Survival horror is a unique game genre. It's narrowly defined in a niche that only a couple of developers seek to fill consistently. Silent Hill has been one of the most celebrated exemplars of the genre, but the franchise endured a long period of silence. Siren has remained a lesser competitor despite a fascinating gimmick and some thrilling scares. Both series had rough transitions to the big screen, but Forbidden Siren didn't get enough attention.
Forbidden Siren was directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, a celebrated TV and film director who worked in Japan from the late 90s to the modern day. He has his name on projects like The Big Bee, The Sword of Alexander, and Sanada 10 Braves. The film was written by Naoya Takayama, who has written for many Japanese TV shows. His best-known project stateside would be the anime adaptation of Supernatural. Few fans are familiar with that adaptation of the show. Others will argue it's the best way to watch season one.
What is the Siren series of games?
Siren, known as Forbidden Siren in the PAL regions, was a stealth survival horror game released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003. The game was developed by Project Siren, a team composed of former Team Silent members who developed Silent Hill. Project Siren was later renamed Project Gravity as they created the Gravity Rush games before disbanding in 2020. Siren was directed by Keiichirō Toyama, who made his directorial debut in the original Silent Hill. Toyama created the game's scenario. His love of David Lynch's films influenced his creative direction. Siren was Toyama's second horror game. Unlike Silent Hill, Toyama returned to direct the 2006 sequel and the 2008 reimagining. The original game was praised for its atmosphere but criticized for its slow gameplay.
Siren's plot follows a group of survivors in the aftermath of a disaster. Its unique selling point was the ability to hijack the senses of NPCs and enemies to see around corners and preempt attacks. The first game introduces a deadly isolationist cult called the "Mana Religion" and infectious red water that turns victims into subordinate zombies called Shibito. Siren 2, later adapted into the film Siren, follows a group of shipwreck survivors who wash up on Yamijima Island. The island was suddenly depopulated in an unexplained blackout almost 30 years earlier. The passengers are doused in red water and forced to face the Shibito to survive. The second game adds to the gameplay and introduces new features. They're both mixed experiences.
What is the Siren movie about?
Siren or Forbidden Siren was released in 2006 to coincide with the release of Siren 2, of which it is a very loose adaptation. It takes place on Yamijima Island, where the locals mysteriously disappeared in the 70s. Yuki Amamoto, her investigative reporter father, and her mute brother travel to the island in 2006. It's not abandoned, but its inhabitants are frightened isolationists. They warn Yuki never to go outside when the siren sounds. She wanders into an abandoned house and discovers a diary that tells her part of the island's story. Her father goes missing. When he returns, he's shockingly different. Yuki's dad experienced the siren, and it changed him, forcing her to do some research. She discovers a strange mythology that threatens to end all life on the island again. It's up to Yuki to save her father, her brother, and herself from a creature she can't understand.
How does Siren end?
Yuki discovers a local legend about a mermaid dredged up from the sea, referred to as the woman in red. The locals believed they could become immortal by consuming her flesh. As they tore her apart, she let out a nightmarish shriek that cursed the island forever. The terrible sound rings out again, transforming locals into Shibito. They attack and kill the man who warned Yuki about the siren. Yuki climbs a tower and destroys the siren. She discovers she can still hear it, even after it's broken. The friendly town doctor climbs the tower and breaks the bad news. Yuki's brother and father died ages ago, and she's been hallucinating them ever since. Devastated, she throws herself off the tower. She survives the fall. The doctor nurses her back to health and reassembles the old diary. He discovers that its writer went mad after the fourth sound of the siren and killed everyone he could get his hands on. Yuki hears the siren and attacks the doctor with a scalpel. The film ends with the woman in red's song as the sky turns black and the sea turns red.
Siren is a fascinating series that would still appeal to survival horror fans. The audience is always looking for new examples, and all three Siren games are worth a look back. Forbidden Siren, the 2006 film, is also a unique piece of semi-lost media that will be a fun watch for J-horror fans. Seek out the haunting sound of Siren. It's never perfect, but it's always compelling.