SILENT HILL: Townfall - Composer Announcement
THE SOUND IN THE STATIC
Screen Burn’s writer and director Jon McKellan here, and I’m excited to bring you some more information on the upcoming SILENT HILL: Townfall! We recently revealed the first full length trailer for the game, and with it you got to see a small slice of what we have been creating. You also got to hear something new too, and that’s what I’m delighted to share with you in more detail today.
When I first met with our composer-to-be, we clicked immediately. A true fan of the games, our first conversations were simply hours of excited discussions about the series’ previous soundtracks and experiences, and what we’d love to do with Townfall. Not only is he an incredibly talented composer, but his experience as a film director and visual artist weaves its way into the soundtrack too, creating the kind of music that manages to evoke visuals as you listen, and magnifying the game experience tenfold.
When the first few demos arrived, it was clear we had finally found our composer, and we’re delighted to hand over to Townfall’s composer Anthony Scott Burns - aka PILOTPRIEST.
INTRODUCING PILOTPRIEST
When I first came across SILENT HILL, I was not only struck by the artistry, mood, and careful construction of emotional tone, I was immediately hit by the fact that this 'game' was actually frightening me. As I continued playing, I rapidly realized how much of the primal terror came from Yamaoka-san's haunting score. His soundscape of warbly ethereal drones, hypnotic melodies, stark industrial percussion, and dirt laden frequencies blended seamlessly with the world on screen. The music didn't just support the experience: it defined it. I found myself both admiring the work, and wondering if I’d ever get close to something that resonant or affecting.
For years, Yamaoka-san's music played in the background as I developed my own film projects, but the dream of contributing to something as potent as SILENT HILL stayed with me. So when I met Jon and the team at Screen Burn, I didn’t hesitate: I told them I needed to score Townfall. Fortunately, they entertained the thought, and there was immediate alignment, a shared understanding, and a mutual love of all the aspects of the franchise that felt 'right' for their chapter.
Crafting this score has been one of the highlights of my life, and the most natural creative collaboration of my career, where decisions have often come from instinct rather than discussions, aligned in tone, intent, and purpose. I have been given the rare opportunity to explore and experiment because our goal has always been unified: to create something emotionally honest, rooted in fear, and entirely true to the spirit of the series.
My hope is that our love of the material, years of distillation, and sincere efforts will carry that weight for the players, and for those who originally created this beautiful nightmare for us to play within. I’m excited for fans to hear more soon, but for now I’ll hand back to Jon!
PULLING IT TOGETHER
As more and more demo tracks of Pilotpriest’s work began to trickle in, they quickly became a soundtrack to the development process itself, often heard blaring from the headphones of developers in the studio while they worked. For me personally, it became the soundtrack to my writing sessions; helping me imagine how scenes might play out, and giving me a sense of pacing and atmosphere before any voice over or mocap was recorded.
The audio experience of SILENT HILL: Townfall doesn’t end with the original score however. Creative sound design is paramount for an engaging horror experience. To handle this, I reached out to an old colleague; an incredibly talented Sound Designer whom I worked with closely for many years on ‘Alien: Isolation’ - Byron Bullock, and his team at Arrival.
Byron’s team became a co-dev partner on the game, handling all aspects of the game’s audio from cutscene, foley and sound effects, through to implementing a fully dynamic score system that evolves as you play; reacting to you and your enemies’ actions to enhance the experience, working closely with Pilotpriest to craft every dynamic stem, loop and stinger.
It’s been great to work with old friends again, and our partnership with Arrival felt like getting the band back together. Bringing Pilotpriest into that fold, we’re very proud of the collaboration, and the experience we’ve created. We can’t wait to show more later this year!