Konami and director Christophe Gans have released new updates on the upcoming Silent Hill movie reboot, Return to Silent Hill, including plot details, casting news, and a hint of entirely new monsters.
The first Silent Hill film, directed by Gans and released in 2006, was based on the popular Konami horror game with a script written by Roger Avery. It chronicled a frightened mother’s search for her missing adopted daughter in a deserted town plagued by underground coal mine fires and a sinister cult protected by horrific monsters. It was followed by a sequel, 2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation, set in the same universe. Written and directed by M. J. Bassett, the sequel follows another young woman with an eerie connection to the town and its damned inhabitants.
According to Deadline, the premise for Return to Silent Hill embeds itself firmly in the mythos of the game and films. This time, in its town wrought with layers of terrible history and horror, James, played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), searches for the woman he loved and lost, played by Hanna Emily Anderson (Jigsaw, X-Men: Dark Phoenix). "The film will follow James (Irvine), a man broken after being separated from his one true love (Anderson)," read the official synopsis. "When a mysterious letter calls him back to Silent Hill in search of her, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. As James descends deeper into the darkness, he encounters terrifying figures both familiar and new and begins to question his own sanity as he struggles to make sense of reality and hold on long enough to save his lost love."
The premise emphasizes the underground journey of the hero and heroine consistent throughout the franchise, which often offers up great monsters and threats, including the terrifying mutant nurses and the sword-wielding Pyramid head. However, producer Victor Hadida has promised a whole new set of creature designs in the new sequel and greater creative expansion on the game’s existing baddies: “Christophe and I have been working closely with our partners at Konami, as they update the video game, to also create a version of Silent Hill for the theatrical audiences of today," Hadida said. "You will still find the iconic monsters – but there will also be new designs. We are confident that this new film and Konami's updated game together will propel the franchise forward for years to come.”
While reviews of the first two Silent Hill movie adaptations were mixed among horror fans and avid gamers, the film franchise, like the game, does an excellent job of furthering its world-building strengths and providing keen atmospheric horror. Expanding on the mysterious New England town of the games, Gans and Avery set their Silent Hill in West Virginia, in a town plagued by underground coal fires based on the real ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. With new writers penning this installment, it will be interesting for fans of both the game and the previous films to see what Gans and his new writers, Sandra Vo-Anh and William Josef Schneider, bring to the table.
Return to Silent Hill begins filming next month in Germany and Eastern Europe.
Source: Deadline