Silent Hill is a franchise that has always been held in high regard by fans of the horror genre, well the original trilogy of games anyway, with its eerie streets paving their way into the memories of anyone who has come into contact with them. There can be many arguments as to which the best of the series is, but for the purpose of this piece, I will be examining my, and many others, personal favourite, Silent Hill 2.
A departure from the occult symbolism of its predecessor, Silent Hill 2 focuses on horrors much more human. Delving into the psyche of its main protagonist the game explores various themes of loss, lust, guilt, and regret. First of all, it is important to look at the games main character, as in here lies many of the games truest horror. James Sunderland is epitomised by his blandness, an initially blank canvas from which the horrors of Silent Hill are projected onto. However, much like the empty streets of the dreary town he finds himself in, once delved into deeper the truth of his character slowly begins to unravel.
Drawn to Silent Hill through a letter from his dead wife we warm to James due to his tragic scenario. He appears mild natured and polite, always showing some degree of compassion for those who find themselves lost amongst the thick fog. Although, possibly it is just my thinking, but even here, in conversation, there is a certain oddness to James that leaves me feeling somewhat cold to him. The stilted delivery of his speech adds a degree of uncertainness and dehumanises him to some extent. This may be coincidental, however, from stories around the making of the game the Japanese directors had little grasp of English and simply relied on what sounded good to them. Therefore, the finished product was left with some odd choices in terms of how lines were delivered. Despite this, however, it in many ways works in the games favour lending that same aforementioned strangeness to most of the games cast.
Despite its rampant popularity Silent Hill isn’t typically a game you enjoy for its gameplay. The controls are clunky, and the combat is more than cumbersome. However, here in lies one of the games greatest attributes. Your character is ostensibly human, with James being plucked from normality it is pretty clear he was never going to rid Silent Hill of all its malevolence like a one-man marine core. Starting off the game with a piece of wood perfectly sums up just how unequipped you are for the task that lies ahead. Of course, during the game’s progression, you become well armed with a plethora of weaponry, but it never feels like James has mastered the tools required for survival. Often holding guns and melee weapons with a fair amount of uncertainty he appears completely unsure of how to protect himself in any combat situation.
The greatest string to Silent Hill 2’s proverbial bow is its atmosphere, much like the grey fog that enraptures the town, you are smothered by a suffocating sense of dread that never seems to leave, not even for a minute. Where Resident Evil always had the sanctity of the save room, with its gentle piano accompaniment serving as a reminder to the player that no enemies could enter, Silent Hill 2’s interiors and moments of respite maintain the same foreboding feeling that you are not quite safe. This is evident from the offset; the grungy bathroom James finds himself in at the beginning of the game sets a precedent for the rust infused walls and dank hallways that he will later find himself exploring.
Interestingly enough one of the key influences for Silent Hill is Kindergarten Cop, in theory, a somewhat left-field choice for making a horror game but most reports seem to suggest that it played a huge part in shaping the game’s architecture, most notably the school from Silent Hill 1. However, the makers of Silent Hill have often cited American media as incredibly influential and due to the timeframe of when the first game was released this seems to make sense. Intriguing trivia aside, the western influences are very apparent when playing Silent Hill 2. The disorientating atmosphere of the game is straight out of a David Lynch movie, well known for their warped narratives and bizarre visuals the influence of films like Eraserhead are clear to see. A lot of the fear factor of Silent Hill comes from its relatability. Everyday locations serve as vital areas in the game’s progression, hospitals, apartment buildings, and convenience stores create a sense of familiarity, instilling the player with a fear of the mundane, seeing the horror in places they know all too well.
It also has to be mentioned how magnificent the sound design of Silent Hill 2 is. Every footstep encapsulating the loneliness of this empty town, with long passages of the game somewhat silent the patter of James’ feet quickly becomes the games core soundtrack. Musically the game’s composer, Akira Yamaoka, serves up a masterful musical accompaniment blending genres ranging from rock, noise and industrial. His often-subtle melodies stir up emotions and feelings that perfectly reflect what the characters are going through. The tremolo picked Spanish guitar of the first game’s theme has become probably the most recognisable song from the series, but Silent Hill 2 is packed with pieces both beautiful as they are monstrous.
There’s a clear reason why the track ‘Promise (Reprise)’ was used for the movie adaptation, it’s almost playful piano melody serves as a counterpoint to the troublesome world of Silent Hill. The tracks playfulness could in some ways reflect the naivety of a character such as Laura, a small child also confined within Silent Hill, who seems to explore the town with a much more carefree attitude than James.
