Silent Hill: January 2005

Discuss the original 2006 movie.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
JKristine35
Subway Guard
Posts: 1684
Joined: 12 May 2008
Location: Houston, Tx.
Contact:

Silent Hill: January 2005

Post by JKristine35 »

I previously posted about a script draft for the Silent Hill movie dated October 2004, which contained several notable differences to the final product. I've now managed to obtain a draft dated January 31, 2005, which is much closer to the film that was shot, but with its own set of differences. This draft explains quite a few things, such as how Cybil knew Rose was on her way to Silent Hill, why Rose had to adopt a child, and why Christophe Gans told Jodelle Ferland he wanted her to play the Devil when he first cast her. Much of the dialogue and scenes are identical to that in the final movie, but a good portion of Alessa's story, both her backstory and her present, is extremely altered, both from the movie itself and from the 2004 script. Of course, none of this replaces the official canon of the final movie, but it's fun to see how the story and characters progressed over the course of several rewrites. Roger Avary mentioned that there were over 30 different versions of the script, so maybe some more will come to light someday. So, without further ado, here are the more interesting facts that came out of this script, and how they differ from the previous script and the final movie.

Silent Hill: This script reveals that the town of Silent Hill was founded in 1866 by witch hunters who were also coal miners. It confirms that the town itself has no powers and no strange backstory, with Rose stating that Darkness never would have come to the town if it wasn't for Alessa's desire to take revenge on the cult. In this particular version of the film, Silent Hill is stated to be located in West Ohio. The script states unequivocally that Alessa's burning was what started the Great Fire.

The cult: All references to Manachaeism are removed in this version of the script, and the cult is instead identified as being Christian. This conflicts with statements made by both Gans and the set designer, meaning that their beliefs were changed once again before the film was shot. In the church, Christabella demands to know why she should grant Rose and Cybil safety from the Otherworld, to which Rose replies that "It's the Christian thing to do". Christabella acknowledges this, and does not insult Christian beliefs as she did in the 2004 script. It's also noted repeatedly that all of the cultists have red hair and blue eyes, suggesting that they tend to intermarry. This idea is somewhat seen in the final movie, in that all of the demons in Sharon's drawings have bright blue eyes.

Dr. Kaufmann: Kaufmann makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the 2005 script, as the head doctor in charge of treating Sharon's sleepwalking.

Rose: Rose's age in the 2005 script is bumped to 28, and she is now the adoptive mother of Sharon, although the 2004 draft claimed she carried Sharon to term when she was 17 (in the final film, her official age is 34). She's noted to have black hair, and is described as having a "child-like fear of the dark". Rose's actions in the 2005 script are much more illegal than in any other known version. In this draft, she kidnaps Sharon from the mental institution the child was being housed at, and then drives her to Silent Hill. The script better illustrates Rose's desperation, as it shows how awful life is for Sharon in the institution, and the hopelessness of her illness. While speaking to Cybil in the church, Rose explains that she was in a bad car accident when she was 12 that left her unable to bear children. The script confirms that Rose has no idea that Sharon is not Sharon when she takes her home at the end of the movie. Oh yeah, and Rose can totally see Chris on the couch at the end, even though he can't see her.

Chris: Here, Chris is still a pretty shitty parent, but not so much as in the final film. Towards the beginning of the script, Rose brings up the idea of taking Sharon to Silent Hill, but Chris cuts her off immediately and is shown to care little about whether Sharon gets better or not. Later on, he mentions Sharon repeatedly when speaking with Officer Gucci, and he originally was not meant to only talk about Rose. He later goes to a library and scrolls through old news stories connected to the town, stopping only when he gets to a story that mentions a group of teenagers finding an abandoned infant (Sharon) in a graveyard inside Silent Hill. The Blu-Ray commentary from Gans confirms that this scene was shot, but was later discarded in favor of the sequence involving Chris breaking in the the archives building. This script gives Chris an official age of 39.

Cybil: Cybil's backstory is expanded on in the 2005 script, with her mentioning to Rose that she is an atheist due to the slow and painful manner of her mother's death. She also mentions that she's always wanted to adopt a child, but won't do so because she believes there's too much chance that she may die in the line of duty and leave an orphaned child. As with the 2004 script, Cybil is attacked by Mannequins inside the Sacrificial Chamber and ends up breaking her arm. This script shows that she gives in to the cult because she knows her arm is too badly broken for her to survive as it is. Her death scene is slightly longer, and in it she damns the cult to Hell and casts a curse on them as she burns. Her age here is 30, bumped up from 29 in the 2004 script. When Rose drives off from the gas station, Cybil is seen walking into the diner to question the counter girl about what Rose told her, which explains why she pulled Rose over later.

