Just saw the TV spot for this (OPENING FRIDAY) ... Has definite promise.

Only CGI used in this film was for the fog.

Most excellent.

I loved this game.

I can't wait! I guess I have to go back and play the game again.

Don't go to Silent Hill or you might never come back. I hear the movie is actually a gateway to hell. If you watch it your soul will be stuck in the Silent Hill world forever or untill you see the the monster man rape the monster girl but you will be scarred for life by the image.

Silent Hill has had some of the best TV spots of recent memory, just like the preview they give you some atmosphere, some juicy images, but very little of the larger story. I've never played the games, so I don't know what happens.

Big ups to Screen Gems for not marketing the movie so on the nose that I could tell the story step by step before I watch it.

I like the TV spots. Great images, but has anyone noticed that ever since Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) had that kickass trailer with the freeze framing- almost every horror movie trailer since then has done the same exact thing. Freezing on someone screaming, then the image burns or shakes into a fade, etc.....

Have you noticed it mostly happens with remakes (e.g. Dawn of the Dead and The Hills Have Eyes)?

I see no reviews on rottentomatoes. Does that mean it is not being screened in advance?

This is from a chat with Radha Mitchell on AOL earlier this week:

dmgalan: First of all, thank you Radha for your time... My question is why do you think a decision was made not to screen the film to critics? And do you think that this will hurt the film?

Radha_Mitchell: I think that's sort of the culture now. In some ways it's better for a movie like this to open on its own. I'm not sure if it's good or bad. This film could certainly benefit from the scrutiny of critics, but it could also be good to keep it a mystery

If this is Screen Gems, which I think it is, then it really is just the norm. They simply don't screen their movies for critics, a lot of times. Unfortunatley, a lot of times they do suck, but for some reason I'm giving Silent Hill the benefit of the doubt. I don't think it'll suck.

Apparently some people are seeing it tonight.

Actually, all the films that Sony hasn't screened have all been pretty big successes, oddly enough. (Resident Evil 2, Underworld, When A Stranger Calls, and probably Silent Hill)

It's screening in LA on Thursday, and the movie premiere is Thursday evening as well.

That is not good news and Ebert is certainly going to give his waving finger of shame!

It seems more and more movies nowadays are refusing to show their movies to critics first. This kind of makes sense. If you were a movie studio and you put millions of dollars behind a movie that the critics are going to destroy anyway, might as well take your chances with the audience. Besides, they are the paying ones. The critics get freebies.

There are lots of movies out there that are high on entertainment but low on critical value so no point showing it to the critics at all. Because even when you do show it to them, the critics will whine and bitch about wasting their time. Even they would admit that you are doing them a favor by not letting them watch the movie. Though of course, what will they write about for the weekend? Which is probably also why critics are worried about this no critic screeners trend.

I read a story a couple weeks back about this trend. In it, they mentioned that there had already been more non-screened movies this year to date than all of last year. And incidently, with an a couple of exceptions, they had all had decent to great opening weekends. I don't think there a correlation between not being screened and a big 1st weekend, but its something for the studios to consider.

For a certain type of movie, screening it, and getting bad reviews can only decrease your potential audience. Furthermore, that same movie could be helped by the possible positive word of mouth that would come from moviegoers themselves, and thanks to the Internet, spreads immediately.

I don't think the work of serious film criticism is going away, or becoming less important, just that its becoming negligible for a certain type of film.

I am dismayed about this movie not being screened though. It's got some great talent behind it, and unless it completely sucks, I could see how some positive reviews might give it exposure beyond the teenage/horror crowd. (As opposed to "When a Stranger Calls" that never had a shot of expanding beyond that crowd)

This movie was screened, its just that everyone that seen it is now dead. DEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD I tell you. dead.

Have you seen my meds?

My son and I were planning on seeing this on Friday. The total lack of reviews (due to no screening) has changed that plan. It has been my experience that: No reviewer screenings = teh suck.
Movies cost enough (as well as the gas for the drive) that it’s not worth the high probability of a crap fest. If the reviews (by horror reviewers I respect) sound decent enough I may take him to a matinee next week.

They had some screenings tonight, should be some reviews up tomorrow. Even if they are just fan reviews.

I just wanna toss this one out there.

I've seen many people get very excited about this flick, in a big way. I think it's quite possible that this could be one of the biggest letdowns of the entire year, which is why I haven't allowed myself to get my hopes up at all.

I'm just sayin', it might not be the film that many are expecting it to be. It wouldn't shock me at all for this one to get horrible, horrible reviews (as well as, you know, being a flat out bad movie).

I hope I'm wrong though.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/s...d.php?t=477638

On a side note - Closest things I've seen to a review.

Exactly.

Well I think the mark of a good film is that it can even transcend it's own hype. That no matter how high your expectations in can still match it. And, yup, here's to hoping it's a good film.

That review is positive I didn't read much, just the beginning, and she says that her and her husband agreed that it was riveting. I want to go in not knowing much at all.

Apparently the preview embargo must not affect the UK, because the Scottish paper, The Herald, reviewed Silent Hill today. It gave it one star and called it "baffling and dull." It also said the movie was over two hours long. However, I'm more inclined to use the Horror Channel's four and a half star review as an indicator of its horror quality!

http://www.horrorchannel.com/index.p...content&id=902

http://www.skymovies.com/skymovies/a...507214,00.html

i cant wait