Back in 2006, the original Silent Hill movie was released by director Christophe Gans. Two decades later, Gans went back to the spooky ghost town for the new sequel, Return to Silent Hill. The director’s return to the franchise is remarkable, given the concerning messages he’d received from some “very passionate” fans of the original video game back when he was working on the first film.
Ahead of the release of Return to Silent Hill, Gans discussed delving back into the franchise in a conversation with Variety. He first commented on the retroactive love that’s been given to the first Silent Hill film. While that movie had a lukewarm release upon arrival, Gans said Silent Hill has survived the “test of time,” given the praise he’s been hearing about the video game adaptation in more recent years.
“I was very pleased to see how the reputation of the movie has grown,” Gans explained. “I did an international press junket, and all the journalists were opening their interview by saying, ‘I saw the film when I was 13 or 14, and I loved it.’ It’s great, because suddenly I’m facing the 2.0 generation of Silent Hill lovers. It’s a very good feeling, because we know that you have some great films that disappear from memory in six months. The test of time is the ultimate test, when suddenly you face people who are talking about your work with a lot of enthusiasm.”
The film wasn’t an easy project to take on, however. Gans recalled the “big challenge” that came with adapting such a popular video game series, recalling how he was actually sent death threats from certain fans when Silent Hill was in the works. That made him take more care to develop Silent Hill with great responsibility. Given how Return to Silent Hill takes inspiration from Silent Hill 2, perhaps the most beloved installment of the franchise, Gans felt like he needed “even more” care to tackle the new film.
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“We know that the people who love video games are very passionate,” he said. “I remember when I did the first film, I received plenty of death threats. People were saying, ‘If you mess up this one, we are going to find you.’ So I came onto the first film with great responsibility, and certainly even more with the second one. At the same time, it was important for me to imagine a movie that people who are not playing games can be interested in.”
Unfortunately, the critical reception for Return to Silent Hill has not been very kind. It has a score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 29%. It’s not a strong start, but there’s always the chance that the movie could wind up becoming more respected in due time, as Gans feels has happened with the first Silent Hill movie.
Return to Silent Hill is now playing in movie theaters.
