Vincent Smith


 * This article is for Vincent's role in the games. For his role in the film, see Vincent Cooper.

"What you call "faith" is nothing more than a child crying out for love. That's why you're all alone!
 * —Vincent to Claudia Wolf"

Vincent Smith, called Father Vincent by his followers, is one of the central characters from Silent Hill 3. Although Vincent is a priest of the Order, he takes a rather atypical stance on the subject of God, and is known for his manipulative charisma and quite undefined stance as an ally or enemy with his inquisitive behavior.

Biography
Vincent is a young priest of the Order. He manages its finances and has had a chief hand in building the church. However, Vincent also uses the Order for his own personal benefit. It's also implied that he spends the donations from some followers on himself, something brought to Heather Mason's knowledge if the player examines some documents found within the church, stating a member's concern.

On his first meeting with Heather, he claims to "know everything" about her past, the situation at hand, and the events that happened in Silent Hill 17 years ago. Vincent then mentions Heather's "mother", Dahlia Gillespie, and her adoptive father Harry Mason.

Other than that, not much is known about him or his past, but it can be speculated that Vincent was raised alongside Claudia Wolf. This can be evidenced by the fact that Vincent mentions seeing, possibly as a child, Claudia being abused by her father, Leonard Wolf. He says that Leonard's "cruel" acts have been "burned into [his] mind". Otherwise, he is a rather mysterious character.

Personality
Vincent is described as a "hypocrite behind nice clothes and a neat appearance" by Shingo Yuri, the game's character designer. Vincent is often manipulative, smug, and makes malicious "jokes". He likes to tease Heather by revealing bits of his knowledge, while at the same time unwilling to answer all of her questions and relishing that power. Vincent appears simultaneously manipulative and flirtatious in his encounters with Claudia Wolf and Heather Mason, making stinging personal comments and flippantly joking about his religion and the Otherworld, both of which he is actually serious about.

Despite his rather grating personality, he is quite sane and has a strong interest in helping Heather prevent God from being birthed. Heather has the impression that Vincent is crazy and is on Claudia's side, but her misjudgment of his character serves Vincent well; he wants both Claudia and Heather out of the way.



Vincent may want to kill Heather, as the photo found near him says "Find the Holy One. Kill her?" and he says, "What do I want? Well, for the two of you to die. That would be nice." Whether or not Vincent is referring to Claudia and Heather, or Claudia and God is unknown. It is possible that after Heather killed Claudia and God, he was planning on killing Heather. However, because Vincent dies first, his full motivations are left unclear. As seen when Heather asks if someone else was in the motel room, Vincent claims no one was there, when he was actually speaking to Claudia moments ago, showing that he isn't being entirely honest with Heather and is willing to lie to her.

He is very animated when he talks, frequently gesturing with his hands and moving around as if performing onstage. Vincent seems to be an avid reader, as he is often seen flipping through psychology books and religious texts, which could easily explain his vast vocabulary and stunning knowledge. Vincent has a penchant for sadism, narcissism and materialism, but he believes that he can worship God "in [his] own way". He is rather greedy, and a bit of a coward, in the sense that the thought of putting himself into physical danger frightens him, so he uses Heather as his tool instead. He tells Claudia, "I know about the pleasures of this world. And I want to find my happiness while I'm still here."

Based on Vincent's conversation in the library, it is clear that he dislikes Claudia, calling her a "crazy bitch", "madwoman" and a "demon who claims she can speak for God". However, during his and Claudia's conversation at Jacks Inn, he sounds uncharacteristically sympathetic, perhaps mockingly, toward her abusive childhood. Because of this, it can be speculated that he feels for Claudia and her loneliness, but despises her for her fanaticism.

While he and Claudia both believe in God, they both have drastically different views on what God is, and if She can bring eternal Paradise. For his part, Vincent is grounded in financial concerns and has no intention of creating any paradise. He states that the birth of God would not be "convenient" and too "unpredictable".

Silent Hill 3


Heather first encounters Vincent in the Green Ridge Mental Health Clinic of the Otherworld Hilltop Center, where he is apparently reading. Vincent reveals to Heather that he knows about Harry Mason and Dahlia Gillespie. He claims that he is on Heather's side and not Claudia's, saying that he thinks that she was "totally brainwashed"; via the vehemence in his voice, this is the first time his abhorrence of Claudia becomes apparent to the player. Although he claims to be on Heather's side, his flippant behavior towards the Otherworld makes Heather think otherwise.

