RETURN TO SILENT HILL
Let's continue to analyze the new Silent Hill projects.
In the previous articles, we discussed all information about Silent Hill 2 Remake and Silent Hill F.
And in this article, I will talk about the new movie "Return to Silent Hill".
Brief History of the
Silent Hill Movies
The first Silent Hill movie was released in 2006 - it was created by French director Christophe Gans. The film was received more or less positively among fans. It was quite enjoyable, and the production quality was high (especially in comparison with many other movies based on video games).
However, the director failed to reproduce the style and atmosphere of Silent Hill 1, so the movie felt more like a modern-fantasy thriller than a psychological horror. Also, the scenario writers changed the story too much - they turned the main character into a woman and mixed story elements from different SH games together.
In 2012, a second movie was released under the title "Silent Hill Revelation 3D", which was based on the story of SH3. It was made by another director - Michael Bassett. This movie turned out to be complete failure and was received very poorly by Silent Hill fans. We also published a short review of this film on our website back then.
Rumors about the third movie started circulating in February 2020. It became known that Christophe Gans (director of the first film) would be making a new Silent Hill movie soon. But at that moment, no other details were available.
In 2022, Konami officially confirmed the third movie and revealed new details about this project. The new movie will be called "Return to Silent Hill", and it will be an adaptation of Silent Hill 2.
Filming took place from April 2023 to February 2024. Some scenes were shot in Serbia (Belgrade), and others in several German cities (Munich, Penzing, and Nuremberg). Lake Ammersee in Germany was chosen as the real-life version of Toluca Lake.
The premiere of "Return to Silent Hill" is scheduled for 23rd January 2026.
Characters and Actors
This is how James look in the movie. Now he's a painter and a big fan of rock music. He is played by actor Jeremy Irvine.
Director Christophe Gans mentioned in an interview that the character's new look was inspired by singer Jim Morrison from the rock band The Doors.
(first scene with James in front of the mirror)
And this is Maria. She will be played by Hannah Emily Anderson.
(Maria's face close-up)
In the film, Mary isn't James's wife (they haven't married yet), and she has a different last name. Here, she's called Mary Crane.
The director also decided to give the heroine a more "model-like" appearance. Now she resembles the singer Madonna.
Laura is played by Evie Templeton, the same actress who performed her role in the SH2 Remake. But now the character looks completely different and more reminiscent of Alessa from the first movie.
(in some scenes, the girl looks downright sinister)
Eddie also doesn't look like himself. Now he has a beard and long hair. He's played by actor Pearse Egan.
(he also lost his favorite baseball cap somewhere)
It seems that the director really hates Angela. For some reason, he portrayed her in such a way that now she looks like the homeless old hag Dahlia from the first movie (although according to the game, Angela is supposed to be only 19 years old).
(Angela in the mirror room scene)
The movie will also introduce a new character: a female psychologist who will provide counseling to James. She is played by actress Nicola Alexis.
This heroine is named simply "Doctor M", and most likely she is a reference to the psychologist "Doctor K" from Silent Hill Shattered Memories.
Monsters
(new Pyramid Head design)
(Lying Figure)
(crowd of creepy Nurses)
Participation by Akira Yamaoka
Famous composer Akira Yamaoka, who created the soundtracks for the early Silent Hill games, is also participating in the project.
He will compose new music specifically for the movie and will also recreate some of the most memorable tracks from SH2.
It's very exciting that we'll be able to hear new music from Yamaoka-san in "Return to Silent Hill".
Locations
(observation deck)
(Toluca lake)
(cemetery near the lake)
(streets of Silent Hill)
(wall with children's drawings)
(alternate version of the town)
(Lakeview hotel)
Other notable details
in the trailers
The text of Mary's letter differs from the game.
The movie will once again feature ash instead of snow.
In one of the trailers we can see a strange scene where several men in black robes (resembling cult members) carry a woman with a weird mask on her face. So, it's likely that new plot elements about a religious cult will be added to the movie.
Another trailer features a glimpse of a homeless man with a long beard and a crazy eyes. This character wasn't in the game—apparently, he's a new character created specifically for the film.
On the cinema's sign, you can see a reference to the old French movie "The Tenant". The name of the second movie on the sign is hard to make out, but I think it says "Jacob's Ladder".
My impressions from the trailers
I liked Christophe Gans' first movie, but the trailers for "Return to Silent Hill" don't inspire much optimism.
The images of most characters are altered beyond recognition, and I have a feeling that some actors were poorly chosen for their roles. Also, it's hard to look at the new Angela without facepalming.
The changes to the story are also concerning. Silent Hill 2's plot was built like a house of cards, with all the elements interconnected with each other. If you start changing something thoughtlessly, you risk seriously damaging the entire story.
Furthermore, it seems that the film again leans not towards psychological horror - but towards supernatural modern fantasy (like a bit darker version of the Harry Potter movies). This detail has always bothered me about the SH1 movie, but such a style would fit even worse with SH2.
The monsters, however, are reproduced quite well in the movie. Lying Figure and the Nurses look really cool in the trailers. PyramidHead isn't as good, but it doesn't look bad either.
Overall, I don't have high hopes for "Return to Silent Hill", but I'd still be interested in seeing a movie based on one of my favorite horror games. Even just for the cool monster cosplay and new music from Akira Yamaoka.
The film's release is just around the corner. Let's see how the new movie turns out.
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Author of the article: SilentPyramid
Publication date: 21.10.2022
Article update: 09.01.2026
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