Return to Silent Hill follows James (Jeremy Irvine), a man broken after his relationship with the love of his life, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), ends. When a mysterious letter from her calls him back to Silent Hill, he finds a once-recognisable town transformed by an unknown evil.
While James desperately searches for Mary, he encounters terrifying creatures and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to the town. But as he descends deeper into the darkness, the secrets he uncovers lead to a horrifying truth, and James finds himself struggling to hold on long enough to save his one true love.
Directed by Christophe Gans, who returns to the franchise after helming Silent Hill in 2006, the movie is a chilling adaptation of the beloved Silent Hill 2 video game.
Two standout performers in the movie's cast are Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw) and Evie Templeton (Wednesday). The latter reprises her role as Laura from the Silent Hill 2 video game, getting a rare opportunity to play two versions of the same character.
As for Anderson, she has multiple parts in the movie as Mary Crane, Angela, and Maria (along with one more we won't spoil here). Both actresses take their characters to some challenging, powerful places in Return to Silent Hill, and we were recently able to learn more about their experiences.
In the video below, we hear from both Return to Silent Hill stars about how they approached their respective characters, the experience of adapting the beloved video game, and get plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets.
Both of your characters really put Jeremy Irvine through the wringer. How do you look back on that and the collaboration you had with him in some really challenging scenes?
Hannah: Yeah, it was quite daunting for all of us, but Jeremy was so fun to work with. Even though we had all these challenging things to do, he was such a great scene partner. He committed 100% in every scene, always throwing new stuff our way, and was just funny.
Evie: So fun and such an inspiration. You and Jeremy were both such an inspiration to me. Getting to watch you and your process was just incredible. You're both amazing.
Hannah: Thank you. I feel the exact same way about you.
Evie, you're coming off playing Laura in the video game version of Silent Hill 2. In terms of the challenge of bringing that character into live action and the differences between a video game and a film, what was that process like for you?
Evie: It was really eye-opening and so cool to go from playing a character in a video game to bringing her to life in a whole new way through a movie and through Christophe's vision of the game. That was really amazing. The main difference was that in a video game, you're in a big studio, sometimes acting with a tennis ball on a long stick. So it was great to be immersed in the world more and surrounded by the set, which really helped create the atmosphere.
And coming off a project like Wednesday season 2—that's horror, but very different from Silent Hill—what was it like working on a film like this and playing with a different kind of horror story?
Evie: It was amazing. Every character is so unique and nuanced. It was great and so fun to explore the complexities of Laura. The relationships she has with the other characters are so layered. It was really fun to bring her to life.
Hannah, I'm being careful of spoilers, but you've got multiple roles, which must present some unique challenges. What was it like to tackle those different characters and their relationship with James in the film?
Hannah: It was really overwhelming and absolutely thrilling. I've done a lot of horror, so I have experience in the genre, but this felt like a graduation of sorts. I'd never done anything like this. It was amazing to take all my experience and put it into this film. It was so great to work with Evie and Jeremy, but especially Christophe, who's such a fan of the game. Not being super familiar with it myself, I could put all my trust in him, knowing he could bring us all together. It was really incredible.
In terms of the relationship between Mary and James—there's a love story at the heart of this horror movie—having those flashback scenes must have been really useful to inform your characters in the present-day scenes.
Hannah: It's always helpful to flesh out the backstory. As Christophe told us from the beginning, it's like a Romeo and Juliet love story—this forbidden love that takes over, and you have no choice but to give in to it. I'm such a romantic at heart, so getting to play a love story at the core of a horror film was somewhat new for me and a really beautiful juxtaposition.
And because there is a connection between your two characters, did the two of you get to meet or discuss that while making the film?
Hannah: No, we didn't. We met on set, and it was really amazing getting to watch Evie work. Everything she brings to a character—so much fearlessness and courage—she brought so much of herself to Laura.
Evie: It was really inspiring for me as well to watch you take on not one role, not two, but at least three. It was quite incredible.
Evie, playing Laura, who pops up throughout the film to torment Jeremy's character—when it's such a mystery, fleshing that out—having the game experience, was that a lot of help to know who this character was even before the audience finds out?
Evie: Definitely. It was such a great advantage having been connected to her before stepping onto set. She's such a cool character, and I've had the time of my life playing her. She's so complex with all these different elements. At the end of the day, she's a frightened little girl looking for her friend, feeling lost and abandoned, but at the same time, she's mischievous and playful and toys with James. It was great getting to play around with those aspects.
For both of you, there's a lot of VFX but also practical effects. Being on set with some of these creatures and characters, what was that experience like? Does it require a lot of imagination?
Hannah: Not really. They were very practical. We had wonderful dancers playing our nurses—they were so incredible and talented. It didn't leave much to the imagination because it was right there in front of you, which is so helpful as an actor to be fully immersed.Evie Templeton: Yeah, they really filled out the world for us. Having the monsters right in front of us was beyond amazing—more than I expected. We also filmed in Munich in the volume, surrounded by LED screens projecting the set images. It was like surround sound but visually—a really incredible experience.
Evie: Yeah, that was so cool and such a great opportunity to experience at a young age. I felt honored.
Hannah, you've done horror before, but how did this Silent Hill experience differ from past projects in the genre?
Hannah: It felt completely new in every way because I'd never played multiple characters or transformed physically like this. Everything from the physicality to the world to even wearing contacts was all new and thrilling.
A project like this has a very dedicated fan base, and you're working with one of the franchise's biggest fans in Christophe. Having him on set guiding you, knowing how much he loves the second game—was that incredibly helpful?
Evie: Oh yeah. We could put our trust in Christophe. He is the perfect person to direct this film. There are so many fan-favorite elements—he's transposed images from the game directly onto screen. It's going to be thrilling for fans, but it's also a movie for everyone. If you know nothing about Silent Hill, it's a great jumping-off point.
Hannah: 100%.
Evie, a series like Wednesday has a massive fan base—so was that helpful, coming from that and the game, to know fan expectations for a character like yours?
Evie: Yeah, it was very cool. Having an established fan base with Silent Hill—it's a video game series with previous film adaptations—it's great to have that support and people rooting for the film to be successful.
One final question for both of you. Filming a horror movie like this must have been hard days on set—are there any moments that really stand out as a favourite while working on this story?
Hannah: The moments that stand out for me are the lighter ones because it was so dark. There's one scene where my character and Jeremy's are falling in love—with rain on a rooftop, romantic, will-they-won't-they kiss. That gave me butterflies—like we're making a love story here, even though it's a horror film.
Evie: There were so many fun moments. It would be hilarious for a passerby to see us go from this creepy, twisted world to normal people having coffee, with Pyramid Head in costume, sipping an iced latte and eating a sandwich. That was really funny.
Return to Silent Hill opens in theaters on Friday, January 23.