It's safe to say that Silent Hill is one of the most important video games of modern times. The series brings horror in places that feel surprising, emotional, and unsettling. Each game brings its fair share of terrifying creatures and scares, but never forget to have a complex story.
But despite its success as a video game series, Silent Hill has not had the same amount of luck in its film adaptations. While the first film, Silent Hill, was met with few complaints, its sequel Silent Hill: Revelation is seen as a complete fumble — with flat characters and a plot that can't find its place. After almost a decade, though, it may be time to consider another shot at making a Silent Hill film. Here are a few directors that could take on an adaptation of this iconic series.
Ari Aster
One of the newer directors on the list, Ari Aster is quickly becoming known for his specific brand of horror. Aster burst onto the scene with 2017's Hereditary starring Toni Collette. After receiving critical and commercial acclaim, the writer-director followed the film up with Midsommar in 2019. Midsommar follows a woman (played by Black Widow's Florence Pugh) as she and a group of friends visit a village in Sweden. Their vacation turns into a nightmare after they realize they've been led into a pagan cult.
Besides the unnerving and mythical nature of the horror Aster likes to draw inspiration from, his films are deeply rooted in human connection and their relationships with one another. This tendency would lend itself well to the world of Silent Hill, which is full of traumatic relationships and difficult family or friendship-led issues, like the plot of Silent Hill 3.
Guillermo Del Toro
With his inventive choices and monster-filled filmography, this director of the upcoming Nightmare Alley would be right at home in the Silent Hill universe. Del Toro is known for his love of fantasy and horror, especially in places where one wouldn't normally look for them. His 2006 film, Pan's Labyrinth, was a commercial and critical success, garnering three Academy Awards including Best Makeup and Cinematography.
Throughout his career, Del Toro has focused much of his work around creatures, mythic or not. Great examples include The Shape Of Water and his upcoming adaptation of Pinocchio. Guillermo is already familiar with Silent Hill, as he was slated to work on the now-canceled Silent Hills game with Hideo Kojima. Maybe a film adaptation will be our chance to see what this director could have done in the horror series.
Jennifer Kent
There are few modern horror films as remembered as 2014's The Babadook, and for good reason. Jennifer Kent's directorial debut mixes horror with family drama for an unsettling and emotional journey. Stepping away from horror for her second film, The Nightingale, this Australian director always put women at the center of her stories, which could translate perfectly in the world of Silent Hill, where plenty of strong female characters reside.
Kent also has a remarkable skill of bringing authenticity to her characters, something desperately needed in genres like horror or thrillers. It could be interesting to see her tackle a character-based story from the famous series, such as the plot from Silent Hill 2.
Andy Muschietti
This Argentine director is right at home in the horror genre. Muschietti was first noticed in the film world for his three-minute horror short Mamá, which garnered praise from fellow list-maker, Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro joined Muschietti as an executive producer for a full-length Mama film, which was released in 2013. The film stars Jessica Chastain and was well received. Andy gained more traction after directing the two newest It films, based on the novel by Stephen King. It, released in 2017, is the highest-grossing horror film of all time, with its sequel It: Chapter 2, coming in second.
While it's not exactly a video game, Muschietti's work on the It films shows his ability to adapt art into another medium without losing the heart of the original story. Muschietti is also directing The Flash and Netflix’s adaptation of Attack on Titan, which adds more adaptation experience to his filmography.
Mike Flanagan
If there's one thing that this director understands, it's the innate horror and tension that can happen from the simple relationships around us. Flanagan's horror films are focused on families or close-knit communities that begin to fray. After writing and directing films like Oculus, Hush, and Before I Wake, Flanagan released The Haunting of Hill House. Premiering on Netflix, the horror-thriller series is loosely based on the Shirley Jackson book of the same name and became an overnight streaming sensation.
Flanagan released another season before coming out with Midnight Mass, a miniseries that has garnered praise. A Silent Hill adaptation directed by Flanagan is sure to have deep relationships between its characters, making for the twists and turns to be all that more devastating.
