I just finished watching a review of the new Silent Hill movie.
It involved a rewatch of the classics and a deep analysis of Return to Silent Hill.
To say it was disappointing to learn the backstories would be a massive understatement.
The 2006 misconception : why gender shouldn’t matter
Let’s start at the beginning. The first Silent Hill movie (2006) wasn’t an instant cult classic.
I did really enjoy it though, and its twists on the original gameplay, never really looking further into it… So I took a pretty big tumble today when I found out that the decision to have a female lead instead of a male one was only because “a father would never go to such length to get his adopted child back”, according to Gans, infuriated me.
It wasn’t about a compelling narrative or a relatable lead; it was just pure, unadulterated sexism.
It’s a woman’s job to care for the children. That’s it.
Annnnnd we get to Return to Silent Hill.
An adaptation of the video game Silent Hill 2, which follows a really shitty character’s psychological consequences to his own actions.
Erasing Angela : the danger of budget-friendly trauma
Silent Hill becomes a sort of purgatory for his guilt regarding how poorly he treated his wife.
She fell ill, and because of how he felt towards the terminal illness, his anger towards her grew to unsettling lengths.
She basically couldn’t f*ck him anymore and he had to care for her and resented himself for having those feelings.
The nurses -who are really famous in the Silent Hill universe- represent his lust, and Pyramid head his guilt.
It’s a really thought through scenario filled to the brim with darkness. And the only legitimate use of Pyramid head.
There is an entire plot about sexual abuse as well. A character named Angela is dealt a really shitty hand and has to live with what she’s been through. Sadly blaming herself deeply in the process.
Surely Return to Silent Hill would depict such rough subject matters with care in 2026 right ?
Wrong.
From what I’ve read (again, not having seen the full movie yet, and not sure I will now), Angela was morphed into the wife (Mary) for timing and budget reasons.
Removing her character completely would have made more sense, but no, there needs to be shock value, right ?…
So how to degrade her awful story even more you ask ?
Making Mary an incest-rape victim at the hands of her father, depicting it visually as a monster made of their flesh intertwined and scraping the incest-aborted baby from the scenario -because yes, it was planned to be the child’s doll-.
I have no words.
The death of symbolism
This movie would be the only legitimate use of Pyramid head. He represents the guilt of his own lust and actions.
Guilt of what he has done.
And he gets compared to Jesus carrying his cross ? A martyr ? To what end exactly ? He’s the problem, not a martyr.
And James (the protagonist), in the game, kills Mary to get rid of the weight of her illness. Compassion or just violence ?
Well, she doesn’t ask for it. He just plain murders her for his own freedom.
In the movie ? She’s ok with it. Absolving his character completely. Turning a decison from utterly selfish to an act of mercy. It makes me sick and it doesn’t even touch a real-life experience for me.
I can’t even think what this will mean for people who actually went through this.
Why our voices matter
Apparently Gans doesn’t care about critics, thinking time will tell whether his movie is good or not.
I think ethics should play a part on how you approach things, especially in entertainment. Even more so when it comes to a beloved and intense franchise. And especialy when it comes to sensitive subject matters for many.
And I didn’t even mention the cult.
Or the fake beard.
This is a raw reaction.
I value the original material too much to stay silent on how it’s being handled.
And will probably never even watch Return.