“Silent Hill” is the film adaptation of a very popular gaming series of the same name, and features Rose Da Silva (Radha Mitchell) who brings her daughter Sharon to the ghost town of “Silent Hill” in an attempt to cure her of her peculiar psychological illness. Rose believes the town, whose name is repeated in Sharon’s sleep, will hold answers.

The film was directed by Christophe Gans whose stunted track record only goes back an additional two movies, including “Brotherhood of the Wolf” (2001) and “H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon: Book of the Dead” (1996).

Gans and his crew, however, did an excellent job of recreating the eerie environments made famous by the game.

The ash-laden town offers a true representation what is considered a ghost town. Fans of the game will smile at the familiar beasts, such as Pyramid Head, and it is not suprrising given the fact that the creator of the series, Akira Yamaoka, acted as an executive producer.

Those who can chronicle the history of videogame-to-movie adaptations know it is usually not a pretty one. “Silent Hill,” however, is easily one of the best since the days of “Super Mario Brothers” and “Mortal Kombat.”

Despite its undeniable box office success, it has faced a fair amount of criticism, especially concerning its “confusing” plot. “Syriana” was considered a great film, but it too had a baffling storyline. It comes down to how much one wants to work to dissect the film.

The fact of the matter is, it is a horror movie and therefore has to be watched with a suspended sense of reality. The dialogue, however, could have used some work. You will find yourself chuckling at the preposterous acting portrayed during many parts of the movie.

Gamers will definitely appreciate “Silent Hill’s” abstract themes more than the average movie-goer; but if you go in knowing what to expect, that it is a 2006 horror flick based on a videogame, you should be fine.