This is Halloween: Day 4

For today's post I wanted to do something a little different. If anybody knows me then they also know that I am a huge of fan of Konami's horror video-game franchise, Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a game series which revolves around the titular town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a supernatural place where one's innermost fears are realized and where anyone unlucky enough to wander its fog covered streets might just find themselves trapped within their own personal Hell. So in conjunction with Halloween and one of the eeriest, creepiest, and downright most disturbing intellectual properties around, I wanted to compile a short list of my 10 favorite and most nightmare-inducing creatures from the world of Silent Hill.

Note: this list will contain disturbing images!!

10.) The Larval Stalker - Silent Hill

This thing is just plain weird! It first appears in the elementary school during the first part of the game and its only purpose is to mess with the player's head. Seriously, this thing resembles a shadowy child that just walks around and occasionally trips and falls down. It emits a creepy squeeking sound the entire time before it simply fades away and vanishes. It is perhaps the only Silent Hill denizen that does not attempt to maim you, but that doesn't stop it from freaking you out!

9.) Twin Victim - Silent Hill 4: The Room

This creature is disturbing for obvious reasons. Upon further investigation however, the Twin Victim becomes infinitely more grotesque and abhorrent. This thing is a physical manifestation (within Silent Hill 4's mythology) of two young children who were murdered by the game's primary antagonist, Walter Sullivan. What makes Sullivan even more demonic is the fact that the game essentially consists of his dead soul imprinting itself upon the protaganist's apartment (hence The Room moniker) in which Sullivan used to live (and subsequently sealed himself within the walls of the apartment prior to his suicide). The Twin Victim creature thus is a manifestation of one of Sullivan's more wicked crimes that he committed while alive (a bit confusing but if you're interested in the game's story, just leave a comment and I'll try to clarify).

8.) Scarlet - Silent Hill: Homecoming

Scarlet is a "boss" character in Silent Hill: Homecoming as well as an integral part of the game's plot. Without going into too much detail and thereby spoiling the story, Scarlet begins as an old, burnt porcelain doll. Creepy enough, right? Well, eventually Scarlet the doll emerges from a large pool of blood in the Otherside realm of Silent Hill as a towering porcelain monstrosity. Fighting and defeating Scarlett requires players to first shatter its porcelain "armor" before delivering the final blow. Scarlet is tall, lanky, and pale...and it is a large, living, creepy doll!

Note: the music during this boss fight is extremely creepy!!

7.) Remnant - Silent Hill: Origins

The Remnant creature appears in the Cedar Grove Sanitarium of Silent Hill. You read that right. A large part of the game requires players to explore an abandoned, turn of the century era, insane asylum. The Remnant is fairly easy to dispatch, but its appearance is unsettling as is the noises it makes. Essentially, the Remnant is an old medical brace that was used to restrain patients' heads if they were deemed to violent. This medical brace floats however and if players shine their in-game flashlight on this Silent Hill local, a human-shaped shadow is cast on the walls and floor surrounding the Remnant...regardless of the fact that there is nobody actually wearing the medical brace! Oh, and as for the sounds it makes, just imagine a faint, feminine sobbing sound coming from an old, floating restraint device...at least until the flashlight shines on it, then the Remnant emits a piercing shriek that makes the hair on the back of your neck prickle in fear! 

6.) The One Truth/Wall Men - Silent Hill 4: The Room

This...thing is weird. Again from Silent Hill 4, The One Truth/Wall Men is a creature (or creatures) that serves as a gatekeeper. The gate that it protects is a small door that accesses the inner subconscious of Walter Sullivan. Remember Sullivan? The serial murderer responsible for the #9 entry on this list? Yeah, he's still pretty messed up...I mean, look at this thing! Now, like I said, The One Truth/Wall Men is a creature that guards a serial killer's subconscious. The latter part of the game tasks players with literally going deeper and deeper into a sociopath's mind via a downward, spiraling staircase (if you haven't realized it yet, Silent Hill is heavy on symbollic imagery). Anyway, you face this creature and...you know what? I don't want to talk any more about The One Truth because this picture is creeping me out. Instead, just let it invade your nightmares and explain itself...

