"Silent Hill" Director Recalls Receiving Death Threats from 'Passionate' Video Game Fans Over 2006 Adaptation Desiree AnelloJanuary 29, 2026 at 4:03 AM 0 Christophe Gans; Return to Silent Hill Sylvain Lefevre/Getty;Cineverse Christophe Gans, the director of Return to Silent Hill, said he received "death threats" from "passionate" video game fans after releasing the film's predecessor 20 years ago "People were saying, 'If you mess up this one, we are going to find you,' " he admitted The director also added that, although the original film was met with mixed reactions, it has since stood "the t...
- - "Silent Hill" Director Recalls Receiving Death Threats from 'Passionate' Video Game Fans Over 2006 Adaptation
Desiree AnelloJanuary 29, 2026 at 4:03 AM
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Christophe Gans; Return to Silent Hill
Sylvain Lefevre/Getty;Cineverse
Christophe Gans, the director of Return to Silent Hill, said he received "death threats" from "passionate" video game fans after releasing the film's predecessor 20 years ago
"People were saying, 'If you mess up this one, we are going to find you,' " he admitted
The director also added that, although the original film was met with mixed reactions, it has since stood "the test of time"
Director Christophe Gans has big expectations to live up to.
Ahead of the Jan. 23 release of Return to Silent Hill, the film's director, 65, admitted that, after he released its predecessor, Silent Hill, two decades ago, he received "death threats" from a few "very passionate" fans of the 1999 video game.
"It was a big challenge to adapt correctly and respectfully a game which is considered a classic," Gans told Variety in a recent interview. "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,' " he continued. "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."
Return to Silent Hill
Cinverse
Although Silent Hill was initially met with mixed reactions, Gans explained that he has since seen the horror adaptation stand the test of time and appeal to the "2.0 generation of Silent Hill lovers."
"I was very pleased to see how the reputation of the movie has grown," he told the outlet. "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 a very good feeling, because we know that you have some great films that disappear from memory in six months," he added. "The test of time is the ultimate test, when suddenly you face people who are talking about your work with a lot of enthusiasm."
This time around, Return to Silent Hill, based on the 2001 game Silent Hill 2, follows the story of a man named James (Jeremy Irvine) as he returns to the town of Silent Hill to return with the love of his life, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), following an apocalyptic event that left many residents dead.
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However, the sequel earned just an 18 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with some critics calling it "visually tacky" and a "jumbled assembly of cut scenes."
Even so, Gans made it clear that his love for the world of Silent Hill would keep him coming back for more if he was given the opportunity.
"I'm not looking at Silent Hill only as a great video game. I'm looking at it as a piece of modern art," he explained to Variety. "It has something really edgy and experimental. I will adapt another chapter because there are some that are extremely good, something very different from the first film, and now Return to Silent Hill. I like this world, and I can see that plenty of people are thinking I'm doing a pretty good job."
Return to Silent Hill is now playing in theaters.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 28, 2026 at 03:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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