After Harry's death, Vincent, through the cooperation of detective Douglas Cartland, urges Heather to go to Leonard Wolf and retrieve the Seal of Metatron, which he mistakenly believes will repel the God. After Heather kills Leonard, Vincent is seen arguing with Claudia in Jacks Inn, on the subject of God. He tries to convince her that her faith and intention to birth God and create paradise are a result of an abusive childhood, revealing that he saw her father abusing her, but Claudia claims that nobody, including Vincent, understands anything. When Heather returns to Jacks Inn, Vincent tells her a supposed message from Douglas that Claudia is at the Chapel, across Toluca Lake.



In the chapel's library, Vincent greets Heather, who is irritated by his appearance. Heather questions why Vincent is helping her and Vincent replies that it's because he truly is on Heather's side. He also reveals that he does not feel like stopping God's birth himself, thinking that its birth would not be "convenient" and may be "unpredictable", although he isn't worried about whether or not Heather is in danger. Heather becomes angered at Vincent for using her and Vincent makes a cruel joke regarding the monsters which for a moment makes Heather think that she was killing human beings. In the end, Heather realizes that she shares the same motive with him. He asks her if she has retrieved the Seal of Metatron from Leonard and once Heather shows it to him, Vincent provides her a book called "Otherworld Laws" which contains important information about it, before leaving.

Later, Vincent is found in the church's core, arguing with Claudia, again, on the subject of God. Claudia starts to threaten Vincent to stay out of her way, and he mockingly and/or jokingly asks her if she is going to kill him otherwise. After Heather interrupts the conversation, Vincent turns from Claudia and orders Heather to kill her with a spiteful "Heather, go ahead and kill this crazy bitch!". This becomes a last straw for Claudia and she takes this opportunity to stab him in the back with a dagger, and Vincent falls to the floor and remains quiet for some time while dying.

Through his breath, Vincent eventually tells Heather to unleash the Seal of Metatron, but his hope is crushed when it is clear the seal has no effect this time, revealed by Claudia. Disappointed to see that Vincent fell for her father's beliefs, Claudia stabs him once more, this time in the chest, and leaves the dagger embedded in him, killing him for good. Upon examining Vincent's body, Heather states that even though she hated Vincent, she notes that his death does not make her happy. Heather also seems to express regret about not being able to save him, thinking "Why couldn't I have stopped Claudia?", implying Heather feels he didn't deserve to die.

Silent Hill: Revelation


Vincent appears in the film Silent Hill: Revelation, played by Kit Harington. Like his game counterpart, the film's version of Vincent is a member of the Order who was raised in the faith but dislikes Claudia's goal to birth God. Vincent is also somewhat of a manipulative coward and lies to Heather.

There are some differences; he does not have the same "greed" aspect to him. Claudia is Vincent's mother as opposed to another cultist. He is younger than his game counterpart and even becomes a love interest for Heather, which is ironic because upon examining his corpse in the game, Heather says she hated him. He also survives the events of the film, whereas he dies in the game. He also inexplicably lacks his glasses. His surname is also "Cooper", although it's possible this is simply a fake surname.

Creator's comment
"His name originates from Vincent Gallo, an actor known for films such as Buffalo '66. The association is suggested by his unshaven look. He isn't cool like his namesake, though."

