How The Cast Of Silent Hill Should Really Look
The horror of Silent Hill couldn't be contained in just video games alone, so the powers-that-be decided to create a few films to further showcase the madness of the small, American town. While reviews of Silent Hill and its sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation were ... less than kind, there's something to be said about how the creators of the movies tried to stick close to the source material, especially when it came to representing the characters. Get ready to take a look at what the characters from the games look like, compared to their silver-screen portrayals. And spoiler alert: Sean Bean totally dies in this one too.
Alessa Gillespie
Here we have the character of Alessa Gillespie, played by a young Jodelle Ferland in the first Silent Hill film. As far as creepy girls covered in blood go, Alessa is pretty up there with the likes of Carrie and those twins from The Shining. Though the real Alessa is a husk of a person, confined to a hospital bed, Ferland portrays Dark Alessa, wandering around the town in a blue dress with a white collar. There's a clear (and creepy) contrast between the cleaned-up, adult version of Alessa, and the demonic, charred child we see acting as her avatar in the movie.
Claudia Wolf
Claudia Wolf is the antagonist of Silent Hill 3, the game used as the inspiration for Silent Hill: Revelation. Carrie-Anne Moss plays Claudia, and very much looks the part. She's definitely an eccentric character, which is par for the course of a cult leader who plans on resurrecting a god. With her pale skin, equally fair hair, and simple clothing, we don't think Moss could have been a more perfect Claudia Wolf. As if her cryptic speech patterns weren't creepy enough, she turns into a monster known as the Missionary towards the end of the film, somehow giving us more reasons to be afraid of her.
Cybil Bennett
Cybil is the cop that helps Silent Hill's protagonist Rose search for her daughter Cheryl. She appears as a character in the first game and can be saved by Harry Mason, although the player's decision will affect whether or not she escapes the town. In both the game and the movie, she's shown to have short, blonde hair, and rocks a police uniform (as cops are wont to do). The main difference between the video game version and the character played by Laurie Holden, is that Holden has a sleek pixie cut that exudes a certain brand of moxie. Also, even though she can be saved in the game, the film version of Cybil suffers a terrible fate, no matter what decision the viewer makes in their own mind.
Dahlia Gillespie
Alessa Gillespie might be the driving force in the Silent Hill games, but the one who put everything in motion is Dahlia, her mother. In the games, Dahlia is the head of the Order, and was the one who wanted to use Alessa to birth the god, even setting her on fire to do so. The film version, however, is portrayed as a loving mother by Deborah Kara Unger, who had no choice but to give up her daughter to Christabella, her cult leader of a sister.
Just by looking at the video game version of the character, you can tell that she's a villain, whereas Unger's portrayal is a bit softer and world-weary from having suffered so much. She even gives Heather, the reincarnation of her daughter Alessa, a warning in Revelation, proving that she's not the kind of person that truly deserves to be in Silent Hill.
Harry Mason
Sean Bean's character in Silent Hill was Christopher da Silva, who is more-or-less Harry Mason from the first game. This fact is made clearer when Christopher appears in Revelation under the alias "Harry Mason" after moving with his daughter Sharon (Cheryl from the games, and the reincarnation of Alessa). If that wasn't confusing enough, Sharon goes by the alias of "Heather Mason," which is all in keeping with the events from the game.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way and you're totally no longer confused, we can appraise Sean Bean's look and admit that it's fairly close to the source material. His hair isn't dark brown, and the goatee is a new addition, but we're still getting that "everyman thrust into extraordinary circumstances" vibe from him. His fervor in trying to protect his adopted daughter can be felt with every action. It's just a shame he has to suffer a very Sean Bean fate, instead of a Liam Neeson-like one.
Heather Mason
Sharon/Cheryl/Heather Mason, or whatever else you want to call her, is a teenager who's the reincarnation of Alessa — namely, the part of Alessa's soul that remains pure and good. You've seen what the other part looks like, so we much prefer this incarnation of the character.
As a teenager, Heather's got short, blonde hair and fair skin. Adelaide Clemens portrays the character on film and looks a little livelier than her video game counterpart, although they do share similarities in clothing style. The only minor difference here is that Game Heather has shorter, wavier hair, whereas the live-action version sports a more frosted, feathered look. They both wear vests coupled with skirts, but we'd venture to say Movie Heather stays warmer because of her leggings — it's not just the hellfire.
Pyramid Head
Pyramid Head (or "Red Pyramid" in the films) is a nightmare, no matter how you slice, and yes, that pun was totally intended. This walking terror has an enormous, pyramid-like helmet that stretches over his torso in both game and film, and appears as a pale horror that walks around in a wrap and drags a giant knife behind him. He's certainly portrayed accurately in the movies, but we'd venture to say that he's even more frightening there, because we can see him in the flesh.
Rather than bulgy polygons pythons, he boasts a well-toned physique that complements his gigantic knife. His movements are slow, methodical, and strike true fear into the hearts of anyone who's unlucky enough to be graced by his presence. Add the fact that he's always surrounded by icky bugs and yucky vermin, and you've got a combination that we're proud to say is the complete opposite of our aesthetic. Good luck sleeping after seeing this monstrous villain onscreen.