Return to Silent Hill Director Received Death Threats From Gamers

2 hours ago 3

Jeremy Irvine's James Sunderland looking shocked up towards something in Return to Silent Hill

Published Jan 23, 2026, 6:23 PM EST

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Christophe Gans, who directed the original Silent Hill film adaptation in 2006, comes back for Return to Silent Hill despite the harsh critical reception the first one received.

The Silent Hill films were initially hated by critics and general audiences. However, over the years, the horror franchise has gained renewed appreciation, particularly among viewers who discovered it at a young age. Gans claimed that many millennial gamers say that the adaptation was a cult classic, and they still love the film to this very day. The director added that this gave him a boost of confidence to know that an entire generation of fans enjoyed the project.

In an interview with Variety, Gans stated that these kind words are incredibly meaningful. After the harsh reaction from critics, he's glad that Silent Hill has stood "the test of time" to the people who it mattered most to, the fans who loved the games. So, this likely gave him the confidence he needed to direct Return to Silent Hill.

I was very pleased to see how the reputation of the movie has grown. 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.

However, not all gamers appreciated his adaptation of Silent Hill. In fact, Gans received several death threats from "passionate" fans. They believed that the director did the iconic video game franchise a disservice with his film. He explained that some hardcore fans even told him that they would track him down if the movie didn't meet their high standards.

It was a big challenge to adapt correctly and respectfully a game which is considered a classic. We know that the people who love video games are very passionate. I remember when I did the first film, I received plenty of death threats. People were saying, ‘If you mess up this one, we are going to find you.’ So I came onto the first film with great responsibility, and certainly even more with the second one. At the same time, it was important for me to imagine a movie that people who are not playing games can be interested in.

The director was already nervous enough about adapting a film with such a massive fanbase, so these threats didn't ease any of his worries. However, he didn't let it discourage him and tried his best to remain faithful and respectful to the movie's source material while also appealing to people who don't know anything about the game. And, he planned to do so for Return to Silent Hill, as well.

Unfortunately, at the moment, the film sits at a 16% score at the time of this article's publication. However, seeing how the film was just released, this might be an inaccurate representation of how well-received it actually is. Only time will tell if Return to Silent Hill will suffer the same fate as the original.

Return to Silent Hill is currently playing in theaters now.