Halloween is Coming: Sean Bean and Kit Harington reunite for horror flick—Is it worth a watch?
There’s nothing better on Halloween then a good scary movie, especially when you’re trying to stave off Game of Thrones withdrawal. After searching for a campy horror flick I’d never seen, I settled on Silent Hill: Revelation, starring Game of Thrones notables Kit Harington and Sean Bean. It was the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.
Revelation was originally released in the latter half of 2012, after Game of Thrones had made a splash but before it had become an outright phenomenon, and is based on the popular Silent Hill video game series. It’s a sequel to the original Silent Hill movie, which also starred Bean. Revelation also stars Adelaide Clemens as protagonist Heather Mason, daughter to Harry Mason, Bean’s character.
Heather and her father have always been on the run, staying ahead of unseen dark forces that she doesn’t understand. She’s constantly plagued by nightmares of these forces and of a horrific alternate reality. On her first day at her latest high school, she meets Vincent Wolf, played by Harington (insert obvious joke here). They both dole out a healthy dose of teenage angst and strike up a conversation. Harington plays Vincent much in the same way he does Jon Snow, with a moody disposition and his patented pout. The best lines of the film, which I think were supposed to pass for flirting, turn into an unintentionally funny shout-out to Facebook.
Heather: “Do you think there’s a difference between dreams and reality?”
Vincent: “What happened to the small talk? What’s your favorite band? Do you Facebook?”
Heather: “F#$% Facebook. Do you?”
Vincent: “I never think about it.”
Heather: “Everybody thinks about it.”
Vincent: “My life’s complicated enough.”
I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg would agree with that last part, but anyway…Vincent drops Heather off at her house, where they discover that Harry has disappeared and Heather is instructed to go to Silent Hill, home to her nightmares and the place her father has warned her about. This was a dagger because I was hoping I’d get to see more of Bean.
Vincent tries to convince Heather not to go after her father, but eventually relents, and they begin their journey. While they’re resting at a motel he reveals he was born and raised in the alternate nightmarish reality of Silent Hill. Surprise! Vincent was actually sent by his mother, a priestess of Silent Hill’s cult, to bring Heather back. Apparently, they think she’s the evil one. I guess if your mother was an evil priestess, your life would be too complicated for Facebook too. Harington obviously has a knack for playing characters with mommy issues. Luckily for Heather, Vincent has known her for a hot second, and is convinced he’s pure of heart.
Vincent is next up to get kidnapped, so Heather has to go it alone. Where’s Ghost when you need him! After that the movie is mostly her careening from one gruesome scene to another looking scared. She also gets threatened by many evil creatures, including department store mannequins come to life. Watch out Heather: that’s not Chanel No. 5 they’re trying to spritz you with! Sadly, the movie’s special effects have nothing on “Hardhome.”
Heather finally finds her father and Vincent and gets a less than warm introduction to Vincent’s mother. Time for the final show down between good versus evil blah blah blah. Heather saves Vincent and her dad and manages to escape. I was hoping for more interaction between Bean and Harington but unfortunately their only dialogue consists of a couple of lines at the end of the movie.
Overall, I’d have to say my favorite part of the movie was when Vincent and Heather hitchhike with a trucker and pass a sign that says “you are now leaving Silent Hill.” This was certainly not one of the better horror movies I’ve seen, but provides enough blood and gore to give you your own nightmares. The movie received a whopping 35% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so take that as you will. So for my Halloween viewing list I’ll be sticking to some of my faves like The Shining, Scream, and Paranormal Activity. And to get my fill of Sean Bean and Kit Harington together on screen, I’ll definitely be sticking to Game of Thrones Season 1.
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