The very first installment of “Silent Hill” was released in 1999, almost 27 years ago. The game became such a huge success that it installed seven more games related to the storyline in the span of thirteen years, seven to ten spin-offs, and even started a movie franchise just seven years after the release of the first game.
The first movie of the franchise was released in 2006, which had the same title as the game itself, “Silent Hill.” It followed the plot of the original game, but with a few changes.
The movie follows the main protagonist, Rosa Da Silva, who is searching for her adopted daughter, Sharon. Her daughter is lost in the foggy and mysterious town of “Silent Hill,” a town with which Rosa has a dark past. This differs from the video game, which instead follows Harry Mason. Mason is a man who is in search of his adopted daughter after they get in a car wreck in the foggy town, and has no past connection to “Silent Hill.”
Six years later, in 2012, a direct sequel titled “Silent Hill: Revelation” was released. This movie followed the plot of the third “Silent Hill” game, “Silent Hill 3.”
It follows the main protagonist Heather Mason, who is the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespe and Cheryl Mason, who was Harry Mason’s adopted daughter. We follow Heather’s journey into her own self-discovery and the darker side of “Silent Hill”.
Overall, the two movies had mixed financial successes, but were still commercial hits. Combined, the movies grossed approximately $100.6 million worldwide, with a $50 million production budget. The first movie got a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second movie scored even lower with an 8%.
After the release of “Revelation,” the filmmakers took a whopping 13-year-long break from adding on to the franchise. This could have been because of the hatred the 2012 adaptation received after its release. After the long break, they decided it was time to turn their two-film franchise into a trilogy. They began making “Return to Silent Hill”, which was then released on the Jan. 23, 2026.
Many people hoped that the third adaptation would be better and more well thought out than the previous two, especially with the change in pop culture and film technology since the last release. The plot follows protagonist James Sunderland, a man who was widowed by the loss of his wife, Mary.
He receives a mysterious letter, which leads to his return to the gloomy town of “Silent Hill”. When Sunderland arrives, he encounters things from his past that he is not prepared to face mentally or physically
Unfortunately, this movie’s ratings were no different from those of its predecessors. It was rated 19% in Rotten Tomatoes. With thirteen years to improve after being heavily criticized, and a script that could have easily just been based on an already existing one, the producers failed an open note test when making this film. However, this seems to be the case with a lot of film adaptations.
Overall, the new movie and the franchise as a whole are not recommended watches. Fans of the video game might just enjoy seeing it made into a film, even if the writing is questionable.
