Director Christopher Gans returns to the haunted town franchise but can’t seem to figure out what to do with itThere’s an admirable loyalty, maybe even poetry, in a film-maker returning to an unpromising, barely-there movie series 20 years after his first crack became a minor hit. The horror film Silent Hill, based on a video game of the same name, has garnered a cult following in the decades since its 2006 release, but it’s not exactly a genre classic nor beloved franchise, with a single little-seen 2012 sequel to its name – until now. Return to Silent Hill brings back the first film’s director Christopher Gans for a new story set in the same ash-strewn ghost town, this one based on the Silent Hill 2 video game. Characters in these movies tend to wander into a place that is obviously haunted or cursed, refusing to leave even after it becomes clear that they should, and only decide to escape after it’s too late. Maybe Gans can relate.Or maybe he’s the only man for the job because no...