It's been 13 years since the last Silent Hill film—Silent Hill: Revelation—arrived in theaters. Now, the franchise is making its way back into theaters with Return to Silent Hill from Christophe Gans, who helmed the game's first live-action feature in 2006. An adaptation of the Silent Hill 2 game (arguably one of the most impactful interactive horror experiences out there), the film will follow James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine), as he ventures into the titular town, searching for his partner, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson).
The film had been the subject of some controversy. Since the release of its first trailer, fans have expressed skepticism regarding the movie, seemingly amplified by the franchise's previous adaptations, which are often considered inferior to their source material. Another trailer for Return to Silent Hill was released in late November, showcasing more of the story and James' search for Mary.
Recently, yet another trailer was shared on social media. It gave a much more positive perspective on the film, but it was ultimately removed. The X post in which it was originally shared now shows the following message:
"This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner."
That seems to indicate the teaser was either leaked or accidentally released before schedule. The footage was fairly similar to the aforementioned November trailer, but it featured some notable differences, including its score and the showing of new scenes. Overall, the latest trailer gave off a much more intimidating and sinister vibe, promising horror in line with Silent Hill 2.
On the Silent Hill subreddit, users expressed their excitement over the now-deleted footage, with one of them stating: "That was 100% a better trailer," to which someone replied: "Right? That actually looked like a movie. And the scoring was actually quite good!" Another fan stated: "It's the best we got so far." A user also praised Gans for the adaptation: "'They keep telling me to move on. No matter what it takes. I won't let go.' Damn, that is such a James Sunderland line. Hold on now, Christophe Gans might be cooking here."
Other comments in the thread included, "Oooh, surprisingly beautiful!," "Oh, wow, it's promising and it seems to be a film in the atmosphere of the game!," and, "Man, this really is the best trailer they've released so far!"
In a featurette released for the film in November 2025, director Christophe Gans explained that, unlike 2006's Silent Hill, Return to Silent Hill was allowed to be much more disturbing thanks to darker brands of horror becoming more popular in recent years:
"The perception of horror has changed completely, since 2006. The horror films that people love today are not the same. We saw the rising of a new brand of horror film. Much more disturbing, much more psychological, much more playing with different levels of perception. It's very exciting. It's one of the reasons I thought it was the time to adapt Silent Hill 2."
The deleted trailer seemed completed, so it will hopefully not be long before it's officially released to the public.
As previously mentioned, Silent Hill is one of the most renowned franchises in gaming. An adaptation of one of its most beloved games faithfully recreating its source material is an undeniably exciting proposition, so hopefully, the movie will live up to the reputation of the saga.
To hold you over until the film arrives, Deadline provided a description of the plot, which promises to deliver a fascinating journey through the infamous town:
"The film will follow James (Irvine), a man broken after being separated from his one true love (Anderson). When a mysterious letter calls him back to Silent Hill in search of her, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. As James descends deeper into the darkness, he encounters terrifying figures both familiar and new and begins to question his own sanity as he struggles to make sense of reality and hold on long enough to save his lost love."
Return to Silent Hill is scheduled to come out on January 23, 2026.
What did you think about this new Return to Silent Hill trailer? Was it better than previous trailers for the movie? Let me know in the comments!