Before Silent Hill became a horror film, it was a survival horror video game developed by a team at Konami named Team Silent for the PlayStation in 1999. The game utilized a foggy atmosphere to inhibit the player’s vision while they control Harry Mason on the search for his missing adopted daughter. Its unforgettable landscape and horrific features spawned an entire franchise of films and video game sequels. While the horror video game is well-known, its true story and real location is rarely recognized.
In 2006, Christopher Gans adapted the game into a psychological horror film with the same name. Instead of Harry, the film follows Rose (Radha Mitchell) as she takes her adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) to the town of Silent Hill, West Virginia. Sharon screams the town’s name in her sleep which causes Rose to take her there. Right as the two arrive, they are involved in a car accident, and Sharon goes missing.
As ash and fog rolls over Silent Hill, Rose searches for her daughter only to discover that the town is overrun by demonic entities, a cult, and shifts between dimensions. The success of the original film spawned a sequel in 2012 titled Silent Hill: Revelation, which was based on the third game in the series. It follows Rose’s daughter, Sharon, as the main character. Similar to the Resident Evil franchise, Silent Hill made its mark in horror history as a classic video game and original film concept.
While the environment of Silent Hill seems as though it could only exist in nightmares, it is actually a very real place with a devastating history. The town of Silent Hill, West Virginia is actually Centralia, Pennsylvania. In May 1962, the town ordered to have the local landfill burned in an attempt to cleanup the waste. The fire spread through unsealed tunnels and openings that led to an abandoned coal mine. Thus, igniting the fire that burns to this day.
Local firefighters were unable to cease the burning and the government quickly decided that the town needed to evacuate for their safety. Just as in the film, the air in Centralia is dangerous and it is recommended people do not expose themselves to the environment for long periods of time. While most people left, a few stayed in hopes that the fire would stop. One of the only remaining buildings is a church that is still in use. Silent Hill is very similar in this regard, as only a few citizens remain in the West Virginia town and continue to attend church services.
In 2002, the town’s zip code was suspended by the United States Postal Service and all roads leading into Centralia have since been barricaded. Silent Hill follows this history almost to the exact detail, except in real life Centralia is not plagued by a cult, witches, or multi-dimensional monsters. As of right now, there are only two films in the franchise but Christopher Gans has announced a third film is possibly in the works. The impressive attention to detail speaks to the severity of the historical incident and Silent Hill’s use of the town as inspiration further emphasizes the true horrors that happen in real life.
While Silent Hill, West Virginia's real-life equivalent Centralia, Pennsylvania remains a virtual ghost town, sadly so does the Silent Hill video game franchise. The last Silent Hill game, Book of Memories, released nearly a decade ago, and since the controversial 2015 cancellation of Silent Hills due to a falling out between Konami and superstar producer Hideo Kojima, no further titles have been confirmed as in development. It's possible that the town of Silent Hill might finally re-awaken though, as rumors circulating in October 2021 suggest that Kojima might be working on a new Silent Hill game. Considering his acrimonious split from Konami, fans probably shouldn't hold their breath, and may be better off trying to visit the real Silent Hill for their fix.
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