Eileen Galvin

"It's terrible... That poor little boy... His parents just threw him away right after he was born. Poor thing... He really thinks that Room 302 is his mother... I've gotta... I've gotta help him...
 * —Eileen, regarding young Walter Sullivan."

Eileen Galvin is the deuteragonist of Silent Hill 4: The Room. She is Henry Townshend's neighbor, living beside his apartment in Room 303. Eileen lived in Room 303 before Henry's arrival, as she knew Joseph Schreiber until his mysterious disappearance. Although Henry has lived at the South Ashfield Heights apartment building for over two years, Eileen has only a passing familiarity with him. Prior to living in the apartments, she used to live in North Ashfield. She is victim 20 in the 21 Sacraments ritual and given the title "The Mother Reborn".

Personality
Eileen's first speaking appearance suggests that she has an outgoing personality. She is seen preparing for a party, alluding to her extrovert ways and will to enjoy herself. She has a kind and caring personality, and this can be seem numerous times in-game considering her neighbors' friendliness towards her, even from such an unbearable person as Richard Braintree. Eileen seems unnaturally aware of her surroundings and the comings-and-goings of her fellow residents. She is the first to notice that Henry has not left his apartment for some time and called the building's superintendent, Frank Sunderland, asking him to check up on Henry. Later, she questions other residents regarding Henry's background and activities, albeit to no avail.



Eileen also puts the welfare of others before herself. Throughout the game, she voices her sincere compassion for the manifestation of young Walter Sullivan, and even as she lingers on the brink of death, asks the little boy if he found his mother instead of wallowing in her own pain. Her act of giving a homeless Walter Sullivan her doll when she was a child makes her the only one who has ever attempted to comfort and console him. This is in contrast to her fellow neighbors, including Richard Braintree.

She appears to enjoy plush toys, animals presumably, as she has a stuffed toy of the Lakeside Amusement Park's mascot, Robbie the Rabbit, on her bed. This would suggest that like Henry, Eileen has either lived in or visited Silent Hill at some point in her life. She is also very conscientious of the tidiness and cleanliness of her apartment, as she can be seen searching for her broom in one instance. Eileen studied archaeology when she was in college and is able to read Walter's diary, hinting that she is also intellectual and interested in history.

Silent Hill 4: The Room
In Room 302, Henry discovers an incomplete hole that Joseph Schreiber worked on while he was still alive in hopes of escaping. As Henry looks at the wall, Eileen can be frequently watched in her apartment bedroom, Room 303, engaging in numerous activities. The final time she is seen here is just before leaving for a friend's party.



Eileen eventually becomes trapped alongside Henry Townshend in Walter Sullivan's nightmare world and is severely injured by Walter before Henry is able to rescue her. When Henry finally enters Eileen's room, he discovers her on her floor bleeding and beaten to near death with "20/21" carved into her back. Eileen thanks Walter's younger manifestation for intervening with his adult version's assault, asks if he’s found his “mommy,” tells him to leave, and then passes out.

Slipping back into reality momentarily, Eileen is immediately rushed to St. Jerome's Hospital for emergency treatment, and her arm is casted. Eileen survives the attack, unlike all of Walter's other victims, because the younger version of Walter had intervened in the older Walter's attempt on her life.



When she comes to, Eileen finds herself once again caught in Walter's hellish world, with her real physical body being in the real world St. Jerome's. When Henry finds Eileen, she begins to scream and cry because she is so frightened of seeing a man after what Walter did to her. Eileen is initially frightened, but trusts Henry enough to follow him. With the advantage of having Henry to accompany her throughout the ordeal, Eileen travels through Walter's Otherworlds.

