Despite a last-minute petition to revive the concept, Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro’s vision for a Silent Hills reboot is unequivocally dead. It was an announcement that proved to be a difficult pill to swallow for ardent horror fans, and it proved to be just as difficult for Del Toro himself, who sat down with IGN to discuss what the end product would have shaped up to be.
Intense, cutting-edge and drenched in atmosphere, the filmmaker’s collaboration with Kojima and Konami could have been something very special. Alas, it wasn’t to be, but here’s Del Toro’s two cents on the matter.
“What we wanted to do with the game – and we were very much in agreement on this – was to take the technology and make it as cutting-edge as we could in creating terror in the house. The idea was very, very atmosphere-drenched.
“But what made Silent Hill so great was that you had the atmosphere but then you a pay-off with a very active, very intense series of moments. We wanted to do some stuff that I’m pretty sure – just in case it ever comes back, which honestly I would love for somebody to change their mind and we can do it – but in case it comes back there was some stuff that was very new, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it.
“Norman [Reedus, the Walking Dead actor who was attached to play the lead role] was super happy, Hideo was super happy, and so was I. I know there’s a petition going on the internet and it’s gathering signatures. I would add my signature to it, and hope that someone pays attention.”
Now that P.T. has been pulled from PlayStation Store indefinitely – the excellent teaser that reinvigorated interest in the series – Konami is quickly removing any semblance of the cancelled project in what Del Toro describes as an abrupt, “scorched earth” approach. Granted, the Japanese giant has stated that it plans to continue the Silent Hill franchise without Kojima and Del Toro at the helm, but given yesterday’s revelation that the company is planning to double down on mobile platforms, it’s difficult to imagine that the reputable horror series is high on Konami’s list of priorities.
