Lurker

Lurkers are a common monster in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Alex Shepherd first encounters one in his flooded basement, from where his mother had recently left. They are semi-aquatic, found both underwater and on land.

Appearance
Lurkers appear as bald male humanoid monsters with huge sickle-like hook claws, resembling mermen. Their legs are fused together or bound by layers of dead skin, so they drag them uselessly behind them. Their faces are blank save for a huge, vertical maw down the middle of their heads, filled with razor, serrated horrific teeth. Most notably, their wrists are severed and a series of three, sickle-like blades are grafted on to the stubs of their arms. They use their arms to crawl and attack. If one looks closely at the Lurker's arms one can see three small breathing holes on each of the Lurker's arms.

Character


Lurkers have a tendency to crawl out of small hiding places and ambush Alex. They are located in the Silent Hill streets and in flooded buildings, therefore making water a constant risk to enter.

The aggressive monster moves slowly by crawling on their hands, dragging themselves forward. However, they attack with alarming speed. They swipe at Alex with their long claws, and, when at a medium distance from him, lunge out and knock him down. The horrific claws make them exceptionally dangerous, however they lack lengthy stamina. Overall, the swift speed and brute force of their claws can make Lurkers a very treacherous enemy to Alex: their fast speed, deadly attacks and strength all combine to create an effective killing machine.



They are best dealt with at either long range or in melee, to avoid their most devastating attack. The Lurker's head is highly susceptible to heavy attacks; one charged heavy swing from the fire axe will instantly decapitate them.

Symbolism
Lurkers may represent the restraint Alex felt throughout his life and the lack of love from his family. Similarly, it may represent Alex's feelings of incapability when it comes to finding his brother, being restrained or held back by those around him refusing to tell him the truth.

It could also symbolise Alex's intended fate by drowning, and his subsequent avoidance of it. Their legs are tied up, possibly hinting Adam Shepherd planned to tie Alex up and dump him in the lake. On the same note, they could also possibly represent the death of his brother Joshua, as Joshua drowned and Lurkers have an appearance similar to a twisted version of a mermaid. Its claws also highly resemble tools of torture.

It can be theorised that the Lurker relates to Alex's mother Lillian, since it is encountered soon after Alex reunites with her, and that it may represent his disdain, annoyance or resentment towards her for her cold treatment of him. The gross imagery, reminiscent of a vagina, could represent Alex's possible (subconscious) wish that he was never born, or at least, never born into his family. In this sense, the monster could represent Alex's frustration from being unable to escape and "flee" from his family's problems with its tied legs.

Furthermore, similar to the Schism beast, Lurkers hold a more obscure symbolism to being "split"- upon observing a Lurker's chest area, the player can notice that the flesh appears to be sewn together vertically, possibly suggesting that it was once split open. That it is now sewn shut may allude to Alex's repressed memories of how Joshua died.

Their significance can be further expanded upon after obtaining the Kneeling Man Plate, which in the puzzle signifies penitence. If the tablet is examined, the picture displays a kneeling man in prayer whose upper body looks exactly like the Lurker when its body is at its most upright; this could imply that they mainly indicate Alex's regret and need for penitence after what he did to Joshua.

Much like the Lurker, Alex's memories lay hidden just below the surface. When they emerge, they bring with them only pain and suffering.

Trivia

 * Defeating a Lurker for the first time while playing the Xbox 360 version of the game will award the player with the achievement "Lurk no More".
 * If the player decapitates a Lurker with the axe, it is very likely that the monster won't die immediately. It may swipe and even succeed in injuring Alex, or it may pursue him for a few moments and attempt to lunge at him before actually falling dead.
 * It is possible that the humanoid monster that attacks Heather Mason in the asylum featured in Silent Hill: Revelation was influenced by the Lurker; its distorted mouth is also the only feature on its face, and the noise it makes as well as even skin tone are similar to the Lurker.

Silent Hill: Homecoming
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