Lukas Eberhard

Those growing up with the Playstation 1 remember Silent Hill (1999) as the game that spiritually succeeded Resident Evil (1996) with a focus on atmospheric and psychological horror driven by storytelling but with comparably little action. 3D graphics were advanced enough for the first time to immerse players deeper into the horror experience through interaction than film. In other words, the game scared the hell out of a whole lot of people and helped define the horror genre. Adapting this to screen is no small feat and, despite the moderate budget by today’s standards, Christophe Gans ventured into a bolt adaptation of Silent Hill 2 (2001) that feels different than the first two movies Silent Hill (2006), also directed by Gans, and Silent Hill: Revelation (2012).

Guillermo del Toro has a track record of memorable films spanning the last three decades. Even those unenthusiastic about cinema have seen one or more of his films and probably appreciated action movies such as BLADE II (2002) or HELLBOY (2004), with PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) often cited as a favorite of film buffs. At the same time, it has to be acknowledged that del Toro’s work has become different in the past ten years. You could say it’s more personal.

In the past 120 years there’s been no shortage of good films. There’s also been bad films. And then there’s been those films that forever etch into your mind. From the very first screening, it is impossible to ever forget them. Hip shot in a wheat field? Ask any millennial and 25 years later, they’ll know it’s GLADIATOR. Ask anyone fifteen minutes after watching GLADIATOR 2 and they probably won’t even be able to tell you the name of its protagonist.