In the Otherworld South Ashfield Heights, Eileen leaves Henry behind to look at Walter Sullivan's sketchbook; she flips through the pages, realizing Walter's sad and abusive childhood. When Henry returns to Eileen, who is becoming possessed, she tells him that she has decided to find Walter herself. Henry and Eileen travel to the superintendent's room, where they find Walter's umbilical cord that Frank Sunderland had kept for decades. Depending if Eileen is possessed, partially possessed, or not possessed at all, she will react differently when Henry finds Walter's umbilical cord:




 * If Eileen is not possessed, she will briefly comfort Henry when he falls to the floor in pain due to a severe headache, and calmly tell him that she is going to help little Walter before running off to do so. Henry makes a brief attempt to stop her before quickly giving up as soon as she exits the room.
 * If Eileen is partially possessed, she will not react to Henry falling to the floor. She will tell Henry that she is going to help little Walter, and exit the room by slowly walking backwards.
 * If Eileen is completely possessed during this scene, Henry will fall to the floor in pain, and while he is down, Eileen will begin to ramble, run up to Henry, and beat him on the back while uncontrollably sobbing. She will then rush out of the room before Henry has any chance to stop her.

Entering a portal in Room 302, Henry finds Eileen, possessed, about to walk into a rotating spiked machine because the 21 Sacraments ordered Walter to "separate the Mother Reborn from the flesh.” If Eileen received too many injuries during the game, she will walk faster into the machine, and it may be impossible to save her. If Eileen walks into the machine before Henry is able to save her, she will scream a horrific shriek.

Depending on the ending, if Eileen dies, it would be with the "Mother" theme of murder. Also, her contribution to Walter's world is her purse found at the lobby of the Hospital World. In the "Eileen's Death” ending, Henry discovers that Eileen's physical body had passed away in St. Jerome's via news on the radio. In the 21 Sacraments, the radio announces Eileen's death.



If Eileen survives the final battle, Henry decides to visit her in St. Jerome's Hospital. She receives flowers from him, alluding that their relationship has strengthened over their previous recognition of one another. However, she may comment on returning to South Ashfield Heights in the "Mother" ending if Henry didn't exorcise enough hauntings, which is bad since the apartment is still possessed. In the better "Escape" ending, Eileen says, "Guess I'll have to find a new place to live, huh?"

Gameplay


Eileen follows Henry with a slower pace and slight limp, and must be close to Henry upon entering areas or else she will be left behind. She can not climb ladders or jump down holes, meaning the player must find another route for her. It is impossible for Eileen to die, excluding the final battle.

Although badly injured and frightened, Eileen can assist Henry during combat. She cannot use Henry's weapons. She can initially attack opponents with her weak and short-ranged handbag, but Henry is able to locate and provide Eileen with larger and more dangerous bludgeoning weapons such as a riding crop, chain, nightstick, and even a submachine gun. However, Eileen's possessed state will increase if she wields the submachine gun.

As the game progresses, it becomes evident that Eileen is being slowly possessed by Walter, presumably so that he may better control her due to the integral role she plays as the pivotal sacrifice in the 21 Sacraments ritual. When Eileen takes heavy or constant damage during or throughout battle, she will be strongly influenced and controlled by this force. This will become evident when her speech pattern reverts to an almost infant-like manner, for example, "I'm scawed!" and asking Henry where her mommy and daddy are. She may also begin to speak in gibberish/tongues, stare at Henry and cryptically recite the occultist teachings of the Order such as, "And God said, thou must return to the wellspring of sin... separate from the flesh too, she who is the Mother Reborn and he who is the final Receiver of Wisdom." Eventually, she will no longer render assistance to Henry and will simply stand close by.



If Eileen is strongly possessed or injured, indicated by a blood-colored aura covering large portions of her skin, she may occasionally drop and fall to her knees. She may also violently shake and standing too close to her during this time has the same health-draining effect as being in the same vicinity as a Ghost. If damage continues to occur, Eileen will begin attacking herself with whatever weapon she happens to be carrying at the time. However, Eileen can be temporarily healed by using holy candles, and the amount of candles used will affect how fast she will heal. When Eileen is healed, the blood covered aura around her body will slowly disappear.