With this in mind it’s important to think of how the world of Silent Hill operates. Much like the hellish nature of its landscape, each person’s Silent Hill is different, the monsters all essentially act as depictions of one’s own negative emotions. As the main protagonist, we see James’ vision of Silent Hill, featuring a myriad of different entities that all relate to his own various grievances. Take one fo the games most notable enemies, the nurses, for instance, they are seen as faceless characters only featuring a distorted mouth as a singular defining feature. Their bodies still very much human and in many ways sexualised to some extent. This is a reflection of James’ lust, of which he has felt extremely guilty. During his time spent in a hospital, due to his wife’s illness, James would have been confronted with temptation on multiple occasions, presumably often lusting after the nurses that worked in the hospital. Here this same guilt has been immortalised into something incredibly haunting, making these nurses much more than just a fantastic creature design but an encapsulation of James’ lustful thoughts.
A lot of creatures within this game centre around images of sexuality. The mannequins, for example, are very feminine in their design alongside the many other creatures which feature bare rubber-like flesh. There are also various locations dotted around the map that also conjure up similar feelings of sleaziness. Take the towns resident strip club, Heavens Night, for example.
As he has become the series’ mascot, the true meaning behind Pyramid Head is often lost amongst all the modern day fanservice. In the context of Silent Hill 2, the character serves as an embodiment of James’ deepest guilt, the heaving sword being dragged behind him as a perfect metaphor for the feelings he has encumbered himself with. The other games and films have portrayed the character much differently, using Pyramid Head as someone more akin to Jason Voorhees very much clashes with his original purpose. Whilst he does become somewhat of a recurring bogeyman for James he exists in many ways because James needs him to. Pyramid Head also know as the red pyramid plays the role of James’ personal executioner, a physical embodiment of his own warped sense of self-justice.
One of the manufactured entities from James’ mind, however, is much more human in design. Maria is a character who makes herself known a little while into the game. Her appearance is eerily reminiscent of James’ deceased wife drawing him closer to her and making it all the more tragic when she ultimately faces her demise later in the game. She is arguably a fantasy for James within Silent Hill, a much more sexually provocative and younger version of his wife of whom he presumably wishes still exists and perhaps during her illness longed for.
The burdening feelings of guilt are all made clear when James’ ultimate truth is revealed. With the game being so legendary many people already have prior knowledge of its twist but discovering the true horror of James’ actions still happens to be deeply affecting. Finding out the person you have been playing as for so many hours, in fact, murdered his wife, his reason for coming to this forsaken town, is difficult to take. Despite the journey James has been on initially appearing both noble and tragic here we are left with the same shame and guilt our character suffers with. Many forms of media, especially video games, aim to make the player feel like the hero, the person of unwavering morality ready to save the day from whatever evil stands in the way. However, here we are left looking at a man slumped in his chair realising just what he has done. The reason for him coming to Silent Hill in the first place seems to come from this guilt, almost as if he feels he can atone for his greatest sin. The closing moments of the game showcase perfectly James’ greatest fears and what he has truly been running from all this time. Advancing past the two pyramid heads you are finally confronted by what James is most afraid of, Mary, his wife.
Upon defeating the distorted version of Mary James is given time to ask forgiveness and lay his demons down to rest. From here you are provided with differing endings, all dependent on how you have played the game. The ‘In Water’ ending seems to be regarded by most fans as Silent Hill 2’s true ending. Here James drives his car into Toluca Lake, ending his stay in Silent Hill but also, what we assume, his life.
In terms of the games most common ending, this in most cases tends to be the ‘Leave’ ending, where James and Laura wander out of Silent Hill together whilst we hear the full letter Mary sent to James. This ending can be seen as somewhat of a happy one, although it can be argued that it is not grounded in James’ reality, we can still view it as pleasant when compared to the game’s other finales.
The ‘Maria’ ending is rather specific in its requirement but here we see James disregard his grievances with Mary and decides to move on alongside Maria. Not examining items such as the letter and photograph whilst playing the game makes this ending more likely. As, in gameplay terms, useless items this are forgotten by players who possibly, like James in this scenario, have removed Mary from their memories. However, during this ending Maria begins coughing in the same way Mary did, perhaps showing that history may be doomed to repeat itself.
Ultimately Silent Hill 2 will forever remain ageless due to its perfect blending of atmosphere and deeply compelling narrative. Whilst many aspects of the game have aged poorly, they are not main concerns for anyone who truly appreciates this work of art. The horror of this game sits at the pit of your stomach, leaving you feeling truly emotionally drained upon its completion. Not only are its enemies frightening and its dark fog-soaked areas unsettling, but Silent Hill 2 manages to prey on parts of your psyche that remain with you long after its credits roll.
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Adam Jones Reviews 