The Silent Hill franchise has made it to the big screen a couple of times already, but with the franchise as a whole making its grand return, the movies are back too. Video game movies have changed a lot since the first film in the franchise came out, but there are upsides and downsides to what we know so far.
As part of the expansive and shockingly impressive Silent Hill Transmission, Konami has revealed the future of a franchise that many feared might never return. Though many are thrilled to see new survival horror experiences, excitement for their on-screen efforts is less common.
Return to Silent Hill will be something of a reboot of the on-screen adaptations of this beloved series. Unlike competitors like Resident Evil, Silent Hill has only taken a couple of shots at cinematic success. The teaser for the new film revealed no footage but did unveil a few key elements about its production and intent. The film is set to be directed by Christophe Gans, who established his bona fides with the 2006 original. Gans is reportedly an enormous fan of the franchise and worked for five years to convince Konami to hand him the rights. The other notable point of the trailer is the limited concept art. Return to Silent Hill is a direct adaptation of the most highly praised entry in the franchise, Silent Hill 2. These elements combine to leave fans wondering about the film's possible fate.
The 2006 film adaptation of Silent Hill isn't the best video game movie ever made, but it's among the most faithful to the source material. The general lack of quality in the sad industry of video game cinema allowed it to rise easily through the ranks, but now that a few have come out and been good movies, it looks a little less rosy. It's a retelling of the plot of the first game, but not a direct adaptation. It follows a new protagonist, takes monsters from multiple games, and it feels like a new spin on the concept. Gans' love for the franchise shines through, the film is a fantastic experience for fans. On its own, it's a bit messy, but Silent Hill is a solid adaptation and a decent horror film. Gans has absolutely proven that he's a great candidate to make a film out of this franchise, and it's great to see him back on the project.
When Gans initially reached out to Konami, the movie that wound up on the screen isn't the one he had in mind. He originally wanted to go straight for the throat and make a movie out of Silent Hill 2. It's the fan-favorite entry by far, and that's part of the reason the company was so unwilling to part with it. Gans eventually realized that he'd need to make an initial film before he could reach for his beloved James Sunderland, but his opportunity was taken away from him for years. Now, he can finally set to work on a direct adaptation of one of the most iconic and well-received survival horror games ever made.
The issue with this should be obvious. One of the benefits of the Silent Hill franchise is its anthological structure. Anyone could tell a new story within the universe, they just need a new protagonist with the kind of story that would lead one into the foggy New England/West Virginia town. There are countless reasons why a video game wouldn't fit the world of cinema. Maybe the story is only good by video game standards, or maybe it's just too derivative of existing movies, or maybe gamers just aren't interested in the adaptation. Silent Hill 2 doesn't have any of those problems, but it loses so much from the lack of interactivity, that it's still a terrible candidate. The best version of a Silent Hill movie would tell a new tale within the same world, written specifically to fit the medium and crafted to best take advantage of its strengths. A direct adaptation of Silent Hill 2 will lack much of the impact of the source material and risk irritating fans.
Christophe Gans will almost certainly make something great with Silent Hill 2, but, even if he somehow perfectly captures the spirit of the game, he can't capture key elements of the experience. Gans has been trying to make this movie since the game was released way back in 2001, and fans are undoubtedly eager to see what he does with it. His name attached to the project, along with the 16 years of development in the world of video game movies, are elements that inspire hope. Despite the promise of the crew and the project, it's still a bit harrowing to see someone try yet again to bring one of the great interactive experiences to a passive medium. A great story isn't devalued by the medium of video games, and some stories need a controller to reach their full potential.