The more damage Eileen takes until the final battle, the faster she will walk towards the Death Machine, increasing the chances of getting a "bad" ending. If the player wants to achieve a "good" ending, it is recommended they protect Eileen from enemies at all costs, have her avoid battle, and simply don't give her any weapon (if Eileen is equipped with a weapon, she has a tendency to attack everything and put herself in harm's way). The player can also leave Eileen in safe rooms with no enemies by climbing down ladders, jumping down holes (in the Water Prison) or by running away from Eileen fast enough so that she isn't present in the next room; this allows the player to explore the level without the possibility of Eileen being attacked.

Some strategy guides suggest using holy candles to heal her as soon as she becomes more possessed, but it is unknown if this actually "reduces" her level of possession during the eventual final boss battle. If Eileen is healed with a holy candle, she walks faster and is less likely to receive damage from monsters, so it could be viewed in this sense. However, it is best to protect Eileen at all times instead of relying on holy candles to heal her.

Peephole


Eileen's bedroom can be examined at any time while Henry is in his own. Whenever Eileen is present in the room, she can be observed doing various activities. These include:
 * Searching for a broom, which is located just by the peephole, then leaving Henry's vision to go sweep.
 * Laughing and clapping her knees at a comedy on her TV.
 * Acting repulsed and horrified by a show on TV.
 * Sleeping or relaxing.
 * Looking towards her window and watching an ambulance drive away with the deceased Cynthia Velasquez.
 * Reading.
 * After the Subway World, she is talking on the phone with a friend regarding a party.
 * Shaving her armpits.
 * Stretching.
 * On the phone talking to a friend about the party. Eileen says, "Really? That many people? You sure you can handle it? Oh, really? Huh? Oh, no problem. I better start getting ready soon. I told you, no problem, I'll be there. What? Oh, that. Yeah, you're telling me. I really wanna find another place soon. There's just, I dunno, something about this place."
 * Following the Building World, she will be wearing a purple dress and preparing to leave for the party.
 * Painting her nails.
 * Sometimes Eileen will be observing the wall suspiciously from a distance, but only for a few moments before returning to her previous activity. However, on rare occasions, she may gasp and flee the room.

Another Crimson Tome


About 18 years ago...

There was a young homeless man lying with his shabby sleeping bag in the passage of the South Ashfield Station when along came a child about 5 years old. She was walking and holding her mother's hand. The child wore very cute clothes. She had such beautiful eyes.

"Eileen, don't look at him..." whispered her mother.

"Why not, mommy?" said Eileen. She shook off her mother's hand, and came closer to the man lying down. "Why are you sleeping here? Aren't you cold?" said Eileen.

He was puzzled by her talking to him. He had never seen her before.

"Eileen! Don't talk to him!" said her mother.

"Mommy, he's cold here. Can't you see that?" And she took a doll out of her bag and put it beside him. "You can sleep with her." said Eileen.

"Eileen, let's go home. It's Daddy's birthday today. You know that. Daddy is waiting for you." said her mother.

"Okay, Mommy...bye-bye!" said Eileen and they were gone.

The young man looked at the child's and mother's back, holding the doll she gave him. They looked very happy. This made him cry and he could not stop tears from running.

"Mommy, do you think he'll like it?" said Eileen.

"Of course he will. He will love it because you chose it." replied her mother.

