While “war is hell” might be overplayed in horror, fans salivated over the idea of a soldier’s nightmarish delusions manifesting in the titular ghost town. Eventually, the trail leads straight to Silent Hill. Alex Shepard, a military veteran, comes home after fighting overseas to aid in a search for his missing brother Josh. Silent Hill: Homecoming wasn’t the first in this long-line of imitators, but it’s the most egregious. Too often, there’s this predisposition with being the next Silent Hill 2, and that ambition manifests in the most superficial ways possible. It’s a moment that subsequent entries spent years chasing the coattail of, much to their chagrin. Silent Hill 2′ s big revelation hits like a baseball bat to the skull on an initial playthrough.
But instead of an ethereal reunion between ill-fated lovers, a dark secret rears its ugly head: James is secretly Mary’s murderer. James came to Silent Hill searching for Mary, his late wife. Amidst the hissing cacophony of static are muffled screams, formerly tucked away deep in his subconscious. White noise from a dusty television pelts James Sunderland with echoes of a horrific act. *Spoiler warning for Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill: Origins, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and Silent Hill: Downpour*
