Monster



Monsters are the main enemies in the Silent Hill series. They are horrid, visually terrifying creatures that are frequently, if not always, trying to kill the protagonist and, sometimes, even each other. However, they may not be hostile at all in some circumstances, such as Valtiel from Silent Hill: Book of Memories, Eileen Head from Silent Hill 4, or the Glutton from Silent Hill 3.

They tend to react to light (such as from a flashlight) and sound. In many (but not all) instances, turning off the flashlight and sneaking by can deter the attraction of monsters.

Origin
Monsters are created when a psyche's conscious, subconscious, or repressed thoughts are manifested by the mysterious power of the town of Silent Hill. Sometimes, someone only needs to have a psyche powered by strong enough emotions or memories (such as trauma, sadness, fear, etc.) to manifest these monsters.

Monsters are often very symbolic, due to the fact that they are manifested from the minds of a major character in the plot, whether it be the protagonist, antagonist, or other characters. The nature and appearance of the monsters are linked to whoever is experiencing the powers of the town.

A guidebook implies that the "Manifestations of Delusions" memo is related to the origins of monsters. It compares monster to "poltergeists" which are "manifested into external energy with physical effects" by "negative emotions like fear, worry or stress".

The monsters may also be the "silent spirits" or "silenced spirits" mentioned in the "Lost Memories" book. By "spirits", the Native Americans that first inhabited the town meant not only their deceased relatives, but also the spirits that they believed inhabited the trees, rocks, and water around them.



However, the exact nature and existence of the creatures is deliberately left to speculation. Such possibilities include that the monsters themselves, particularly the more humanoid ones, are actually sentient: damned souls trapped by the Fog World/Otherworld, owing their violent and bizarre behavior to extreme psychosis and their warped figures to the powers of Silent Hill, which uses them against the living wandering its streets. An example of these supernatural happenings would be if James Sunderland chooses to return to Vachss Road where he killed the first Lying Figure he encountered after leaving Brookhaven Hospital, the path is barred by a length of "CAUTION" tape.

Another possibility includes that the monsters themselves are actually hallucinations that have no actual foundation outside the characters' minds.



In Silent Hill 3, Claudia Wolf mentions that they have come to witness the rebirth of mankind and the arrival of the new paradise. Vincent Smith suggests that they may be something non-monstrous (for example, humans, spirits, angels, gods, beings from other dimensions, manifestations, etc.) that only appear as grotesque monsters to some people, but immediately claims it's a joke to get under Heather Mason's skin. Whether or not Vincent really was joking, or just doing damage control after giving Heather too much information, is up to the player to infer, but monsters who appear to be really people include Leonard Wolf, the Missionary, and Scrapers (as elaborated upon in Silent Hill 3's section below). The Book of Lost Memories also suggests the Nurses may be human in origin.

It is also interesting to note that many of Silent Hill's monsters are very "twitchy" or erratic in their movements as if they're unused to the bodies they are using or are trying to break free of them.

Silent Hill
The monsters in the first entry are manifested from the repressed thoughts of Alessa Gillespie and her fears of her cruel classmates, adults, and large dogs, added to her memories of her insect collection and hospitalization after her burning by her own mother. The Air Screamer monsters were also inspired by Conan Doyle's The Lost World, one of Alessa's favorite books. The creatures are made of living flesh and are bloody in appearance. They also take irregular forms that resemble insects and even humans.

In early concepts for the game, Alessa would have had fear of other animals as well: there are unused models in the game files for monsters based on butterflies, frogs, monkeys, snakes, chickens, and even ostriches and stingrays.

Silent Hill 2
The monsters in the second entry are from James Sunderland's repressed memories of the murder of his wife Mary, his sexual anxiety, and wish to be punished for his crimes; Angela Orosco's suffering due to years of sexual abuse from her own father; and Eddie Dombrowski's murderous thoughts towards everyone that mocked him in the past are all factors which helped to create new monsters and unique Otherworlds. The monsters in this case are all linked to sexual themes, as well as loneliness and guilt.

