Tormented Soul

The Tormented Soul is a passive monster in Silent Hill: Downpour and briefly in Anne's Story. It cannot harm Murphy Pendleton in any way, but it can indirectly kill him by getting in his way while dodging the Void. The creature bears a striking resemblance to the Wall Corpse, indicating that the two may be related.

Appearance
The Tormented Souls resemble mangled, humanoid bodies that are ripped apart and suspended by their own flesh in grated crates. They writhe in torment and agony, but cannot escape by any means. They have a great deal of blood about themselves, which is most likely their own. The creature's face appears to be frozen in a look of terror and great pain.

Character


The Tormented Soul is first seen in the Otherworld version of Devil's Pitstop's diner. After the transition, Murphy is chased by the monstrous, abstract entity known as the Void. Murphy has no choice but to run, so he flees. Along the way, he will see many Tormented Souls in his path. Murphy has the ability to push them over to slow down his pursuer.

Symbolism
While being chased by the Void, Murphy can knock over Tormented Souls to slow down the Void. In this respect, the Tormented Souls represent the innocent people who have indirectly suffered due to Murphy's actions and little regard for others after the death of his son, Charlie Pendleton. In pushing them into the path of the Void, he is essentially sacrificing the defenseless creatures at his own convenience.

The Tormented Souls may also be symbolic of Murphy himself. The creatures are confined within a cage, something that could represent how Murphy felt while incarcerated; trapped with only his own guilt. Murphy shoving them into the Void could also be a metaphor for throwing his past behind, something he clearly holds remorse for (this is most directly touched on during his last meeting with the Nun).

These creatures also seem to appear to JP Sater as well, revealed in Anne's Story. They appear alongside twisted manifestations of the eight children who died when he crashed the Devil's Train, particularly when he articulates to Anne how his nightmares just keep "clawing" away at him until there's nothing left to fight back with, in life rather. This could very much be symbolized by the way the creatures are trapped within their cages, unable to escape his past. It could also symbolize how he felt when the newspaper's lies spread further and further around town. The wounds on these creatures could symbolize how damaged or "clawed away" he feels in his day-to-day life, and their lack of limbs may represent to him how he can no longer fight back his pain. The strips of flesh binding them to their cages may also represent how he feels held down by his guilt, and will never be able to move on again. Their lack of any discernible facial features could also subsequently represent how he feels he may no longer have a true face to show people, his positive identity having been, in his eyes, ruined by the press, everyone now believing he is a pathetic and disgusting creature, much like how the Tormented Souls would initially appear.

Trivia

 * The placeholder model for the Tormented Soul in the early Downpour demo was just a solid, box-like object that Murphy knocked over.
 * Knocking a Tormented Soul in front of the Void does not count as a kill, so players going for the no kills achievement are free to do so while being pursued.

Gallery
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