Return to Silent Hill: Why horror sequel dubbed 'worst film of the year' has enraged moviegoers

We're less than one month into 2026, but it looks like worst film of the year has already been crowned.

The horror sequel Return to Silent Hill, which is based on the best-selling video game franchise Silent Hill, has been savaged by fans and critics alike since its release last week.

At one point, it was the worst-reviewed video game adaptation in 20 years on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has since risen to become the second worst-reviewed video game film of the last decade - the top honor goes to 2024's Borderlands. 

The horror sequel, which is the third in the Silent Hill film series, has particularly enraged fans of the hugely popular video game.

Gamers have been waiting for another Silent Hill sequel since 2012's Silent Hill: Revelation – and most have been left bitterly disappointed so far. 

'There’s no words I can use to describe how awful Return to Silent Hill is,' wrote one fan, who called it 'a disgrace to the genre'.

Another commented, 'Return to Silent Hill was a disgrace. A hollow, tone-deaf mess that spat in the face of Silent Hill fans and redefined cinematic dogshite.'

Professional critics were just as harsh, with IndieWire writing, 'A cautionary tale: chilling proof that borrowing legendary video game symbolism without comparable skill remains the surest way to alienate a fanbase, on or off the console.'

Meanwhile The New York Times compared the film to a 'jumbled assembly of cutscenes'.

Domestically, Return to Silent Hill has been a big disappointment at the U.S. box office, bringing in just $3.2million on its opening weekend.

However, despite its disastrous reception in North America, Return to Silent Hill has turned out to be a surprise hit in China.

According to Variety, it debuted at No. 1 at the Chinese box office, pulling in $9.3million over its opening weekend. 

Globally, it's made $19.3million so far, which means that it could end up turning a profit on its paltry $23million budget if it can continue performing well internationally.

It doesn't open in Europe until February, followed by Brazil in March.

Based on the classic video game Silent Hill 2, Return to Silent Hill follows James Sunderland, a broken man who receives a mysterious letter which calls him back to the twisted town of Silent Hill in search of his lost love. 

However, he begins to question his own sanity when he finds that the town appears to be inhabited by lost souls and nightmarish creatures. 

The first Silent Hill film was released in 2006 and was a modest hit with fans and critics, ultimately earning $100million at the box office.

It was followed by the 2012 sequel Silent Hill: Revelation, which made $56million but was so poorly received by critics that it's now considered one of the worst video game films ever made. 

German director Christophe Gans, who directed both Silent Hill and Return to Silent Hill, recently told Variety that it was a challenge to make the latest film.

'It was a big challenge to adapt correctly and respectfully a game which is considered a classic,' he said.

'We know that the people who love video games are very passionate. I remember when I did the first film, I received plenty of death threats,' he continued. 

'So I came onto the first film with great responsibility, and certainly even more with the second one. At the same time, it was important for me to imagine a movie that people who are not playing games can be interested in.'

The director has expressed that he's keen to make another film in the franchise if Return to Silent Hill turns out to be profitable enough.