WHY ‘SILENT HILL’ WILL ALWAYS BE MY SPECIAL PLACE

Author’s Note: I wrote this on the evening of Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Exactly 24 hours before today’s announcement. 

The Discovery

I have been thinking about how I wanted to write this all day. I’m so full of emotion and excitement that words are failing me. Two nights ago, as I rounded off the day, I checked my phone one last time before turning over to go to sleep. At least, that was the idea. I had no idea that I was about to come across some news that I have been hoping to see for nearly a decade.

As I opened up Twitter, the logo instantly caught my eye. It was a crumbling white font on a black background that spelled out, “SILENT HILL.” That was when I realized who had sent out the Tweet…the official Silent Hill account. The tweet said that, “The latest updates for the SILENT HILL series, will be revealed during the #SILENTHILL Transmission on Wednesday, October 19th, at 2:00 PM. PDT.”

My heart immediately began to race, and the sound that came out of my throat was what can be best described as a shocked wheeze. My partner, understandably concerned by my quiet squeaking, asked what was up. My emotions were so strong that I had to exert a lot of effort to remember how to form words. I don’t remember what I eventually said, anymore. All I remember is gleefully explaining how big this announcement was for a large sum of people.

A Memory

We all have our favorite franchises. Regardless of the media you consume, you will inevitably find yourself connecting with some things in a way that either none or very few of the people around you do. The reasons will also vary in comparison to others you know who do feel as emotionally connected to them. For me, that franchise is Silent Hill. I was 19 years old when I first played Silent Hill 2 on the PlayStation 2 Slim my mother bought me as a means to adjust to my new life here in Europe. From the moment I saw the box on the shelves I was under the game’s thrall.

Much like how I was unaware of how my emotional state would be altered the night of the most recent announcement on Twitter, little did I know that playing Silent Hill 2 would lay the foundation for who I would become over the course of the following 16 years. Today I am a lover of philosophy, aesthetics, and psychologically driven terror. Most importantly (to me), I am an artist. I can say with full sincerity that, although I have loved creating my whole life, Silent Hill has had the most fundamental influence on how I view art and what I value as a creator.

In My Restless Dreams

The first essay I wrote during my Bachelor’s program was about the melding of sexual repression and horror in Silent Hill 2. We were assigned to write about anything for Rhetoric & Composition I. Silent Hill was all I could think about at that time. For perspective, due to financial reasons I did not begin my study until I was 23 years old. For four years straight, Silent Hill consumed me. By then I had played Silent Hill 2 and seen/obsessed over the 2006 film directed by Christopher Gans. The essay didn’t get a very high score, unfortunately. It was my first attempt at an academic essay, after all. Dejected, I tried harder to separate my personal interests from my academic work. Silent Hill was reserved for fandom and artistic inspiration.

I tell you all of this, because I want you to have a sense of the impact this franchise has had on me. Specifically, the first four games presented me with imagery and sound design the likes of which I had never come across before. Likewise, each game housed stories that challenged me emotionally and intellectually. There was meaning behind the most innocuous things. Though, sometimes, you would inspect a piece of bread only to be told, “It’s bread.” The original run of Silent Hill games by Team Silent possess an otherworldly sense of melancholic dread to them that’s complemented by a healthy dose of gallows humor along the way. As a result, they are surprisingly comforting games to play.

Every aspect of these games has impacted me to some degree. From Masahiro Ito’s evocative and haunting art direction to Akira Yamaoka’s disturbing-yet-playful sound design and score, I have found myself returning to Silent Hill during hard times. When you play a Silent Hill game, you play out your darkest fears. You look directly into the eyes of your shadow self. You are put through the gauntlet, and you are better for it by the end of your journey.

I See That Town

This is why today’s announcement is so special to me. This is why it is so special to so many people. These games have range. At every level. Every single one of them has something on some level to offer any horror fan.

When I first entered that sleepy, foggy town I was perplexed and deeply disturbed. It got under my skin. Now, I listen to the soundtrack to steady myself. I look at videos and images from the game when I find it difficult to form a smile. Silent Hill is my comfort place.

Many horror fans can think of a film or films that rattle them, yet comfort them. I have a long list, myself. Nothing on that list compares to the visceral bond I have developed with the Silent Hill franchise. Still, while Michael Myers has returned to our screens, Resident Evil has evolved and dominated horror gaming over the years, and many other beloved franchises have had new life breathed into them, things have been depressingly quiet in Silent Hill.

Ever since Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro’s Silent Hills project was canceled in 2015 things have looked bleak for the franchise. It has been 10 years since the last Silent Hill release outside of themed pachinko machines and a swathe of merchandise to bank off of the unwavering devotion many fans have for the franchise. So, the prospect of there being new media on the way is beyond exciting!

Today’s announcement is bound to be divisive on some level. There are rumors of a current gen remake of Silent Hill 2 in the works, as well as a new game being produced by most of the original Team Silent. There is also speculation that this announcement could be to promote Christopher Gans’s new installment in the film franchise.

Whatever they announce, I can see myself being happy with it. We are on the precipice of their being new Silent Hill media on the way. Whether it ends up meeting, exceeding, or falling well below my expectations, my heart is warm being able to share this moment with fans old and new.

Please keep in mind that these thoughts have been typed down somewhat in haste, and with a great deal of enthusiasm behind them. There is far more I wish to say about my love for Silent Hill and how it has inspired me. I briefly discussed it on a recent episode of my podcast, The Beauty of Horror. I have written about how Silent Hill 2 taught me a lot about my gender identity. There’s still so much more to say. Rest assured, I will continue to do so as long as folks wish to join me in the sublime fog of Silent Hill.

For now, I wait with bated breath to see what the future holds for the franchise. No matter where it is headed, I will always cherish where it has gotten me so far.

 

 

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