Adelaide Clemens in Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (SUPPLIED)

There's a bright young director behind Silent Hill: Revelation and a very strong cast to bring the story to life, but the movie is still terrible.

(Our spies at Comic-Con suggest that the movie may appeal to adolescents who play the video game: you know who you are.)

Award-winning director Michael Bassett (Deathwatch; Solomon Kane) knows his way around fantasy and horror but seems to be working without much of a script here. Oops! Bassett wrote this thing, too, so it's starting to be fairly clear where to lay blame.

Heather (Adelaide Clemens) and her father (Sean Bean) lead life on the edge, moving often and always keeping one eye open for the Forces of Evil that seem to be following them.

Another move, another new school. There's already someone (Martin Donovan) following Heather around, and at school she has no interest in trying to make new friends. Still, a cute guy named Vincent (Kit Harington) seems keen to get to know her.

When her father vanishes, Heather feels compelled to look for him in Silent Hill, the town he has warned her never to visit. As her nightmares gather more and more momentum, she and Vincent set out to try and find her father and the truth about her own past. Betrayal lies at every turn.

Something like that, anyway.

The movie often feels like little more than a showcase of scary makeup and effects -- look at this monster! Now look at this one! That guy has no face! Check out the automaton nurses! You won't care.

This one is definitely only for rabid fans of the original or the game.

liz.braun@sunmedia.ca
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