I think I may have been one of the only people excited for this movie. The original Silent Hill movie, while not at all faithful to its source material, is a fun classic. The effects have aged pretty well considering it’s now 20 years old, and moments of bad writing or over-acting can be written off or laughed off upon repeat viewings. I even rewatched the original shortly before seeing this one, preparing myself for a fun but similarly flawed experience.
Unfortunately, Return to Silent Hill is more than a little flawed. I think weak character writing or a lame story could be forgiven if other factors remained solid. Instead, the characters are little more than plot devices, the added lore is uninteresting, and the story is so unfathomably stupid that I’m still reeling about it a day later. I went in hoping for fun, but I wasn’t the only one proclaiming “what the hell was that” when the credits rolled. No one in that theater had a good time.
Return to Silent Hill loosely follows the events of the video game Silent Hill 2, which was rereleased for the PS5 in 2024. This remake invited a new generation of video game fans into Silent Hill 2’s haunting world, incredibly tight story, and well-written characters. Its source material is maybe the best story in any horror video game, period. Like its video game counterpart, Return to Silent Hill starts with James Sunderland, a depressed and lonely man haunted by his missing girlfriend, Mary. Shortly after some flashbacks and getting wasted, James discovers a letter from Mary begging him to return to their “special place,” Silent Hill. Those familiar with the video game are likely already confused, because Mary is James’ wife in the game and she is revealed as dead in the game’s opening. Still, this is a new interpretation of the story and I was open to something new so long as it was still entertaining.
The first third or so of this movie works fairly well. Despite all this movie’s issues, it looks fantastic throughout the full runtime. All the monsters look grotesque, and the blend of CGI and practical effects from the first film is still here, though slightly more CGI is used. There were several times I was pleased by a uniquely interesting shot, and I’d probably rate this movie even lower if it didn’t look so damn good.
The story is where this film lost me. It’s not that it’s hard to follow, more that it’s an ocean wide and puddle deep. Lots of big moments clearly pay homage to Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, and even a reference to the book cover of Stephen King’s The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Still, it’s all set dressing here, and it felt like more of an attempt to harken to much more well-developed stories within the framework of the story Gans never wanted to tell: the story of Silent Hill 2.
Silent Hill 2 is a deeply personal story about one man coming to grips with his own trauma and the effects of his choices on himself and others. While Return to Silent Hill exists within that framework, this is not a story about James. The attempt to shift the story away from him leaves the audience rather aimless.
Other memorable game characters (Angela, Maria and Eddy) are here, but they’re on screen no more than a few minutes more to check off a box than add anything of substance to the story. Watching this movie felt like a writer trapped by a narrative he didn’t want to adapt more than an artist crafting his own take on an established work, and that’s a damn shame.
The ending is perhaps the most egregious moment for fans of the source material. The original game has six endings (and the remake added two more), and while I wasn’t expecting anything specific, the way it’s executed is jaw-dropping and borderline insulting to viewers. While the game endings (most of them) are incorporated, there is no payoff or real conclusion to the events of the story. You’re left just feeling like this movie wasted your time.
In short, I want to say this movie is worth watching ,but I just can’t do it. Go rewatch the original if you want to relive those fun vibes, but the great effects don’t make up for everything else. At least now the deed is done, and we’re not likely to get any more of these.
