Common Sense Media Review
Creepy video game adaptation has bloody violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
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Silent Hill
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 25 parent reviews
Parents say the film features intense and disturbing imagery, with significant violence that could be unsettling for younger viewers, though some children find enjoyment in it. The movie presents dark themes related to motherhood, the supernatural, and grotesque creatures, making it more suitable for older teens and adults rather than children.
- intense violence
- dark themes
- suitable for teens
- disturbing imagery
- supernatural elements
- parenting concerns
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 39 kid reviews
Kids say the horror film is overwhelmingly graphic and violent, featuring a confusing plot that might be better appreciated by fans of the video game on which it's based. While many reviewers found the movie engaging and thrilling, they warned that it contains excessive gore, strong language, and adult themes, making it unsuitable for children and suggesting parents consider the film's intense content before allowing their younger viewers to watch.
- graphic violence
- adult themes
- confusing plot
- strong language
- fan appeal
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
SILENT HILL follows the nightmarish story of Rose (Radha Mitchell), whose daughter, Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), is a longtime sleepwalker pulled by a mysterious force. Rose takes Sharon to Silent Hill, a coal mining town that appears to be haunting the girl. But when their car crashes and Sharon disappears, the two of them are lost in an eerie, otherworldly space populated by grotesque creatures. As Rose desperately searches for her daughter, she starts to uncover the town's horrific past, which leads her to cult leader Christabella (Alice Krige), a witch-burner who will stop at nothing to purify her town.
Is It Any Good?
There's no denying that this horror movie is creepy, but it's also incoherent. Much of the time, Silent Hill focuses on Rose's search for her daughter amid the eerie world of gruesome creatures, but it occasionally cuts away to her husband, Chris (Sean Bean), who's doing his own investigating. He's casually thumbing through archives with the help of a police inspector, Gucci (Kim Coates), who has found Rose's abandoned car. Gucci tells a bizarre story about the town's coal fire, the "hellish" day in 1974, when "people were dying and disappearing." It sounds ominous, but it's just there for exposition and doesn't quite explain how they're reappearing in the present. Just one of many things that doesn't connect or work here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fact that Silent Hill is a video game adaptation. How does the visual style acknowledge the source material? What are the challenges of adapting a game into a movie? Can you think of films that have done it successfully?
Both the protagonist and the main villain are women. How are they portrayed in the movie? Can you think of other films where women face off in leading roles? How do they compare with Silent Hill?
What do you think is so appealing about the horror genre, particularly among teens? Why do many people sometimes enjoy being scared? Does a movie need to be gory to be scary?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 21, 2006
- On DVD or streaming : August 22, 2006
- Cast : Laurie Holden , Radha Mitchell , Sean Bean
- Director : Christophe Gans
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Columbia Tristar
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy ( Monsters )
- Run time : 127 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language.
- Last updated : February 11, 2026
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