Quotes

 * "Hope my luck changes before the party."
 * "Hey kid... Thanks... Did you find your mommy...? This place... it's dangerous... You need... Hurry and get out of here..."
 * "I'm sorry I didn't believe you... I guess there's something wrong with me... I just feel so scared..."
 * "I can't stay here by myself! I'll be cursed... I know it. What am I gonna do!?"
 * "The boy that helped me... I wonder if he's okay."
 * "This must be what Hell is like..."
 * "Please... don't leave me alone!"
 * "And God said, thou must return to the wellspring of sin..." (possessed by Walter)
 * "And God said, separate from the flesh too, she who is the Mother Reborn and he who is the final Receiver of Wisdom..." (possessed by Walter)
 * "Considering the circumstances, I guess we're doing pretty good, huh?"
 * "I'm in too much pain for it to be a dream! Plus I can see you so clearly."
 * "That man with the coat... something about him isn't right."
 * "This is our apartment building, but... now it looks like some kind of nightmare."
 * "Oh, my head hurts... Th-That boy... he's coming in... His pain... I feel it... Oh, it hurts... That boy... He really thinks that Room 302 is his mother... Oh, my head... Oh... oh god. I've got to help him..."
 * "It's Walter... He's crying... Even finishing the 21 Sacraments... It won't help that boy... I'm going back, Henry... To the room where he is... We're the only ones... The only ones that can stop him."
 * "That boy... I feel so sorry for him."
 * "Daddy...? Where are you...? Where did you go...? Mommy...? Mommy! Why...? Why won't you wake up...? H-Henry...? Ah, my head... Mommy..."
 * "Daddy...? Mommy...? Why did you leave me? I'm scared... I'm so scared... It's dark, and I'm so scared..."
 * "Thanks. Guess I'll have to find a new place to live, huh?"

Trivia



 * In St. Jerome's Hospital, Henry may discover a giant manifestation of Eileen's head at the end of a long room. Its eyes follow Henry and twitch left and right, while her face doesn't move. It appears to float in the air as it does not have any neck. The head also makes sounds of heavy, occasionally even erotic breathing. Henry cannot examine or damage the head; however, if the head is tasered, the eyes flash. When Henry rescues Eileen, the head still remains in the room. Its eyes follow Henry and not Eileen, and Eileen does not comment on it. This may be a manifestation exclusive to Henry, symbolizing his voyeuristic observations of Eileen through the peephole.
 * A major glitch in Building World (2nd time) allows the player to skip the four reminiscences quest. It requires putting Eileen near a wall, running into her, and then running quickly into an elevator, leaving her behind. After heading in the direction of the wheelchair room area, Eileen will come and follow Henry, having apparently walked through the fence.
 * There is a random and rare chance Eileen will sneeze.
 * Another glitch allows the player to put Eileen's weapon in the box, freeing up an inventory slot. To do this, the player must press right on the d-pad and X at the same time. This is confirmed to work in the NTSC-U North American PlayStation 2 version and the PAL PC version - it is unknown if it works in the other versions.
 * Multiple times in-game, Eileen will express her care for Henry. For instance, if he ceases to walk for a few moments (especially if he is breathing heavily), she may inquire, "Are you okay?" As well, if Henry is killed, Eileen will fall to her knees and reach her arm out towards Henry's body.
 * An alternate costume is available for Eileen: the nurse uniform. In order to unlock it, the player must complete the game once. Then on a "Brand-new Fear" game, the player must obtain the "Escape" or "Mother" ending where Eileen survives the final battle. This unlocks the nurse uniform item which can be found on a chair in the living room of Room 303 (Eileen's apartment room) during the Apartment World, 2nd time. On the next "Brand-new Fear" game, the player must find the nurse uniform and keep Eileen alive during the final battle again (with the uniform in Henry's inventory as he defeats Walter). When starting the next "Brand-new Fear" game, the player will be prompted as to which Eileen costume they would like to use; select "Nurse". Eileen will not wear it until the Apartment World, 1st time. This costume also features breast jiggle physics. This mechanic also occurs with Cynthia Velasquez when her alternate costume is unlocked.
 * Eileen is the first character in the main series who can help the player in battle.
 * A "Mr. Galvin" is the manager of the store where Derek Copeland works, although it is unknown if he is related to Eileen.
 * Eileen's room contains two references to Silent Hill 3. The first is a painting of squares found in the Gallery of Fine Arts. The second is an orange skirt found in Boutique Marguerite.