Silent Hill: A Letter to James director interview - Manifesting a dream nightmare

Independent filmmakers have been upping their game lately and that’s not to say the talent wasn't already there because it certainly was, but with technology constantly improving and becoming more accessible, filmmakers from all walks of life have a greater chance of realising their potential.

Independent projects, such as the short film The Keeper’s Diary: A Biohazard Story from content creators Residence of Evil, have been showing Hollywood bigwigs how a Resident Evil adaptation should be done.

Another team of filmmakers creating a buzz on social media - including on YouTube - is Rebel Monkey, responsible for the critically acclaimed short film Memory Card and the Alan Wake 2-inspired Unfinished Chapter. Now, backed by a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, Rebel Monkey is creating a new film inspired by Silent Hill 2 called A Letter to James.

Check out the Silent Hill: A Letter to James teaser trailer below!

Silent Hill has been a special franchise to its loyal fans since its inception in 1999 on the original PlayStation - and with the release of the Silent Hill 2 remake in 2024, the franchise ushered in a new audience.

For director, producer, and everything in between of Silent Hill: A Letter to James, Stan Puzdriak, his journey with the series began with 2004’s Silent Hill 4: The Room. “I know the combat wasn't the best,” Stan told me during a recent chat. “But I really enjoyed its plot. I was even thinking about making a film based on Silent Hill 4,” he revealed.

“I grew up playing Silent Hill and watched the first movie released in 2006. I may have even watched the Silent Hill movie before I played the game,” Stan recalled. “I know that movie changed a lot from the game it was inspired by, but I really enjoyed it. However, I watched the second movie a few weeks ago, Silent Hill: Revelation, and yeah, that one is really bad. But the CGI is pretty good, at least.”

We all know historically that when it comes to video game adaptations, Hollywood has rarely delivered. Yet, in recent years, it seems that the tide is slowly turning with the likes of Fallout and The Last of Us, not to mention the Sonic the Hedgehog and Detective Pikachu movies.

Rebel Monkey Productions

“The Last of Us and Fallout are really good, and we’re starting to see some good results from big companies that are learning from previous mistakes. It used to feel like production companies just wanted to hire a famous name and make a movie, and not care about its source material. There’s a lot of bureaucracy with huge companies and a lot of people making decisions. That’s one of its biggest problems in Hollywood,” Stan explained.

“However, we can do whatever we want, because we’re creating a fan film. No one can tell me what I can and can’t do but I am listening to the community. Across social media, I can see what fans like and don’t like. I can then apply that fan feedback, especially because Silent Hill: A Letter to James is still in post-production. We have some scenes to film, so we’re able to change things here and there. It’s really cool being able to reach out to our audience.”

I was taken back to how good Silent Hill: A Letter of James looks from its trailer. Its production quality is high, from its camera filters to its acting, audio design, and more. Everything about it captures the tone of the Konami property. The same can also be said for Memory Card and Unfinished Chapter with their respective inspirations.

“When I started working on Unfinished Chapter, its production was nearly finished. I then realised that developer Remedy Entertainment and AMC were already working on its own official Alan Wake TV series,” Stan explained.

Rebel Monkey Productions

“If I had already known this, out of respect I wouldn't have started making Unfinished Chapter. I became very anxious because my initial aim was to impress Sam Lake [the creative director at Remedy Entertainment] and his team. I thought maybe they’d hate me now. But after I released the film, Sam shared it on Twitter, he mentioned my name and said it was a cool project. That made me super happy.”

Looking from the outside in, even when it’s a fan-made project inspired by a property you love, financial costs aside, I can only imagine how stressful it can be wanting to make something that reflects your vision of perfection.

“It’s less stressful from one perspective because I’ve learned from previous projects but on the other hand, it’s stressful because we’re creating something loved by a community that’s getting so much attention,” Stan said. “There are a lot of fans sending messages, sharing our videos and providing feedback. That can bring a lot of pressure and that gives me anxiety.”

Creating any film production is never cheap, and many independent filmmakers rely on finances from their own pocket which is why crowdfunding platforms can be so important as they add a vital boost in bringing a project to reality and hopefully, fulfilling its maximum potential.

“I’ve been able to use a lot of my own money to begin creating a project. It can take about $10,000 to get a project started and to some, that’s a huge amount but for film production, it’s not that big. Most TV commercials can easily cost about $50,000 for something that might be 15 to 30 seconds long. Thankfully, because I direct, produce and edit. I also have my own visual effects team and equipment, it helps to bring down the cost,” Stan explained.

Platforms such as Indiegogo can be vital whether it’s pre or post-production. At the time of writing, the crowdfunding goal for Silent Hill: A Letter to James has exceeded over $7,000 from its intended $5,000 target. Even after a crowdfunding campaign has concluded, new backers can still support a project to help improve visual effects and perhaps contribute towards creating additional scenes.

Stan tells me that he and his crew intend on making two post-credit scenes for Silent Hill: A Letter to James, inspired by alternative endings from Silent Hill 2 and he asked me to guess what they could be. I suggested the UFO and the Dog ending, so I’m looking forward to seeing if I’ve guessed correctly.

Stan intends for the full version of Silent Hill: A Letter to James to be released in April 2025, and I can’t wait to see it.