Pyramid Head is back and is looking both meaner and stranger than ever before.
As the Silent Hill franchise continues to crawl its way back to resurgence, fans of the series now look forward to how Konami brings the seminal Silent Hill 2 back into the limelight with an upcoming film and a remake. It’s a humongous task, given how much the game means to the fan base.
Now, with the first look at Silent Hill 2’s adaptation, Return to Silent Hill, reactions range from being positive about the franchise’s future to outright skepticism.
Silent Hill 2’s Film Adaptation Suggests the Film Is Either Going to Be a Masterpiece or a Failure
If there could be an award for the most devoted fan base, Silent Hill 2 would arguably win it.
Silent Hill 2 holds different meanings to different people: a shift from the occult themes of the first to darker territories, an introspective piece of media, the delicacy of the human mind, and more. Such a media always cultivates a near-worshipful fan base. So, remaking the game or adapting it into a film requires navigating a minefield of potential backlash and criticism.
That said, it’s easy to imagine the fountain of sweat running down the execs when revealing the first look at Return to Silent Hill’s rendition of Pyramid Head, a series icon. Surprisingly enough, the initial reception for Pyramid Head has only been slight skepticism.
First look at Return to Silent Hill, the upcoming movie from Christophe Gans (first movie) adapting the story of SH2🚀
How do you feel about Pyramid Head’s look here?😎
Source: Variety #Konami #Gaming pic.twitter.com/JopviImS2S
— Rino (@RinoTheBouncer) May 16, 2024
While some argue that the lack of the fleshy metal helmet and a more pronounced torso is unfaithful to the original, others are simply excited to see this somewhat shriveled-up, oversized-pyramid-wearing rendition of the monster.
One thing to note is how this P-head seems to resemble the one in the remake, which should make new fans of the game feel right at home. When it comes to what people think, on one hand, you get views similar to X user @DashsyLeftToe—apt username, by the way:
If your adapting SH2s story you gotta be accurate which this isn’t
— Daddy Pyramid Head (@DashsyLeftToe) May 16, 2024
On whichever side you may lie, it’s difficult not to feel excited by the prospect of witnessing James Sunderland’s descent into the foggy town once again, now on the big screen.
Despite the Positive Reception, Fans Are Still Unsure of What the Future Has in Store for Silent Hill
The Short Message, despite being nothing like its predecessors, was a solid entry in the series.
Although people’s perceptions of Silent Hill 2‘s remake and film adaptation are slowly turning from negative to positive, the same cannot be said for the rest of the series. Ascension was an experimental attempt to do “something” with the series, which turned out to be an outright failure.
The Short Message, as a free short game, presented a wildly different but soulful interpretation of Silent Hill’s core tenets, despite not sticking to the foggy town itself. While not much is yet known about Silent Hill f and Townfall, they will most likely present an evolution of the series’ dark themes.
Due to the overwhelming amount of content Silent Hill is receiving—not all of it is good either—fans are skeptical of whether Konami can truly bring the series back to life. One can only hope that the series, along with other Konami properties, can once again come back to life.