5.) Robbie the Rabbit - Silent Hill 3

This is only 1 of 2 entries on this list from Silent Hill 3. The 3rd game in the series is probably my least favorite because it simply rehashes what was learned in the first game of the franchise...it's kind of a lame cop-out, but what it lacks in story and character exposition, it definitely makes up for in creature design and overall creepiness. Robbie isn't necesarrily a creature as he is a mascot of Lakeside Amusement Park on the outskirts of Silent Hill. What else is creepier than a souless, amusement park mascot? Robbie shows up in a few Silent Hill games for the purposes of fan service. I still hate him!

4.) Puppet Nurse - Silent Hill

No Silent Hill entry would be complete without mentioning the Nurse creatures. Appearing in every Silent Hill game, this list will feature the original and most grotesque version of the Nurse. Known as the Puppet Nurse in the first Silent Hill game, this creature is named for the parasitic growth bursting from its back. The growth pulsates and quivers as the Puppet Nurse moves. Carrying a small and deadly scalpel, the Puppet Nurse is definitely creepy. Also, you have to face them in the hospital level of the game and everyone knows how creepy an old hospital can be!

3.) The Man in the Blue Coat aka Walter Sullivan - Silent Hill 4: The Room

Well, here he is. If you've been reading this blog entry then you've seen this freak's name pop up a few times. The most "human" villain in the Silent Hill universe (even if it is by mere appearances only), Walter Sullivan is creepy. At times, he'll be found sitting on a set of stairs talking to a shabby and creepy looking doll. Other times he's chasing you down with a chainsaw and a lead pipe. These are the most normal circumstances under which players will encounter Walter Sullivan. Abnormal encounters with Walter include an old hospital where he is found casually gutting a fresh corpse on an operating table. His influence permeates the entire game and sometimes if you look through the peephole in your apartment door (in-game), Walter will be there staring back at you and grinning.

2. Valtiel - Silent Hill 3

Valtiel is an odd character. Its name is a play on the French word valet which means servant. In Silent Hill 3, Valtiel is only a background creature (meaning, players never interact with it directly) who controls the "shift" to the Otherside in the world of Silent Hill. Some information states that Valtiel is the "servant of god" meaning the "god" in Silent Hill who is actually a demon worshipped by the Cult of Silent Hill. Whatever Valtiel is, it's definitely creepy. Although it never antagonizes the player throughout the game, Valtiel is always nearby doing odd things like turning valves or hanging corpses from the walls (see picture). You may notice that he is similar in appearance to the next and final entry on this list.

1.) Pyramid Head aka Red Pyramid - Silent Hill 2

This creature is the unofficial mascot of the entire Silent Hill series. Pyramid Head is grotesque, brutal, and unstoppable. Pyramid Head takes its name from the strange helmet it wears which was designed as an archaic torture device to be constantly worn for past sins. Other trademarks of Pyramid Head include its butcher's apron and its Great Knife. Yes, the creature also carries around a massive and deadly, sword-like weapon (called the Great Knife). The Great Knife is so massive that Pyramid Head has to drag it behind him as he walks creating a horrific, metallic scraping sound whenever it is nearby. Pyramid Head likes to kill things. Pyramid Head not only stalks the player throughout the game, but it is also encountered in the act of murdering whatever is in its way. Even other Silent Hill creatures have fallen victim to its massive blade.

In Silent Hill lore, the appearance of Pyramid Head takes inspiration from the garb of the town's old executioners. As frightening as Pyramid Head's appearance might be, it pales in comparison to the creature's origin.

The story of Silent Hill 2 follows a man named James Sunderland as he searches the haunted town for his dead wife. You see, Sunderland receives a mysterious letter from his deceased wife telling him that she is waiting for him in Silent Hill. Over the course of the game, Sunderland encounters Pyramid Head multiple times, with each encounter more harrowing than the previous. During the game's finale, players finally discovered that Sunderland himself murdered his wife (who was sick with an incurable disease) out of disgust and self-pity. Driven insane by his heinous act, Sunderland's guilty conscience constructs a fantasy meant to force him to face and take responsibility for his actions. This brings us to Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head is a physical manifestation of Sunderland himself. Pyramid Head is brutal, murderous, and unstoppable which is a reflection of Sunderland's true self. The most frightnening aspect of Pyramid Head is that he is essentially a dark shadow of human nature, human greed, and human selfishness...and much like Sunderland discovered, Pyramid Head can exist within any of us!

Anyway, that's the end of my list and I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into what keeps me awake at night. Sweet dreams!