Inspirational works of Silent Hill

Inspirational works of Silent Hill archives the known works that have inspired the Silent Hill series, revealed in official materials (such as Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle) or through interviews and statements from project staff.

This list includes all known inspirations for the main canon of games, as well as separate universes such as the Silent Hill film.

Speculated sources without citations are not included. Likewise, works inspired by the Silent Hill franchise are absent as well.

Literature
A list of books confirmed to have inspired the series.

Fiction/Non-fiction

 * The Box Man (1973) by Kōbō Abe: Inspired the dangling legs symbolic of Cheryl Mason and Alessa Gillespie in Silent Hill 3's chapel; confirmed by artist Masahiro Ito.


 * Works by Masako Bandō: Inspired the oppressive atmosphere of the games.
 * Shikoku (1996)
 * Inugami (1996)


 * Works by Robert Bloch:
 * Psycho (1959)
 * Strange Eons (1978)


 * Works by Ray Bradbury:
 * The Martian Chronicles (1950)
 * Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
 * Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962) : Possibly referenced with the "GMR" shirt in Silent Hill 3.


 * Works by Jonathan Carroll:
 * The Land of Laughs (1980)
 * After Silence (1993)


 * Works by Michael Crichton:
 * The Andromeda Strain (1969)
 * Jurassic Park (1990)
 * The Lost World (1995): Possibly referenced with the My Flying Lizard memento in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.


 * No Language But a Cry (1970) by Dr. Richard Anthony D'Ambrosio: Inspired the creation of Laura. She shares her name with the main character.


 * Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Basis for the basic storyline of Silent Hill 2.


 * The Lost World (1912) by Arthur Conan Doyle: A favorite book of Alessa's. Inspired the creation of the Air Screamer. Referenced with the My Flying Lizard memento in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.


 * Works by James Ellroy:
 * The Black Dahlia (1987)
 * L.A. Confidential (1990)


 * Works by Jack Finney:
 * The Body Snatchers (1955)
 * I Love Galesburg in the Springtime (1963)
 * The Woodrow Wilson Dime (1968)
 * From Time to Time (1995)


 * Works by Thomas Harris:
 * The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
 * Other Dr. Hannibal Lecter novels


 * A Moveable Feast (1964) by Ernest Hemingway: There is a building named after the book in Central Silent Hill. Also referenced with the A Moveable Feast memento in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.


 * Works by William Katz:
 * Surprise Party (1984)
 * Facemaker (1988)


 * One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) by Ken Kesey: Listed as an inspiration for Silent Hill: Downpour. Murphy Pendleton's name is an allusion to fictional character Randle McMurphy, a convict who was transferred to a mental hospital from a prison work camp in Pendleton, Oregon.


 * Works by Stephen King:
 * Carrie (1974)
 * The Shining (1977)
 * The Mist (1980)
 * The Running Man (1982) (as Richard Bachman)
 * Pet Sematary (1983)
 * Thinner (1984) (as Richard Bachman)
 * Misery (1987): Unused storefront in Silent Hill.
 * Other novels


 * Works by Dean R. Koontz:
 * The Face of Fear (1977) (as Brian Coffey)
 * The Vision (1977)
 * The Voice of the Night (1980) (as Brian Coffey)
 * Phantoms (1983)
 * The Door to December (1985) (as Richard Paige)
 * Watchers (1987)
 * Hideaway (1992)
 * Mr. Murder (1993)
 * Other novels


 * Works by Ira Levin:
 * Rosemary's Baby (1967)
 * The Boys from Brazil (1976)


 * Works by David L. Lindsey:
 * A Cold Mind (1983)
 * Other Stuart Haydon novels


 * The Call of Cthulhu (1928) by H. P. Lovecraft: Listed as an inspiration for Silent Hill: Downpour.


