Trivia: This film is loosely inspired by the 2001 video game "Silent Hill 2." In this film, the character Laura is played by Evie Templeton, who actually played the exact same character in the 2024 PS5 remake of "Silent Hill 2."
Return to Silent Hill (2026)
1 review
Directed by: Christophe Gans
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Robert Strange
Genres: Horror
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"Return to Silent Hill" finds director Christophe Gans back in the dreaded haunted town he explored twenty years ago with his initial 2006 adaptation of the iconic videogame series. And perhaps appropriately, that original film will be the ultimate litmus test in terms of your enjoyment in this belated sort-of-sequel, sort-of-reboot. Because in many ways, "Return to Silent Hill" features almost all of the exact same strengths and weaknesses just with a fresh coat of paint.
As expected, Gans is phenomenal behind the camera, delivering some truly wonderful and atmospheric set-pieces, especially given the substantially lowered budget in comparison to the previous film adaptations. And it is largely the presentation and the tone that makes the film work. Additionally, especially in the second half, once the pieces start to come together, the film delivers in several key scenes. I was particularly taken by an intriguing scene set in an otherworldly photo gallery, and a callback to a certain phallic and oppressive room from the original game.
However, as grand a visual storyteller as Gans is, this film also falls into the same trap as his previous effort with this particular property... narrative changes that don't always make sense.
Gans is more a fan of the general spirit and aesthetic of Silent Hill, and isn't necessarily focused on creating an experience that is entirely cohesive or reverent to the details of the story. In this case, "Return to Silent Hill" takes more than a few liberties with the narrative of the game... and while I do think some of the changes he made are interesting, many of them will also likely alienate hardcore fans of the franchise due to feeling needless. I also found the pacing of the film to be quite wonky, with the movie never quite having enough breathing room as it rockets between horror set-pieces of a lore-dump exposition.
Still, the film's wonderfully dreary mood and a few very effective scenes do a lot of heavy lifting, managing to help the film entertain and enthrall despite the narrative hiccups.
3 out of 5.
