A college student performed a free stage adaptation of Silent Hill 2 "to create a truly terrifying theatrical experience" without Pyramid Head.

Silent Hill 2 is finally getting a remake, but the original PS2 version remains elusive, and best experienced with original hardware, including CRT displays. Niko Wilkins of Virginia Commonwealth University has created a more ephemeral adaptation of the classic psychological terror story. "Our Special Place" is a non profit stage adaptation that shook audiences for three nights in September.

Wilkins explained via email that the goal of the show was for the audience to have an immersive experience and be put in the mind of James Sunderland, the protagonist. "I've been trying to come up with ideas for a truly terrifying theatrical experience but I couldn't find a story that would fit all my ideas. I was instantly in love with Silent Hill 2 when I played it.

The non-profit Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theater, which is student-led, gave the student director the green light on the project in May. Wilkins then began working on the play's set design. "I spent the entire summer collecting set pieces such as old cupboards, desks, lamps, and a toilet. Once the show started, I handed the set pieces over to my set designers to distress and make more decrepit.

The production sampled the soundtrack of Silent Hill 2 composed by Akira Yamaoka, including White Noiz and Alone in the Town. Wilkins also used sound effects and ambient sounds from Silent Hill 2 in order to convey the game's ambience and provide cues for the actors.

The production did diverge from the story of the game, the most notable being the absence Pyramid Head. This was partly due to a practical concern. "[I] didn't want a gimmicky, cosplayed version of such an iconic figure undermining the plot," said Wilkins. Finding an actor with the right physique was difficult, and the character’s signature headgear was not feasible on the stage.

Wilkins also told me that he wanted to avoid Pyramid Head becoming just another slasher character, and not the vile manifestation of James Sunderland’s psyche. Wilkins explained that part of his removal was to prove that Silent Hill doesn't need [Pyramid Head]. "What better way to do it than to remove him from the story that justifies his very existence?" Wilkins said.

I was delighted to learn that Wilkins considered using Silent Hill 2’s easter-egg dog ending as the play's final scene, but "it wasn't in budget." The play's conclusion was deliberately left ambiguous. Wilkins believes it is closest to the "Leave", ending from the game. Wilkins said, "The show ends as Mary reads her letter to James in a voiceover while James sits alone on the stage." "Once the show is over, James walks off stage." We watch him go, and then it's up the viewer to decide what he does.

Wilkins, speaking of the impact Our Special Place had on audiences, said: "I had become desensitized to it that I forgot people would find it so scary and uncomfortable." "I designed this show to cause some discomfort, but I underestimated the level of discomfort that some people would experience. According to my mom, it left her feeling "emotionally tired" and she was even concerned about [lead actor Danny Villalobos] mental well-being.

Wilkins was most pleased by the number of audience members who said they were inspired to play Silent Hill 2. "If they were able to sit through an entire play designed to make them as horrified as possible and still wanted more, then I felt that I did my best honoring this unique game."