 * Works by David Lozell Martin:
 * Lie to Me (1990)
 * Cul-de-Sac (1997)


 * Works by Richard Matheson:
 * Hell House (1971)
 * Duel (1971)
 * Where There's a Will (1980) (with Richard Christian Matheson)


 * Works by Richard Christian Matheson:
 * Where There's a Will (1980) (with Richard Matheson)
 * Mr. Right (1984)


 * Works by Robert R. McCammon
 * Swan Song (1987)
 * Stinger (1988)
 * Mine (1990)


 * Works by Ronald Munson:
 * Fan Mail (1993)
 * Night Vision (1995)


 * Coin Locker Babies (1980) by Ryu Murakami: Inspired the plot of Silent Hill 4: The Room; confirmed by Chief Designer Masashi Tsuboyama.


 * Works by Robert Nathan:
 * Portrait of Jennie (1940)
 * Long After Summer (1948)
 * The Adventures of Tapiola (1950)


 * Works by Richard Neely:
 * The Plastic Nightmare (1971)
 * Madness of the Heart (1977)


 * Works by Kit Reed:
 * Gone (1992) (as Kit Craig)
 * Other psychological thrillers


 * Works by Ruth Rendell:
 * Simisola (1994)
 * Other Inspector Wexford novels


 * The Name is Malone (1958) by Craig Rice


 * Works by Carl Sagan:
 * Cosmos (1980)
 * Contact (1985)
 * The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995)


 * Works by Lawrence Sanders:
 * The Anderson Tapes (1970)
 * Other Deadly Sin novels


 * Works by John Sandford:
 * Rules of Prey (1989)
 * Sudden Prey (1996)
 * Other Prey novels


 * Works by John Saul:
 * Creature (1989)
 * Guardian (1993)


 * Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley: Referenced with The Modern Prometheus memento in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.


 * Works by Dan Simmons:
 * Song of Kali (1985)
 * Carrion Comfort (1989)
 * Hyperion (1989)
 * Summer of Night (1991)


 * Flood (1985) by Andrew Vachss


 * Works by Colin Wilson:
 * The Outsider (1956)
 * The Occult: A History (1971)
 * The Space Vampires (1976)
 * Encyclopedia of Murder (1961) (with Patricia Pitman)


 * Works by David Wiltse:
 * Prayer for the Dead (1991)
 * Home Again (1986)


 * Tōno Monogatari (1910) by Kunio Yanagita: Inspired folk traditions of Silent Hill.

Children's books
Notable fables/fairytales that inspired the series.
 * Works by Hans Christian Andersen:
 * Thumbelina (1835): Featured as a static music box in the Music Box Puzzle in Silent Hill 2.
 * The Little Mermaid (1837): Inspired symbolism in the series. Referenced in the Music Box Puzzle and featured as the "Little Mermaid" Music Box in Silent Hill 2.


 * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum: Inspired symbolism in the series. The three Keys for Eclipse in Silent Hill are named after Dorothy Gale's companions in the tale. Alessa has a copy of the book in her bedroom.


 * Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (as Lewis Carroll): Inspired symbolism in the series. The four plates found for the Colored Plates Puzzle in Silent Hill are based on characters from the tale. Alessa has a copy of the book in her bedroom. Nora Holloway is a fan of the book and likes the Caterpillar. Referenced with the Wonderland Burger restaurant in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.


 * Works by the Brothers Grimm:
 * Rapunzel (1812): Featured as a static music box in the Music Box Puzzle in Silent Hill 2.
 * Cinderella (1812): Inspired symbolism in the series. Appears as a part of the Marchen Travel Puzzle in Lakeside Amusement Park in Silent Hill 3. Referenced in the Music Box Puzzle and featured as the "Cinderella" Music Box in Silent Hill 2.
 * Snow White (1812): Inspired symbolism in the series. Appears as a part of the Marchen Travel Puzzle in Lakeside Amusement Park in Silent Hill 3. Referenced in the Music Box Puzzle and featured as the "Snow White" Music Box in Silent Hill 2. Referenced with the "Sno-White" dental product advertised in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Comics

 * Works by Junji Ito:
 * Horror Manga Collection (Volume 11): The Town Without Streets (1998)
 * Other works


