'Return to Silent Hill' Review
- Connor Petrey
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Release Date: 01/23/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Drama. Horror. Mystery.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Cineverse. Iconic Events Releasing.
The Verdict: A Maybe
Silent Hill (2006) director Christophe Gans returns 20 years later for his ultimate passion project, Return to Silent Hill. Inspired by the 2001 videogame, Silent Hill 2, this is a reasonable attempt at an adaptation that takes serious liberties with the story. Loaded with atmosphere, haunting creatures and endless labyrinths, Return to Silent Hill is a psychedelic nightmare that deals with grief in a uniquely satisfying fashion.
The story follows James (Jeremy Irvine), a painter clearly struggling from something deep within his soul. When one night returning home from a drunken bender, he receives a letter from an old fling, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson) asking him to return to their special place - Silent Hill. Under the influence, James makes it back to the Silent Hill area, only to find it in disarray, covered in ash and quarantined for biohazard. Nonetheless in the name of love, he enters.
There he witnesses his first taste of what’s in store for him - a Lying Figure that spews acidic black sludge towards its victim. From that moment on he succumbs to the heart of the disease that is overtaking Silent Hill, encountering creatures such as Creepers, Faceless Nurses, Pyramid Head, and a mysterious being that resembles the one he seeks.
Along his journey through this hellscape, he meets several unnatural people still residing in the quarantined area. Angela (Eve Macklin) is one, the first person James encounters coming down the path, a woman that is stacking materials against the bank of the bordering lake to avoid further flooding (another disaster enveloping Silent Hill). Angela is the first to warn James of returning on a fool’s errand. Then there’s Eddie (Pearse Egan), a bizarre individual that is introduced vomiting into a toilet before giving James the rundown of what happened in Silent Hill - before disappearing entirely when a threat emerges.
Hidden away within the walls of his old apartment complex, James meets a little girl by the name of Laura (Evie Templeton, Wednesday). Tepid at first, she quickly opens up and reveals her “baby doll” may not be as wholesome as it seems. And while chasing her to attempt to help in such a cruel place such as Silent Hill, he winds up lost in one of the many labyrinths within the town and his own psyche. Here he loses the little girl but finds Maria, a doppelganger of Mary, who he pairs up with to assist in locating the one he came for.
As the mystery unravels and pieces start falling into place, the narrative can easily become discombobulating and shatter upon first watch. In fact, I watched the film twice to fully grasp the merging of reality and nightmare (which was hugely beneficial). Surrounding James’ pain and internal turmoil is the town itself and Gans, similarly to his 2006 counterpart, has made a feast for the eyes. While there are some awkward moments of digital effects, considering the limited budget (not disclosed), it's impressive in regards to his recreation of the world of the videogame. The creature designs and decrepit structures James is forced to encounter along the way are full of their own demons, similar to James’ mental state, as they begin to crumble around him or be set ablaze.
Jeremy Irvine’s portrayal of James appears to be unrecognizable to the source, with his portrayal capturing his grief, struggle and horror effectively as he manages the town’s inhabitants. His motives remain the same as the game, but nearly everything else has shifted. His appearance, while semi-similar to the game, reminded me more of Friday the 13th era Jared Padalecki. James is a visibly hardened individual who struggles to handle the horrors of the town on his path to finding his lost love, Mary. He’s neutral to those he meets that are human, although skeptical of their existence, and ultimately within the city limits he only has one goal in mind - find Mary and escape the noise.
While there are interesting twists and turns to behold, it does take some liberties (I’ve been told by those much more familiar with the game) in creating new plot points and characters to assist in his time in the confines of Silent Hill. It may not be what gamers will want out of their big screen adaptation of one of the greatest horror games ever created, but it’s easily one of the most captivating (especially considering the previous 2012 attempt). It’s nearly impossible as a fan of these games to not leave appreciating something, whether it be the creatures, the town itself, the depiction of James (Silent Hill 2’s lead), or more accurately the original score from Silent Hill alum composer Akira Yamaoka!
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