You might think, dear reader, that a forty second teaser trailer would not give me enough content to really find something to complain about. But you would be wrong, because I have been waiting for an excuse to pick the proverbial nits over the upcoming adaptation of the iconic psychological horror classic Silent Hill 2 (titled Return to Silent Hill), since I was first threatened with it a few years ago. So, let’s take a look at the newly-released teaser trailer, and find an excuse to rant a little about the Silent Hill movie adaptations (in case you haven’t had enough of that from me already).
Despite the apparent positive re-evaluation that the original Silent Hill movie has received in recent years, I still think it’s a pretty dreadful film and a downright woeful adaptation of the Silent Hill universe – so you’ll forgive my bitter chuckle at seeing the word “visionary” attached to Christophe Gans, who is making his own return to the SH franchise with this movie. Despite Gans’ protestations in the lead-up to Return that this movie would not serve as a sequel to his original and that he would be taking a more psychological approach to this story, I have not one iota of faith in his ability to translate this story to the screen in a satisfying way. He flubbed it once, and I see no reason to believe he won’t flub it again.
And, to be honest, this trailer isn’t doing a whole host to convince me otherwise – the quote-shots directly from the game, the dodgy accent on Jeremy Irvine, the brief snatches of questionable CGI, the inescapably cosplay-esque costumes, even the choice of the sting being that weirdly-timed glimpse Pyramid Head, it’s pretty much what I expected, and I mean that in the most derogatory way possible. A really good adaptation can shine a light on different aspects of the story compared to its original (The Little Stranger being a modern example I really like), using the language and techniques of the new medium to bring something fresh to it. But this trailer seems to be frontloading the promise of a pointlessly faithful adaptation more interested in giving knowing nods to fans of the games than telling this genuinely rich story in a new way. Could it just be an attempt to hook people in with images from the games with a deeper and richer story waiting for us in the full release? Perhaps. But it doesn’t exactly fill me with hope that this is the first real look we’re getting at it, you know?
It’s not that I think Return to Silent Hill will be a total flop – the mega-hit of the new game has pretty much guaranteed at least enough cultural cache to get the asses in seats, after all – but I do think it’s going to be a pointless addition to the already-shite cinematic canon of the SH universe. That said, I would love to hear your feelings about this trailer and the adaptation in general – do you think Christophe Gans deserved another shot? Who would you like to see take a crack at the Silent Hill movies? Let me know in the comments below!
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By Lou MacGregor
(header image via IGN)
No But Listen 