Editorials
‘Silent Hills’ Isn’t Dead Yet
Last week, the Internet exploded when rumors surfaced that Kojima would be leaving Konami. Kojima was removed from the company’s list of executives and his branding was erased from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain promotional art as Konami went to work erasing Kojima Productions from existence. It seemed like the relationship between the two had soured, and while we still don’t have the full story, we do know that it’s bad.
A joint statement recently confirmed that Kojima will stay long enough to finish Phantom Pain, but his tenure likely won’t last much longer than that. After three decades together, two hugely influential names in the games industry will be parting ways.
As much as I’d like to memorialize the two, there just isn’t time. We can get to that after they let us know they’ve noticed the elephant in the room. The world wants to know, just what in the hell is going to happen to Silent Hills? This is the series’ last chance at staying relevant. It’s the game that’s keeping one of the genre’s most beloved franchises from finally, quietly, fading into obscurity. If this game dies, Silent Hill will almost certainly die with it.
I don’t know about you, but that terrifies me. So before we get into this, here’s something to put a smile on your face, because the rest of this article might get a little heated.
Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. At least not yet. Konami still owns the IP, they own the engine that powers it, they have a talented team of developers, and I think we can assume that while it’s still very early in development — it was only ever given a nebulous 2016 release window — some progress has to have been made on it. This is progress that Konami isn’t likely to throw that away easily, especially since it’s one of the few properties they have left that people care about.
If that’s not the most depressing thing you’ve heard today, it might not have sunk in yet. Silent Hill is currently one of Konami’s most promising brands, because aside from Metal Gear and Dance Dance Revolution, they don’t have a whole lot going on right now.
The company is very active in Japan, but not so much anywhere else. Pro Evolution Soccer is forever stuck in FIFA’s shadow, Castlevania isn’t nearly as popular as it once was, and that’s not even taking into account last year’s abysmal Lords of Shadow sequel. They’re relying heavily on the success of MGS V, which I’m sure will do great, because that’s one of the few brands they have left that large numbers of people still get excited about.
It feels strange to say it, but for the first time in years, Silent Hill has our attention. It has the world’s attention. Kojima’s publicity stunt with the P.T. demo was nothing short of genius, and it was also exceedingly effective. Even non-fans had their attention piqued when this happened.
A not-insignificant portion of our anticipation for Silent Hills came from the fact that Kojima would be directing it. That was exciting, but I’d argue his involvement was overshadowed by one of the other names that were — and are still, as far as we know — attached to it: director Guillermo Del Toro.
Kojima has name recognition among gamers, but Del Toro has it everywhere else.
Guillermo Del Toro is hot right now. Most of us fell in love with him around The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, or if you’re really into movies, Cronos did it for you. For the rest of the world, it took a massively successful vampire-themed TV show and some giant robots battling Kaiju. How long it took isn’t the point, we’re all on the same page now, and that’s what matters.
Silent Hills came to be because of this director. Kojima and Norman Reedus signed on after the fact — the deal is between Del Toro and Konami. I would have liked to see where he took it, but Kojima can be replaced.
I touched on this earlier, but I feel its importance can’t be stressed enough. Silent Hills has a lot of momentum behind it. Its reveal took over the Internet last August, and fan theories, discussions, and trailers like the one below have kept it in the spotlight ever since.
This game has a level of awareness that the franchise has never had before. Even in its prime, Silent Hill didn’t have this much excitement surrounding it. This series will never have as good a chance at being successful than it does now. If Konami wants to bring it back, this will almost certainly be their only chance to make it big again.
Some of this hype can be attributed to our wanting a good Silent Hill game for years now, but a lot of it also has to do with how much the horror genre has grown right now.
Scary is mainstream, and I’m sure Konami would like to take advantage of that.
This whole situation sucks. I’ve been dreading the moment I jump online only to see the headline “Silent Hills Cancelled!” and while that may very well happen, I’m going to try and stay optimistic. Because as bad as it might look right now, I think there’s as good a chance at our seeing this game release as we might see it get lost in dreaded development limbo, alongside so many other promising horror games.
Konami has handled this with absolutely no grace. This is a communications breakdown and they should be ashamed of how poorly they’ve been treating their fans. The only way they can make this up to us is by bringing us an unforgettable horror game, and they can start by opening their damn mouths already. If Konami hopes to survive this transition, they’ll need to do better than this.
It’s worth mentioning that while I have reached out to Konami for a comment, as my finger hovers over the ‘Publish’ button, they have yet to respond. I doubt that’ll change, but if it does, I’ll be sure to update accordingly.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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