Dahlia: Dahlia is halfway between the 2004 script and the final movie. Like the earlier draft, the father of Alessa is never mentioned, and does not seem to be an issue with the cult. Dahlia's age here is 55, which would mean she was 16 when Alessa was born (her age is 63 in the final film, as evidenced by Alessa's police report). The script confirms the blood relationship between Dahlia and Christabella, even mentioning their physical likeness, as well as having Christabella call Dahlia "sister" several times and refer to Alessa as her niece. Christabella is able to successfully convince Dahlia that Alessa is a vessel for a demon called Samael, and Dahlia then willingly gives up Alessa to be burned alive. However, she changes her mind soon after and returns with the police in tow. Upon seeing her daughter's body, she scratches her face and screams as she descends into madness. Although she's shown to be insane throughout the script, her madness clears temporarily in the climax sequence when she sees Dark Alessa. After that, it's implied that her mind has mended.

Gucci: This script explains why there is a contradiction between the flashback and what is written in the newspapers Chris reads. Here, Gucci is not one of the officers who responds on the night Alessa was burned, and he explains to Chris that he wasn't even in the town at the time, a statement which matches the newspaper articles. He is given the age of 52.

Anna: As with the 2004 script, Anna dies in the Sacrificial Chamber, not the church. The only real difference (other than that she is first seen being attacked by an Armless Man outside the hotel) is that she shows surprise when she sees the seal in the Sacrificial Chamber, suggesting that the cult never told her what they had done to Alessa.

Christabella: The script shows Christabella watching the children at Midwich physically and verbally assaulting Alessa with a smile on her face.

Alessa: This is where the real differences come in. Instead of being accused because she was born out of wedlock, Alessa is instead hated because she looks different. While all the other cultists and their children are noted to have red hair and blue eyes, Alessa is stated to have dark hair and dark eyes. All mentions of Alessa having powers are removed in this script, save for the breaking of the chain on the burning pit. As with the previous script, Alessa never splits her soul here, but her relationship with Sharon and Dark Alessa is drastically altered and resembles neither the relationship seen in the 2004 script nor the movie. At the end of the climax sequence, Alessa is seen smiling and then falling down dead, having died once her revenge was complete.

Dark Alessa: In this script, Dark Alessa still has not gained what would become her official name, and is simply referred to as "Child Alessa". It is heavily implied (and even outright stated at one point) that this incarnation of the character is the Devil, who is attracted by Alessa's pain and hate. The script notes twice that something other than Alessa is hiding behind Child Alessa's facial features. Dark Alessa herself merely refers to herself as "Alessa" when Rose asks who she is, but this claim is refuted by Dahlia later in the script. During the climax sequence, Dahlia's madness lifts when she sees Dark Alessa, and she cries out, "You are not Alessa! You're the Dark One!" Dark Alessa makes no attempt to refute Dahlia's claim, and just stares at her coldly.

Sharon: Rather than being a supernatural manifestation of the good side of Alessa's soul, Sharon is here shown to be Alessa's biological daughter, implied to have been fathered by the Devil. A flashback shows Alessa's adult body giving birth to Sharon, and the line about Sharon being Alessa's goodness is absent. After telling Rose that Sharon is Alessa's daughter, Dark Alessa grins evilly and says "And mine.", implying that Alessa was impregnated by the Devil. Sharon's demonic heritage is suggested earlier in the script, during a scene where Rose drives past a Christian church. When in the vicinity of the church, Sharon begins to scream and writhe in agony, her proximity to the church causing her physical pain. The pain doesn't pass until they drive a distance away from the church. Sharon is also shown to have been dropped off in a graveyard inside of Silent Hill, right in front of a tombstone emblazoned with the name "Gillespie". A group of teenagers then found her and took her to the orphanage.
SilentOne
Just Passing Through
Posts: 127
Joined: 03 Mar 2008

Re: Silent Hill: January 2005

Post by SilentOne »

I would TOTALLY love to read this! :) Could you PM an anonymous download?
Yo.
User avatar
Postcode
Cafe5to2 Waitress
Posts: 261
Joined: 03 Oct 2012
Gender: Male
Location: Isle of Man
Contact:

Re: Silent Hill: January 2005

Post by Postcode »

Could have sworn that I'd posted here already, but evidence suggest otherwise. That was really interesting, so thanks for posting it. :)
For anyone that might be interested in such things, some links to my music, of the alternative rock kind -
http://postcode.bandcamp.com/
http://soundcloud.com/zebracore
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Postcode/99794277098

And my Post-Rock band Nanaki -
https://nanaki.bandcamp.com
User avatar
KiramidHead
Historical Society Historian
Posts: 2980
Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Gender: Male

Re: Silent Hill: January 2005

Post by KiramidHead »

It's interesting hearing how certain ideas shifted from script to script, and finally the movie that we have today. I'd also like to read it, out of curiosity.
Post Reply