After much anticipation, Silent Hill is set to make a return to the big screen. The news first broke in 2022, but it wasn’t until Thursday’s Silent Hill Transmission livestream that fans got a substantial look at the upcoming film. A short behind-the-scenes featurette gave insights into director Christophe Gans‘ interpretation of the iconic tale from Silent Hill 2.
The new movie, titled Return to Silent Hill, will closely mirror the story of the second game. Central to this adaptation is James Sunderland, portrayed by War Horse‘s Jeremy Irvine. His character’s journey leads him to Silent Hill in search of his lost love, Mary. Yet what he discovers is a town transformed into a realm of horror. As Gans succinctly puts it, It’s become something like hell.
Behind-the-scenes glances revealed intriguing details
The featurette predominantly featured on-set footage narrated by Gans. Despite the absence of polished post-production effects, Return to Silent Hill appears promising. Much of this success lies in Gans’ commitment to ensuring every creature is portrayed by humans, specifically dancers.
Among the insights shared here, Gans reveals that every monster or creature in the film is portrayed by a dancer. And their movements are unsettling even when they aren’t covered in makeup or replaced by CGI.
This approach was also utilized in Gans’ original 2006 movie and it imbues the monsters with an otherworldly quality that is both visually stunning and deeply unnerving.
Anthology-like storytelling approach
Interestingly, Gans has clarified that Return to Silent Hill isn’t a direct sequel to his previous film or its successor, Silent Hill: Revelation, directed by M.J. Bassett. Instead, he suggests considering these films as part of an anthology where each entry tells its own standalone tale within the universe.
Gans also mentioned drawing significant inspiration from concept art from P.T., the teaser for Hideo Kojima’s canceled Silent Hills project.
A complicated legacy and anticipation builds
The role of Mary will be played by Hannah Emily Anderson, though specifics about her character remain tightly under wraps.Hannah Emily Anderson will costar with Irvine, playing a character we will refrain from discussing too much for fear of potential spoilers.
For fans of the video game series, an extended gameplay sequence from the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake was also featured during the livestream. The remake promises detailed visuals and intense atmosphere, evoking strong reactions from audiences eagerly awaiting both the game and movie releases.
The future awaits
No specific release date for Return to Silent Hill has been disclosed yet. However, it’s clear that both longtime fans and newcomers have reasons to look forward to this next installment in the beloved horror franchise.
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