Just in time for Halloween, Konami revealed its plans for the future of the Silent Hill franchise. During the Silent Hill Transmission show on October 19, the publisher unveiled several Silent Hill projects in progress, including gadgets, movies, a long-held remake and new games. As a longtime Silent Hill fan, I was glued to the screen.
There was one project that made me stand out in particular: Silent Hill Townfall. A spinoff game in the works at NoCode Studios, the Townfall movie trailer was terrifying, artistic, but also incredibly confusing. The images and narrative shown seemed almost puzzling in that they did not agree with each other.
What seemed like an ordinary CRTV pocket TV on some desk quickly became the tool of Konami’s psychological horror. From still images of corridors to macabre and bloody scenes, the small flickering screen quickly shifted from image to static, displaying frightening sights. Only one-way conversation superimposed for minimal context.
The Townfall trailer was so abstract that NoCode’s creative director Jon McKellen told fans to come back and re-watch the trailer to see “what you might have missed.” Luckily you don’t have to do this as we’ve gathered all the weird sights and fleeting images you may have missed in the teaser trailer.
Map to nowhere
From what we can see on the table where the CRTV radio is standing, there appears to be a red ordinal map. It is not known if this means that we are in the cabin of a seeker and lifeguard, policeman or park ranger. However, the map theme was recalled again on the CRTV screen as a string of images flashed that seemed to match one map that might have revealed Townfall’s location.
The body is weak
The words “meat is weak” appeared on the small screen of the CRTV. While it was quick and hard to spot due to the weak lyrics, I think it will have a huge impact on the direction of this Silent Hill story. The Silent Hill games tend to play into the weaknesses and sins of the human psyche, so these few words cement Townfall right in the middle of the series.
Bloody bag
One of the more macabre photos in this trailer seemed to be a man holding the camera facing him and wearing some kind of mask or a bloody bag over his head. In a disturbing scene, the person seems to be filming on purpose, and what he or she did or will do has yet to be shown.
Fragmented hand
The blood theme in Silent Hill Townfall is undoubtedly present. As the recording progresses, the scenes intensify with brutality and violence – which is not surprising for the Silent Hill game. This sequence is especially disturbing because what initially felt like the arm of the deceased person quickly came to life and grabbed or hugged every poor soul that had been taped. This hand looked like it had passed through a shredder, so whoever this hand belongs to must look rough.
Clean
The bloodiest image on CRTV was of a person wearing a full body bloody jumpsuit – they must be fun to sleep over. This video was by far the fastest and shortest record to appear on CRTV; it was also the purest bloody image that could be shown. But what this person does and who he is is another mystery to add to the growing list.
Incendiary
The final image shown on the CRTV radio is much more interesting than it seems. In what looks like a corridor leading to a boiler room, the painting is fiery red – you can feel the heat it gives off. At first, it feels like a location that will appear in the game. But interestingly, the shade in the photo fits perfectly into the room where the CRTV is located. This room has gradually changed its color from the standard to match that fiery red throughout the trailer. Is this location important to the plot or is it the closest location to CRTV radio?
Threats and announcements
Dialogue was the last piece of the Silent Hill Townfall trailer that made me stand out. With all these vague and mysterious images flashing on your screen, it’s easy to get distracted by the visuals. But the trailer ends with a chilling sentiment.
In the trailer, we can hear the one-sided conversation of the investigator before we see a brief image of the interviewee in their final moments. The dialogue takes place on the visualizations mentioned above, with an unidentified interrogator discussing why he and his subject have found themselves in this situation, questioning whether this is what he deserves.
But he ends with this sentiment: “But for you, I think you’re here for some other reason, and I don’t want to be anywhere near you … when you get it.” Will we play the character under investigation, and if so, will we be a real monster in Townfall? Again, I can’t say for sure, but the themes of psychological horror and inner trauma are the pillars of Silent Hill, so playing as a monster wouldn’t be surprising.