The residents of the 'real Silent Hill' want you to leave them alone

Silent Hill is one of games' most iconic horror brands, having spawned some 14 titles and two visually-faithful, if thematically-insulting, movies. If you're not acquainted, I wrote about the founding heart of the series and why it matters so much to fans here.

Now, Duncan Fyfe brings us a worthy and entertaining longread about Centralia, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town that shares traits with the illogical, fog-belching purgatory of Silent Hill—and that was used as a site for its movies. It's a haunting read, not least because the people of the area had been through quite a lot before their lost town became a gawking site for tourists and graffitos.

Centralia has been on fire for 53 years.

Fyfe's piece is part of the Campo Santo Quarterly Review, a regular journal he (beautifully) writes for Campo Santo, the developers of the upcoming (and exciting) Firewatch.