage. The Order intends to use Sharon to birth their God, who will punish all sinners upon its birth. When Claudia touches the Seal of Metatron she transforms into the Missionary. A Pyramid Head arrives to battle the Missionary giving Sharon, Christopher, and Vincent time to escape. Christopher decides to stay in Silent Hill to find Rose (he died at the beginning of the video game) while Sharon and Vincent hitch a ride with a truck driver called Travis Grady (Silent Hill: Origins protagonist). As they drive out of Silent Hill, a prisoner transport vehicle followed by a police escort enters the town (Silent Hill: Downpour reference).

Final Thoughts

The games were good at building atmosphere, tension, and focused on 'psychological horror', whereas Revelation seems more focused on jump-scares and horror movie gore. There are sudden flashes to a hobo-monster, a man is seen getting carved alive, and party-goers are shown eating bloody sandwiches. What does any of this have to do with Heather (Sharon) and what she is going through? All the symbolism about adulthood and the fears faced by women, including stalking, objectification, body dysmorphia, and pregnancy/tokophobia were completely thrown out. Replaced instead by a totally unnecessary romance between Heather and her cousin (this applies only to the film version of Vincent); a guy who happens to be a member of the cult that tortured her, including forced pregnancy in-game, and murdered her father - the only person in her life that she fully trusts and feels safe around. Why Heather is willing to run off with a man that she has known for maybe a day, and why her father is so willing to leave her alone with this stranger, is a complete mystery to me. It just boggles my mind that this inessential romance was deemed more important than the themes of the game, and in many ways comes off as tone deaf. Why is Vincent even in this movie? What did his inclusion add and why is he a teenager in this? Why did Douglas die and why is Heather being a suspect in his murder never resolved?

The one saving grace this movie has is the mannequin spider. It fits in with the Silent Hill mythos, and could easily represent feminine gender stereotypes and objectification, as women are put under pressure by society to have the 'Barbie doll' look, i.e. be young, skinny and attractive like a doll. Young girls are also given 'baby dolls' on the expectation that they will one day become mothers and caretakers. In the video game, Heather had an unseen stalker that would leave dolls with his letters, seemingly implying that he viewed Heather as his possession - a thing to be owned, which is how many stalkers treat their victims in real-life. The mannequin spider is almost a reference to this. But one good reference can't save a bad film. As a game fan, Revelation ignores the source material and all its themes in favor of a fan-fic-esque storyline that dumbs everything down while adding in too many plot holes and retcons to ignore. As a horror fan, there is gore a plenty but little else of substance.

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