by Xinhua writer Zhang Yunlong

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- In late January, as China's movie theaters drift through a lull between the New Year and the Spring Festival holidays, two imported psychological horror films -- separated by decades and production contexts -- are landing on the big screen almost back to back.

"Return to Silent Hill," produced by France's Davis Films, opens across China on Jan. 23, marking the first cinematic release of the popular "Silent Hill" video game franchise in this market. It will be followed a week later by Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," the British-American co-production that will screen on the Chinese mainland for the first time.

With few major domestic releases scheduled for late January this year, these consecutive releases are filling a market gap. The timing serves exhibitors seeking to sustain audience interest before the Spring Festival blockbusters arrive in mid-February. By offering two distinct explorations of fear grounded in psychological tension rather than spectacle, they also address a broader demand for diversification.

Kubrick's "The Shining," released in 1980, stages terror as a slow, corrosive process. Set almost entirely inside an isolated mountain hotel, the film charts the mental unraveling of Jack Torrance, a struggling writer whose personal frustrations metastasize into violence. Its horror emerges not through sudden shocks, but through repetition, confinement and emotional estrangement -- long tracking shots through empty corridors, mechanical typing rhythms, and the gradual breakdown of family bonds.

For some contemporary viewers, the film's themes feel unexpectedly current. Jack's creative paralysis and financial stress echo modern anxieties about burnout and professional stagnation, while the hotel's vast, sealed-off spaces are read as metaphors for emotional isolation in an era of constant digital connection. "A classic portrait of modern anxiety," wrote one user on Douban, a review platform, who saw Jack's madness as stemming from the crushing pressure to succeed as both a provider and a creative.

"Return to Silent Hill," by contrast, externalizes psychological trauma through a more visually driven framework. Based on the 2001 video game "Silent Hill 2," the film follows James, a man burdened by guilt and grief as he is drawn to a fog-shrouded town that transforms his inner torment into physical threats.

The film's layered world design, which shifts between a gray, abandoned townscape and a rusted, nightmarish "other world," emphasizes atmosphere over sudden shocks. Dread accumulates through sound design, visual decay and a sense of inevitable confrontation, rather than through jump scares.

From an industry perspective, the two releases point to a cautious yet notable diversification of screen offerings in a market where local horror films have explored a comparatively limited thematic range. While neither film is likely to become a major commercial tentpole -- a view aligned with their modest but focused pre-release interest metrics -- analysts expect "Return to Silent Hill" to benefit from brand recognition and a simultaneous international rollout. "The Shining," long hailed as a classic, is likely to draw a narrower but dedicated audience of cinephiles.

As China remains open to introducing quality films from around the world, observers see a gradual diversification in the types of titles entering its cinemas, with horror demonstrating solid commercial appeal, though not rivaling the market's top-grossing genres. Last year, "Final Destination: Bloodlines" reached Chinese theaters, marking the long-running horror franchise's first release in the market and grossing 202 million yuan (about 29 million U.S. dollars). In 2024, "Alien: Romulus" recorded its largest single-market performance in China, generating 786 million yuan, nearly one-third of its global box office. ■