REVIEW: The History of Silent Hill by Samantha Morris

Hold onto your darkest fears and prepare to walk through the fog to explore the history of the Silent Hill franchise. Since 1999 when the first video game was released, Silent Hill has been a cult icon in the horror world - its games and subsequent movies crafting a terrifying, complex lore that I’ve been obsessed with since I first discovered it.

After starting off with a little reflection on the psychology of fear and why we love all things terrifying, this bible explores the six games in detail, delving into the characters and their journeys, the different stories players can discover — everything is laid out in a clear structure, full of amazing stories not only about the rich lore, but interesting insights into game design and development from behind the scenes too. At points there was a little too much text, if you’re a big fan you might find yourself skipping sections where the plot of the games are practically explained - at times the lengthy explanations weren’t the most readable but in general it was very easy to follow, well laid out and definitely had enough discussion, reflection and speculation at points to lift it to more than a game guide and into something interesting.

If you also become instantly melancholic every time you hear an E minor chord and have a questionable response to nurse costumes, you’re going to love this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The History of Silent Hill releases on 30th January 2026 with Pen & Sword. I received a reviewers copy of this title.

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