Summary
Video games, especially horror games, are notoriously hard to adapt to film. In the case ofSilent Hill, it might be because the gameplay and elaborate storylines are difficult to translate. While the firstSilent Hillfilm received praise for its atmosphere, it strayed heavily from the first game. Some consider the film to be one of the better 00s video game adaptations, while other fans decry the film for its changes. However, its reputation is stillbetter thanSilent Hill: Revelation, which attempted to combine the changes made in the first film’s narrative withSilent Hill 3,with disjointed results. However, it looks likeReturn to Silent Hillmight be a refreshing change of paceand become the first unequivocally goodSilent Hillfilm.
Silent Hill 2received afaithful remake this month, and it appears that the upcoming filmReturn to Silent Hillwill also strive to be a more direct adaptation of the game. While news has come out aboutnew designs and redesigns of old monsters, it looks as if the core story will remain the same from the game. This will allowReturn to Silent Hillto be more cohesive than the previous two films.
Differences Between the First Silent Hill Game and First Film
The firstSilent Hillmovie, written by Roger Avary and directed by Christophe Gans, took liberties with the game’s story, to say the least. The film changes protagonist Harry Mason’s gender and name, replacing him with a woman named Rose. Instead of Cheryl, Rose’s adopted daughter’s name is Sharon. Additionally, instead of being a widow, Rose’s husband, Christopher, is still alive.
While Rose searches for Sharon in the Silent Hill dimension, Christopher searches for both of them in the real world. While looking for Sharon, Rose comes across a cult known as the Brethren. Eventually,it’s revealed that the Brethren burned a girl named Alessa, who resembles Sharon. This was an attempt to “purify” the girl who was born out of wedlock. Burning her destroyed the town itself, and in her rage, Alessa split her soul into two parts: Dark Alessa, and Sharon, who was Alessa’s innocence reborn in the real world. Although Dahlia, Alessa’s mother, is the antagonist in the game, in the film she has the more sympathetic role of mourning her daughter.
The film includes different elements from differentSilent Hillgames, particularly the music. Most infamously, this movie saw the film debut ofPyramid Head, often considered the best Silent Hill monster. However, he didn’t appear in the games untilSilent Hill 2,where he represented James Sunderland’s guilt over killing his wife Mary. Pyramid Head’s purpose is to punish James, because that’s what James himself craves. Pyramid Head’s appearance in theSilent Hillmovie, however, disregarded this important part of the monster’s lore and made his inclusion feel like forced fan service.
Silent Hill: Revelation Is a Mess of a Narrative
Although not perfect, the originalSilent Hillmovie is considered one of the better video game adaptations, and certainly one of the best of its time. Konami and Sony originally had Avary and Gans attached for a sequel. However, in early 2008, Avary was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and DUI. With Avary off the project, so was Gans and the project went into development hell.
Eventually, M. J. Bassett was brought on to write and direct the sequel, which was meant to combine elements from the previous film as well as plot points fromSilent Hill 3. Sharon and Christopher now lead a nomadic lifestyle, and have adopted the names Heather and Harry Mason. After Harry is kidnapped by the Order, Heather must return to Silent Hill to get him back. Heather learns that her new friend Vincent (played byKit Harrington ofGame of Thronesfame) is the son of the new cult leader, Claudia. This time, Heather embraces Dark Alessa and the two merge as one. Heather reveals Claudia to be a monster called the Missionary, and calls upon Pyramid Head to fight and eventually kill her. In the end, Harry decides to stay to look for Rose while Heather and Vincent escape and are picked up byTravis Grady fromSilent Hill: Origins.
Unfortunately, the result was a film that didn’t even have the atmosphere of the original. It relied on a dated 3D gimmick, and had an even looser tie to the game that was supposedly based on than the first outing. Although the studio intended for these changes to give the film a wider appeal than the first movie, it ended up being less of a horror film and more of an unintentional comedy.
HowReturn to Silent HillCan Be a Success
The firstSilent Hillfilm incorporated new elements and deviated heavily from the game. SinceSilent Hill: Revelationwas a continuation of that storyline, it was forced to do more of the same. However,Return to Silent Hillisn’t going to follow the Da Silva/Mason clan. Instead, it follows the plot of the video gameSilent Hill 2, which focuses on James Sunderland and the search for his missing wife. This gives the creative team a rare opportunity for a hard reset and fresh start.
This time, Gans is co-screenwriting with Sandra Vo-Anh and Will Schneider. Hopefully, this trio can avoid the previous two missteps and stick as much to the original game as possible. Having Gans back at the helm as director already means that there’s no doubt that the iconic, creepySilent Hillatmosphere will be back on-screen. As long as the story remains faithful to the game, without any distracting deviations, it seems like all the pieces are in place to make this trip to Silent Hill the best one yet.
There’s no question that adapting video games to the screen, especially horror video games, is challenging. With the most belovedSilent Hillgame now finally getting the silver screen treatment, Gans and his team have the potential to either have a big win or a tremendous loss on their hands. That said, video game movies have come a long way since the firstSilent Hillfilm. There’s no doubt that Gans has learned a lot in the nearly two decades that have passed. Hopefully, he can give the audiences what they want: apsychological horror worthy ofSilent Hill 2.
Silent Hill
Silent Hill is a series of survival horror games best known for its original trilogy. The first three games stood out with how atmospheric they were, along with their engrossing storylines that were often told through symbolism and metaphors.Silent Hill 2 is set to be remade by Bloober Team, a game that could reignite the franchise.