 * Works by Daijiro Morohoshi: Inspired the concept of the Otherworld.
 * Shiori and Shimiko's Incident Involving a Freshly Severed Head (1996)
 * Other works

Theatre plays

 * Works by William Shakespeare:
 * Comedies
 * Twelfth Night (~1601–02): Referenced in the PC Password puzzle in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
 * The Tempest (~1610–11): Referenced heavily during the Artaud Theater section in Silent Hill: Origins.
 * Tragedies
 * Romeo and Juliet (~1591–1595): Referenced in the Shakespeare Anthology Puzzle and featured as one of the Shakespeare Anthology Books in Silent Hill 3. Inspired symbolism in the series.
 * The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (~1599–1602): Referenced in the Shakespeare Anthology Puzzle and featured as one of the Shakespeare Anthology Books in Silent Hill 3. Inspired symbolism in the series. Referenced with the Infinite Jest memento in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
 * The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (~1603): Referenced in the Shakespeare Anthology Puzzle and featured as one of the Shakespeare Anthology Books in Silent Hill 3. Inspired symbolism in the series. Possibly influenced the Two-Back enemy in Silent Hill: Origins.
 * King Lear (~1605–1606): Referenced in the Shakespeare Anthology Puzzle and featured as one of the Shakespeare Anthology Books in Silent Hill 3.
 * Macbeth (~1606): Referenced in the Shakespeare Anthology Puzzle and featured as one of the Shakespeare Anthology Books in Silent Hill 3. Possibly referenced with the "GMR" shirt in Silent Hill 3.

Film
A list of movies and TV shows confirmed to have inspired the series.


 * Works by Dario Argento:
 * Suspiria (1977): Listed as an inspiration for Silent Hill: Downpour.
 * Inferno (1980): The Kazanian Antiques store is recreated as Kazanian Jewelry in the Silent Hill Town Center.
 * Demons (1985) (directed by Lamberto Bava): The Metropol theater from the film was recreated in Old Silent Hill.


 * Works by David Cronenberg: Inspired themes in Silent Hill 2.


 * Works by David Fincher: Inspired themes in Silent Hill 2.


 * The Wizard of Oz (1939), directed by Victor Fleming: Lisa Garland's character was inspired by Dorothy from the film, a girl lost in a strange world.


 * Works by David Lynch:
 * Eraserhead (1977): A film depicting a man's descent into madness after his girlfriend gives birth to a grossly deformed child.
 * Dune (1984): A sci-fi film set on a desert planet with remarkable visual effects.
 * Blue Velvet (1986): A film about the events a man is involved with after finding a severed ear by chance. Inspired the closet scene in Wood Side Apartments in Silent Hill 2.
 * Lost Highway (1997): A psychological horror film involving VHS tapes.
 * Other works


 * Jacob's Ladder (1990), directed by Adrian Lyne: Inspired themes in the Silent Hill franchise. A favorite of Akihiro Imamura's. The film has many settings in common with Silent Hill, such as the hospital and subway. In the first game, Harry Mason dies and everything was just a hallucination in the "bad ending". Additionally, the same anti-drug poster from Jacob's Ladder can be found in the first game's texture files. In the second game, James Sunderland shares the initials of Jacob Singer and his jacket is very similar to Jacob's U.S. Army jacket. There is also a "Lyne House Key" which refers to Adrian Lyne, director of Jacob's Ladder. In the third game, Heather Mason must find the Bergen Street platform. There is a scene of Jacob, strapped to a gurney, going down a nightmarish hospital hall that is reminiscent of the scene in which James is wheeled through a hall on a gurney in Brookhaven Hospital. Among other things, the "twitch" that many monsters do with their heads, one example being Valtiel, was inspired by the film. The hospital scene in the movie depicts a bicycle's wheel turning by itself, similar to a wheelchair seen in Brookhaven's basement by Heather or the wheelchair Harry sees in the alley in the first game. A few moments later, a humanoid is seen in a sort of frame/box, which has also been seen in the series, such as the corpses in Pyramid Head's lair in the Labyrinth, and around bosses such as Mary and Abstract Daddy.


