Return to Silent Hill

Despite being the third entry in the series, the confusingly titled Return to Silent Hill is an adaptation of the Silent Hill 2 video game, which has little to do with either the first game or the earlier movies. Directed by Christophe Gans (who also helmed the first film in 2006), this instalment follows the same general plot as its source material. James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine) ventures into the eponymous town in search of his girlfriend, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), after receiving a letter from her. Once there, he finds himself in a nightmarish reality inhabited by twisted creatures and others trapped within the fog-covered town. Given this survival-horror franchise’s recent resurgence, it’s unfortunate that Return to Silent Hill falls short of matching the heights of the excellent Silent Hill 1 and the Silent Hill 2 remake.

When James arrives in Silent Hill, the plot is essentially a condensed version of the game as he moves between recognisable locations like the crumbling Wood Side Apartments and the grand Lake View Hotel. Visually, Gans does a mostly excellent job at bringing the setting and monsters to life in all their grotesque glory. Tying everything together is a haunting score from series composer Akira Yamaoka, which imbues the movie with a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. Not all the CGI works, though, with some effects towards the end looking incredibly outdated and more like something viewers would see in an angsty music video from the early 2000s, especially when paired with a handful of bizarre editing choices.

Gans likewise makes some bold narrative decisions that put his own spin on the classic horror. Most notably, the filmmaker uses flashbacks to flesh out the relationship between James and Mary. While this move gives her more of a presence here alongside introducing an intriguing cult subplot, Gans doesn’t do enough with these ideas to distinguish his feature from its playable counterpart. Moreover, most of the changes that are implemented only serve to convolute the main themes behind James’s psychological torment, particularly regarding the significance of key characters. Consequently, the ending lacks any sense of pathos.

While Gans faithfully recreates the eerie setting, Return to Silent Hill’s baffling departures from the 2001 video game and its remake fail to capture the core of what made James’s journey through this town so remarkable.

Andrew Murray

Return to Silent Hill is released in select cinemas on 23^rd January 2026.

Watch the trailer for Return to Silent Hill here: