Silent Hill (2006)

Silent Hill is a 2006 supernatural horror film based on the video game series published by Konami. Directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary, it is the first installment in the Silent Hill film series. The film stars Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates, Tanya Allen, Alice Krige and Jodelle Ferland. Its plot follows a mother who, after her daughter mentions the eponymous town while sleepwalking and goes missing upon entering it, uncovers dark secrets within and survives dangerous forces while searching for her.

After attempting to gain the film rights to Silent Hill for five years, Gans sent a video interview to Konami explaining his plans for adapting it and how important the games were to him. Konami awarded him the film rights as a result, and he and Avary began working on the script in 2004. Avary used Centralia, Pennsylvania as inspiration for the town. Principal photography began in April 2005 and lasted three months with an estimated $50 million budget, and was shot on sound stages and on location in Ontario, Canada. Most of the monsters encountered were played by professional dancers, while a minority were created with CGI.

Silent Hill was released theatrically in Canada on April 21, 2006, by Alliance Atlantis and in France on April 26 by Metropolitan Filmexport, grossing $100.6 million worldwide. The film received generally negative reviews from critics upon release, although retrospective reviews have been more favorable and it has garnered a cult following. A sequel, titled Silent Hill: Revelation, was released in October 2012, while a third film, Return to Silent Hill, was released in January 2026, with Gans returning as writer-director.