A '90s Nightmare: Are 'Kindergarten Cop' And 'Silent Hill' Set In The Same Universe?

Now listen carefully children, hands up if anyone remembers Ivan Reitman's 1990 feel-good kid's film Kindergarten Cop? Of course you do. Featuring tough-guy #ArnoldSchwarzenegger in his plaid suit as he takes on a class of rambunctious children as Det. John Kimble, who could forget it? Well, your fuzzy dose of #90s nostalgia is about to take a turn for the macabre, so don't say we didn't warn you.

Somewhere away from Men in Black and 21 Jump Street sharing a universe, there is an even weirder mashup — pulled from a nightmare of '90s haircuts and Linda Hunt's small-statured principal: Are Kindergarten Cop and the original #SilentHill set in the same school? According to Silent Hill forum user Giromancy, yes, yes they are, and there is a pretty convincing case for it. The story has recently started doing the rounds again on #Reddit, reminding us that this is one nightmare that we can never wake up from!

Certainly Kindergarten Cop was a world of no bathrooms and "toomahs," a school held hostage by a madman with a gun, it definitely sounds like something pulled from the nightmarish depths of Konami's 1999 game. However, Astoria Elementary seems to share a spooky amount of similarities with Silent Hill's Midwich Elementary School, so get out your flashlights, it's about to get dark!

I've Been Here Before

Thanks to Redditor Pixelmasterz for uploading a series of side-by-sides for those naysayers. From educational posters to busted school buses, both with the number seven on them, it is hard not to be creeped out by the similarities. Perhaps Arnie's movie career is also lurking somewhere in the darkness of Silent Hill too? Obviously the developers over at Konami just used a standard American school from a film as reference, but there is something unnerving about the amount of correlations. I'm not sure how Ivan Reitman would feel knowing that his wholesome outing was the basis for one of gaming's most graphic #horror franchises.

From educational posters, right down to the trim around the school entrance, there is almost no denying that Astoria and Silent Hill are the same place. There is also a video from YouTubers Protroller dating back to 2013 that goes into greater detail, including an almost identical layout between the two schools. Creepiest still, the costume that protagonist Harry Mason wears during Silent Hill is uncannily similar to that of John Kimble. Considering that both men are brought to the school of a small town due to a child, both have spunky female cop sidekicks, and both remain in their respective towns after the finale events, Silent Hill vs. Kindergarten Cop is the mashup we never asked for, but strangely all need!

So, released nine years after Arnie's corn-fest, is Silent Hill actually a remake of Kindergarten Cop? Of course not, but if it were to be, Silent Hill would most likely represent a world where we got more and more Kindergarten Cop movies and society crumbled into the bowels of hell. Given the Dolph Lundgren-lead Kindergarten Cop 2, that isn't too hard to imagine. Don't worry though, sit back and enjoy the original Kindergarten Cop trailer, and try not to have too many nightmares!