Quotes

 * "Heather... that's what you're called now, isn't it?"
 * "The name's Vincent. Don't forget it, okay? I'm on your side."
 * "You don't remember? Ah... so Harry didn't tell you anything. I guess he hid the truth to keep you on his side, eh? That figures. He's a pretty sneaky guy." (to Heather, regarding her father.)
 * "I know everything. I know about your past too."
 * "Oh, it gets to me alright. I find it most fascinating." (about the Otherworld)
 * "Not yet. Why not enjoy yourself a bit longer?" (when Heather says she wants out of the Otherworld)
 * "And you think God is going to save you? Ha!" (to Claudia)
 * "I know about the pleasures of this world. And I want to find my happiness while I'm still here."
 * "You hated your father, didn't you? I saw the way he hit you... kicked you... and made you cry. The memory of his cruelty is forever burned into my mind." (to Claudia)
 * "It's a bit far... but closer than Heaven!"
 * "What's wrong, you don't trust me?"
 * "Well now, let's both show our faith by forgetting about this little talk. Okay?
 * "If God wills it, my sister. If God wills it."
 * "Hiya, Heather!"
 * "I told you not to put me in the same category as that madwoman."
 * "It's true we believe in the same God, but I'm quite sane."
 * "It's not uncommon for people to worship the same god and still disagree."
 * "My dirty work? I think we both have our own interests at mind. You hate her too, don't you? You're the only one who can get it done. I don't have powers like you two. Besides, I always hated getting all hot and sweaty. I'm just looking out for myself. Everyone does it."
 * "Don't stand there looking so smug! You're the worst person in this room! You come here and enjoy spilling their blood! And listening to them cry out! You feel excited when you step on them and snuff out their lives!"
 * "Monsters? They looked like monsters to you? Don't worry. It's just a joke!"
 * "But I do believe in Her... in my own way. I fear Her and I adore Her, but I haven't lost my mind like you. You think that this is the work of God? Isn't this all nothing more than your own personal nightmare? Just like Alessa 17 years ago? If this really is the work of God, then I'd say She has pretty lousy taste."
 * "Not that again! Who do you think you are, claiming to know God's will?"
 * "Go home? This church is my home. I built it with my power! The power of money that you view with such scorn! Although, I admit that this atrocious scenery is all yours."
 * "Well, the guest of honor has arrived. Let's get this party started. Heather, go ahead and kill this crazy bitch. This demon who claims to speak for God. The time has come. You can kill her now."
 * "If you feel so guilty about it, why don't you go to Hell!"
 * "Heather, use the seal. Now your stupid dream is over!"

Trivia

 * Early designs of Vincent were based on actor Ethan Hawke.
 * The Book of Lost Memories refers to Vincent as "The Moon", the eighteenth of the Major Arcanas of a Tarot Deck.
 * Vincent slightly mirrors Michael Kaufmann from the first game. Both are considered shady, manipulative, greedy men who disagree with the priestess of the Order (Dahlia, Claudia) about God. Both men seek items that can be used to dispel God (Aglaophotis and, erroneously, the Seal of Metatron). Despite being affiliated with the Order, they try to help the protagonist. At the end of both games, they are killed by a female character who "gets" them from behind (Lisa appears behind Kaufmann, presumably killing him; Claudia backstabs Vincent).
 * It is unknown why Vincent is even in Hilltop Center's mental health clinic in the first place, as it is far from Silent Hill. He has certainly been tracking Heather, but it seems too much of a coincidence for Heather to randomly encounter Vincent in a rather unrelated building. Hilltop Center is next to Heather's apartment, however, so it could be thought that he was tracking Heather to her house, and decided to wait in a nearby building. It could also be thought that the people who run Green Ridge Mental Health clinic are connected to the Order.
 * Vincent makes a cruel joke regarding the monsters which for a moment makes Heather think that she was killing human beings. However, he may have been half-joking, especially considering Leonard Wolf and the Missionary. The Book of Lost Memories suggests the Nurses may be originally human but only refers to the Scrapers as "humanoid monster[s]".
 * After a subsequent cutscene before the final boss fight, Vincent's body has mysteriously disappeared from the room. It is most likely that this is an oversight. It should be noted that in the first Silent Hill, Dahlia Gillespie's corpse also disappeared before the final boss fight.
 * Vincent always appears to have one eye looking directly at the player, and the other eye looking away, which is known as false attention.
 * Vincent's left pupil is larger than the other for unknown reasons. This small detail may be difficult to spot while playing on smaller resolutions.
 * Some conspiracy theorists believe those connected to the occult and dark forces tend to have polygonal or misshaped pupils or irises.﻿ This applies to Vincent, an occultist.
 * Vincent has central heterochromia, with green on the outer rim and brown on the inner rim.
 * Another quite unnerving feature of Vincent is his lack of dental hygiene, as he is noticeably missing several teeth. His remaining teeth seem decayed.
 * Entering the Konami Code while playing through Silent Hill: Origins gives the player the "Codebreaker" costume, which makes Travis Grady look like Vincent. Travis says he once wore it at a Halloween party.
 * According to Silent Hill: Book of Memories, Vincent was researching the Book of Memories before his death.

Silent Hill 3
ვინსენტ სმითი Vincent Vincent Smith Vincent Smith Винсент Смит