10 War Films That Dealt With The Consequences

If there’s a film that portrays the horrors of war in a very literal sense, it’s Adrian Lyne’s Jacob’s Ladder, which was one of the major influences for Silent Hill.

Blurring the line between reality and unreality in a way that makes Inception look straightforward, this psychological nightmare stars Tim Robbins as Jacob, a medic in the Vietnam war, who – already mourning the death of his son (played by a young Macauley Culkin) – returns home to find himself plagued by increasingly horrific hallucinations brought on by PTSD.

With his fellow surviving platoon members also finding it difficult to readjust to civilian life while also suffering from similar nightmarish visions, Jacob soon discovers that he and his friends were subjected to a dangerous chemical codenamed Ladder that was designed to make them more aggressive, but leaving them with severe psychoactive side-effects. Things only get harder for Jacob as his visions continue to become more real and he’s eventually taken to the most repulsive hospital ever depicted on screen.

Though some may take umbrage with the twist ending, it’s purpose nevertheless emphasises the tragic reality of Jacob’s wartime experiences as he battles with his own personal demons.