Return to Silent Hill did not receive a warm reception. The movie was heavily criticized by both reviewers and audiences. At the moment, it holds an average score of 33 on Metacritic and just 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a user score of 31%.
Despite this poor response, director Christophe Gans has said he would still be willing to adapt another entry from Konami’s horror series for the big screen.
In an interview with Variety, Gans explained that his first Silent Hill film also received a cold reception when it was released, but its reputation improved over time. According to him, this is especially true among what he calls the “2.0 generation of Silent Hill lovers.” Gans went on to state the following:
I did an international press junket, and all the journalists were opening their interview by saying, ‘I saw the film when I was 13 or 14, and I loved it.’ It’s great, because suddenly I’m facing the 2.0 generation of ‘Silent Hill’ lovers. It’s a very good feeling, because we know that you have some great films that disappear from memory in six months. The test of time is the ultimate test, when suddenly you face people who are talking about your work with a lot of enthusiasm.
The director also said he would be ready to return behind the camera for another Silent Hill movie if given the chance. He believes that many people appreciate his vision of the series.
“If I have the opportunity, we’ll come back to ‘Silent Hill’ once more,” he concluded. “I’m not looking at ‘Silent Hill’ only as a great video game. I’m looking at it as a piece of modern art. It has something really edgy and experimental. I will adapt another chapter because there are some that are extremely good, something very different from the first film, and now ‘Return to Silent Hill.’ I like this world, and I can see that plenty of people are thinking I’m doing a pretty good job.”