 * Stanley Kubrick: Full Metal Jacket, Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining — In Lolita, the car driving through the fog in the beginning is reminiscent of the opening from the first game. When development first began on Silent Hill, Harry Mason was given the name "Humbert Mason" because of his role as the doting, dutiful father, which was referenced from Lolita. There are many nods in the Silent Hill games to The Shining, such as "Redrum" in Silent Hill and posters in Silent Hill 2.


 * Alejandro Jodorowsky: El Topo, The Holy Mountain and Santa Sangre — In Santa Sangre, the protagonist's mother, who is a devotee of a cult religion following a female saint, was also a model for Claudia Wolf. There is a church with paintings detailing the saint's life, much like the chapel paintings in Silent Hill 3. The end area with the bodies in Silent Hill 4: The Room is very similar to the scene with people from various planets in The Holy Mountain.


 * Terry Gilliam: 12 Monkeys — A sign reads "floor 1" in the lobby of the Otherworld Midwich Elementary School in the first game. Also FAA sign on Simmons street in Central Silent Hill.




 * Alice — The scene where Alice descends in an elevator is similar to Heather descending in an elevator to the Otherworld. The scene where Alice tries to open the drawer is also similar to when Heather uses the screwdriver to open the drawer in the Hilltop Center. Among other things, the canned lightbulbs from Silent Hill 2 were influenced by this film.


 * Betty Blue — Likely inspired the scene in Silent Hill 2 where James smothers Mary with a pillow.


 * The Exorcist III — Various aspects of this movie such as imagery and direction have been referenced since the first game. "What a wonderfull world" can also be seen in the third game, just before Heather passes by Valtiel in the hospital on a wall.


 * Event Horizon — Members of a rescue team board the ship and have hallucinations based on emotional wounds from their pasts. Also likely inspired the Death Machine.


 * The Cell — The Cell depicts the realm of the mind of a macabre killer with surreal and abstract surroundings. This bears a strong similarity to how Henry Townshend travels through Walter Sullivan's Otherworlds in Silent Hill 4: The Room.


 * Solaris — A man is forced to deal with the memory of his deceased wife when a mysterious presence on a newly-discovered planet begins to generate hallucinations and imagery based on his deepest thoughts.


 * Fantasma d'amore — A man is convinced his old lover is still alive and continuously chases after her spectre through the dark foggy streets. She appears to him in two versions; a sexy and gorgeous woman and a haggard sickly wretch. In the end, he learns her ghost came back for retribution and closure. In a couple of scenes, Romy Schneider wears a hairstyle similar to Mary's and towards the end of the film, the main character rows a boat in a large fog-covered lake.


 * Gokumon-to


 * Kindergarten Cop — Midwich Elementary School appears to have been modeled after the Astoria school in the film. In addition to the exterior, many posters on the walls are taken directly from the film, such as the white dog poster. The reception area, along with the calendar and blue and white poster, is the same, as well as the cabinet in the infirmary.


 * The Walking Dead — Cited as an inspiration for Downpour.


 * Chris Cunningham: Rubber Johnny — Cited as an inspiration for Downpour.


 * The Shawshank Redemption — Cited as an inspiration for Downpour.


 * The Fugitive — Cited as an inspiration for Downpour.


 * Angel Heart — Imagery of fans is used in the Otherworld.

Television

 * Alfred Hitchcock Presents (aka "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour") (1955-1965), hosted by Alfred Hitchcock: Director Christophe Gans lists this as an influence in the opening sequences of the Silent Hill film. He likens the story of Rose Da Silva leaving home and being isolated to themes seen in the show, as well as pointing out themes involving small towns and protagonists who must flee from police officers. In particular, Gans had Alfred Hitchcock Presents in mind when he filmed scenes of Rose arguing with her husband at Smitty's.


 * It (1990), directed by Tommy Lee Wallace: Adaptation of Stephen King's novel by the same name. Recommended by Masahiro Ito.

