To say that Silent Hill has had a rocky history would be an understatement. While contemporary horror franchises like Resident Evil have flourished in recent years, Silent Hill has languished in canceled projects. Even if something did come out, it was likely outsourced to a company unfit to handle the property, leading to middling commercial and critical returns. Likewise, after a surprisingly successful film brought the town of Silent Hill to the silver screen, a bizarre and underwhelming sequel in the form of Silent Hill: Revelation killed off interest in future films.

But it’s been more than 15 years since Silent Hill originally hit theaters, and more than a decade since the last mainline Silent Hill game. Frankly, in an age where just about everything is getting revitalized and rebooted for modern tastes, Silent Hill has been overdue for quite a long time. Coinciding with Konami’s dramatic announcement of multiple Silent Hill games in development and a sequel to the original 2006 film, it’s worth taking a look at why now might be the perfect time for a Silent Hill show.

     Konami

If the monumental success of HBO’s The Last of Us means anything, it shows that video game adaptations are as popular as they’ve ever been. With the 2020 pandemic forcing most to seek out new hobbies, video games as a whole saw a significant increase in attention and proliferation in the public consciousness. They’re just about everywhere, and you’d have to try pretty hard to get away from them.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Silent Hill is apt material for a television adaptation. The Silent Hill games have always been praised for their presentation and cinematic quality, with many of its visuals and still striking a chord with today’s gamers. Even the original Silent Hill film, while not a perfect adaptation, brought the ominous town to life in a staggering display of rusted metal and ambient fog. If The Last of Us can get universal praise for almost remaking the game’s introduction beat-for-beat, a similar result could be achieved by giving each of Silent Hill’s unique characters the same treatment, or telling wholly original stories altogether.

Experimental Horror Has Been Incredibly Successful

The horror genre has evolved pretty significantly since 2006. Unconventional horror films like Get Out, Midsommar, and The Babadook have brought a whole new audience to the grotesque genre, on top of streaming introducing many to a slew of genre-defying titles from all over the world. People are more accepting of things that break from the norm, and Silent Hill is no stranger to this concept.

Silent Hill has always pushed boundaries, both on the physical hardware that played the games and in its approach to horror. The first game utilized a low draw-distance — essentially, how much “stuff” could be on-screen at once — to create the fog that’s become so closely associated with the franchise. The now-infamous P.T. made its true nature as an advertisement for Silent Hills purposefully obscure, utterly terrifying players with horrifying scenarios and what is likely one of the most terrifying ghosts in recent memory. Fans even still argue whether Silent Hill 4 is even a “true” part of the franchise based on how different it is from the rest of the series. Experimentation is what made Silent Hill such a prominent franchise to begin with, and it’d fit right in with a growing swath of experimental horror projects.

Silent Hill Could Be an Anthology Series

Horror anthologies have seen a monumental increase in popularity. Shows like American Horror Story and Slasher, despite some mixed reception, demonstrate that the formula for making a seasonal horror series can work. In the case of American Horror Story, it worked well enough to last more than ten seasons. Even the short-lived miniseries The Terror showed that you can make use of the extended run-time and change in pacing that a series provides in order to craft a compelling horror narrative.

While Silent Hill primarily focuses on the story of the town’s cult, there’s more than enough wiggle-room to take some creative liberties. The games have already done it more than a handful of times. Silent Hill 4 only ever features the eponymous town in a disconnected context, and the latest entry in the mainline series will take place in 1960s Japan, even. Given that each game focuses on a new protagonist dealing with unique issues and conflicts, there’s ample material to craft an anthology series around Silent Hill.

Return to Silent Hill Could Spawn a Show

The upcoming sequel to the original 2006 Silent Hill film, Return to Silent Hill, could possibly justify investing in a television show. It’s part of Konami’s multi-pronged approach in restarting the Silent Hill franchise, one that also includes the Silent Hill 2 remake, two other new Silent Hill games, and an opportunity for other developers to pitch their franchise ideas to Konami. While excitement for Return to Silent Hill is ample, especially considering that Christopher Gans is slated to return, its success could possibly determine whether a Silent Hill show could ride the ensuing hype train, or remain stuck at the station. Seeing as how it’s tackling the most popular entry in the series, Silent Hill 2, we can only hope it’ll open the door for more adaptations about the fog-drenched town.