Yesterday, the first cinematic teaser for the upcoming adaptation Return to Silent Hill was released, and as expected, the community's reaction is sharply divided.

Although we had already seen some behind-the-scenes screenshots, this marks our first real look at Christophe Gans' second Silent Hill film.

The story will be familiar to those who have played the original Silent Hill 2 or the 2024 Bloober Team remake. It centers on "James (Jeremy Irvine), a man shattered by the loss of his one true love (Hannah Emily Anderson). When a mysterious letter summons him back to Silent Hill to find her, he discovers the once-familiar town twisted by a malevolent force" and "encounters terrifying figures, both recognizable and new." Announced back in October 2022, it wasn't until May 2024 that we got our first look at Return to Silent Hill's interpretation of the Red Pyramid Thing — better known as Pyramid Head.

"It's crucial to remember this is an 'adaptation'," one fan pointed out on Reddit. "To start — as someone who genuinely enjoyed the first Silent Hill movie, despite its narrative flaws and deviations from the game (Silent Hill 1 remains my favorite in the series) — it's vital to understand that Return to Silent Hill is an adaptation, not a scene-for-scene replica. Honestly, who really wants a perfect 1:1 copy of the game? We already have that… twice over."

That said, it appears some fans do want exactly that.

"I would love a skilled director to create a faithful carbon copy of the game, not invent new material," another user countered. "This movie is terrible, misunderstands the lore, and feels like a B-grade horror flick. Seriously, how can anyone be satisfied with such a poor adaptation of an excellent game? This 'The Last of Us'-style treatment of Silent Hill is ridiculous."

"I realize everyone is hoping for a restrained, subtle, psychological horror reminiscent of works like Jacob’s Ladder, Lost Highway, or Cure," this fan added. "Believe me, I wish that were possible too. But that's simply not going to happen in our lifetime. We're talking about mainstream Hollywood in 2025. Return to Silent Hill looks about as good as the first film. It's clearly superior to something like Welcome to Raccoon City.

"It appears to be an exciting, thrilling ride through the world of Silent Hill, and we'll get to see some memorable visuals and classic monsters. Personally, I'd rather have this than no film at all. I'll be there on opening day."

Other fans are speculating about which ending the movie might choose, given that the original game featured six endings (seven, including the Born from a Wish DLC), and the remake expanded that to eight.

"Given Christophe Gans' approach, I'm fairly certain he'll create his own ending for the film adaptation," one player speculated on a forum. "My theory is that he'll make the 'loop theory' the official ending, showing James back at the start of the story, doomed to repeat it all."

"This is acceptable," another user posted on a Silent Hill Discord server. "I'm not blown away, but I'm not let down either."

The film's IMDb page has also sparked curiosity, particularly due to several character names that aren't familiar to Silent Hill 2 enthusiasts, such as "Kaitlyn," who might be a reimagined version of Angela.

"All these additional characters, combined with the hooded figures in the trailer carrying someone, make me concerned that the early marketing wasn't entirely truthful, and that the cult [from Silent Hill 1 and 3] has been woven into this storyline…," warned one fan.

Return to Silent Hill is scheduled for release on January 23, 2026, and the creative team insists it will be highly faithful to the source material.

Gans' initial Silent Hill film, loosely inspired by the first game, follows mother Rose as she looks for her lost daughter, Sharon, in a town where snow falls in the summer. Despite having a screenplay from Oscar-winner Roger Avary (of Pulp Fiction fame), we considered Gans' first adaptation a middling 5/10, noting: "So here we are again. Our greatest worries have come true once more. The video game-to-film category has suffered through over ten years of average offerings. Silent Hill is arguably the most intelligent and visually impressive video game adaptation to date, but it lacks much else. Ultimately, video games are meant to be entertaining, and Silent Hill feels like a slog to watch."

The follow-up, Silent Hill: Revelation — directed by M.J. Bassett — was loosely based on the sequel Silent Hill 3. It earned an even lower score of 4.5 in our review: "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D is a weaker sequel in every conceivable aspect — a horror follow-up that fails to captivate or frighten, and one that may have just buried the franchise for good."