Silent Hill 3
Heather Mason's thoughts and anxieties are to blame for the creatures in this entry, linking back to her hidden past as Alessa Gillespie. Although the monsters in the first half of the game are not manifested in Silent Hill itself, the Book of Lost Memories states Claudia Wolf's presence is the cause of the monsters and the Otherworld appearing.

It seems that in this installment, some human characters may be perceived as monsters, such as the Missionary, an Order Soldier who Heather sees as a monster due to Claudia's power, and Leonard Wolf, a deranged former Order member and Claudia's abusive father, who could have taken on the form of a monster due to Heather's fear/disgust and/or Claudia's hate.

Also to note is that Valtiel, who the Order refers to as the "attendant" of their god, appears to be created by the town itself instead of Heather's subconscious mind.

Silent Hill 4: The Room
Walter Sullivan's memories of his orphanage's teachings and past fears are recreated as mutated and irregular creatures. Monstrous dogs are present once again, as are mutated humanoids, showing that Sullivan shared Alessa's fear of dogs and people. Past and present victims also are remade as invincible ghosts (with the exception of the Twin Victim) in a more realistic Otherworld.

Silent Hill: Homecoming
Many of the monsters in Silent Hill: Homecoming stem from Alex Shepherd's repressed guilt, feelings of being unwanted, and mental issues. Many of the monsters also pertain to a fate of Alex, or others, or how Alex perceives those around him in a subconscious state.

While these monsters are mostly derived from Alex's mind, four represent individual children in the town of Shepherd's Glen, who were murdered by their parents, with one exception having been accidentally killed by Alex himself. They take on twisted manifestations that are thematic to the way in which they were sacrificed.

Unlike other installments, every single monster seen in Homecoming has its own introductory cutscene. This leads to suspense and while not a first, it is definitely a departure from older games' style of unveiling monsters.

Silent Hill: Origins
The monsters in Silent Hill: Origins are partially created from Travis Grady's loneliness, sexual desires, and possible guilt for running over animals with his truck, coupled with repressed memories about his parents, Richard and Helen Grady. Again, Alessa Gillespie's fears appear as monsters as well, such as Caliban and Ariel, two characters from Shakespeare's The Tempest, which Alessa observed at Artaud Theater.

Silent Hill: The Arcade
Many of the monsters in The Arcade are recycled monsters used from previous titles, from Silent Hill 2 to Silent Hill 4: The Room. There are a few monsters that take on the appearance and characteristics of two monsters, which have been amalgamated to form a hybrid. Due to the nature and pace of the game, many of the monsters are a lot more aggressive, with some displaying new forms of attacks. The majority of the bosses are unique and possess connections to Hanna's projections in relation to her tragedy. This was also the first and only game to adopt Robbie as a form of aggressive enemy.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Raw Shocks are mirroring the thoughts of Cheryl Heather Mason. At the beginning, Raw Shocks are hairless, pale-skinned, humanoid creatures without facial features. Later, there are four possible traits that the Raw Shocks may adopt based on Harry Mason's choices and personality. By the end of the game, it is possible to have two or three of these traits mixed together.

Silent Hill: Downpour
The monsters present in Silent Hill: Downpour reflect the criminal past and inner feelings of revenge and torment Murphy Pendleton and Anne Marie Cunningham harbor. Murphy's vengeful feelings towards Patrick Napier for abusing and killing Murphy's only child manifests themselves with the Bogeyman, and his experiences inside prison come alive as monsters such as the Prisoner Minion and Prisoner Juggernaut. Other monsters revolve around the attacking of Frank Coleridge, such as the Wheelman, which resembles a mutated body confined to a wheelchair, reflecting Frank's condition.

The monsters all symbolize some form of vengeance or reference life in prison in some way, reflecting both Murphy's need for vengeance against Napier for killing his son as well as Anne Cunningham's need to punish Murphy for mistakenly attacking her father.

Other appearances
In the film, Alessa Gillespie's thoughts are projected as gruesome monsters that represent either herself or people she knew. Pyramid Head, known as "Red Pyramid" in the film, also seems to have been created by the girl in this version, to punish the cult that burned her.