Exclusives
Guillermo del Toro Wanted to Create Panic with ‘Silent Hills’ (Interview)
People are still wondering why Konami cancelled the insanely hyped survival horror game Silent Hills, which would have been worked on by Hideo Kojima, Junji Ito, Guillermo del Toro, and Norman Reedus. It seemed like the ultimate team that would’ve resulted in the ultimate game, one that would set a precedent for all other survival horror games to come.
Alas, as we know, it wasn’t meant to be. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want some answers. And that’s why our own Thomas Alexander asked del Toro about what the experience of working on Silent Hills was like, to which he was explained:
It was curious.
We had a great experience and had great story sessions with hundreds upon hundreds of designs. Some of the stuff that we were designing for Silent Hills I’ve seen in games that came after, like ‘The Last of Us’, which makes me think we were not wrong, we were going in the right direction.
The thing with Kojima and ‘Silent Hills’ is that I thought we would do a really remarkable game and really go for the jugular.
We were hoping to actually create some sort of panic with some of the devices we were talking about and it is really a shame that it’s not happening. When you ask about how things operate, that makes no fucking sense at all that that game is not happening.
Makes no fucking sense at all. That’s the randomness that I was talking about.
I’m not sure if they mean “devices” as in actual physical objects that would interact with the player or specific game mechanics that haven’t been done before. Either way, it sounds fascinating and I would’ve loved to have seen what it would’ve been like.
Alexander’s full interview with del Toro will be going up on our site tomorrow afternoon.
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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