Art

 * Hieronymus Bosch — Influenced the hellish Otherworld and the Insane Cancer.
 * Rembrandt — Cited as an art style influential inspiration for Silent Hill 2.
 * Pieter Brueghel
 * Francis Bacon — One painting of Francis Bacon's seems to have been used in the Labyrinth of Silent Hill 2. Another painting, titled Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, inspired monster mouths like the Mandarin, Flesh Lip, and Closer.
 * Salvador Dalí — Known for his surrealism.
 * Andrew Wyeth — The design of the Gillespie House was inspired by Andrew Wyeth's 1948 painting Christina's World. The house in the painting is based on the Olson House, which is located in Maine. The town of Silent Hill is also located in Maine.

Locations

 * Centralia, Pennsylvania — Inspired Silent Hill, West Virginia (not the game version).
 * San Bruno, California — Inspired South Vale in Silent Hill 2.

People
People who have inspired aspects of the series.

Character names
People who influenced the names of characters in the series.


 * Asia Argento: Italian actress. Daughter of Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi. Inspiration for Alessa Gillespie's scrapped name, Asia.
 * Joseph Barnett: "Jack the Ripper" suspect. Inspired James Sunderland's first name.
 * Laurie "Bambi" Bembenek: Inspired Cybil Bennett's last name.
 * Sibyl Buck: Inspired Cybil Bennett's first name.
 * Claudia Cardinale: Inspired Claudia Wolf's first name.
 * Sybil Danning: Inspired Cybil Bennett's first name.
 * Douglas Fairbanks: Inspired Douglas Cartland's first name.
 * Vincent Gallo: Inspired Vincent's first name.
 * Judy Garland: American actress, singer. Inspired the creation of Lisa Garland, particularly her last name. Also struggled with drug addiction during the course of her ill-fated career.
 * Michael Herz: American producer. Co-founder of Troma Entertainment. Inspired Michael Kaufmann's first name.
 * Lloyd Kaufman: American producer. Co-founder of Troma Entertainment. Inspired Michael Kaufmann's last name.
 * Mary Jane Kelly: Victim of "Jack the Ripper". Inspired Mary Shepherd-Sunderland's first name.
 * Sheryl Lee: Actress in Twin Peaks. Inspired Cheryl Mason's first name.
 * Thurston Moore: Member of Sonic Youth. Inspired the name of Midwich Elementary School staff.
 * Heather Morris: Voice actress for Heather Mason in Silent Hill 3. Inspired Heather Mason's first name.
 * Eddie Murphy: Inspired Eddie Dоmbrоwski's first name, as well as his scrapped personality type.
 * Daria Nicolodi: Italian actress, writer. Ex-wife of Dario Argento and mother of Asia Argento. Inspired Dahlia Gillespie's first name.

Character designs
People whose likeness inspired character designs.


 * Charlotte Gainsbourg: Inspiration for rough sketches of Heather Mason.
 * Giancarlo Giannini: Inspiration for rough sketches of Douglas Cartland.
 * Ethan Hawke: Inspiration for rough sketches of Vincent.
 * Ian Holm: Actor in the film Alien. Inspiration for rough sketches of Douglas Cartland.
 * Julianne Moore: Inspiration for rough sketches of Claudia Wolf.
 * Vanessa Paradis: Inspiration for rough sketches of Heather Mason.

Other names
People who inspired the names of locations, streets, products, etc.


 * Ernest Hemingway: Referenced by name in the Born from a Wish scenario in Silent Hill 2. Likely inspired the name of the "Hemingway" brand cigarettes in Origins, Shattered Memories and Downpour.

Streets

 * Silent Hill (North)
 * Old Silent Hill:
 * Jack Finney: Finney Street.
 * Richard Matheson: Matheson Street.
 * Richard Christian Matheson: Matheson Street.
 * Robert Bloch: Bloch Street.
 * Ray Bradbury: Bradbury Street.
 * Ira Levin: Levin Street.
 * Richard Bachman (pen name for Stephen King): Bachman Road.
 * James Ellroy: Ellroy Street.


 * Central Silent Hill:
 * Carl Sagan: Sagan Street.
 * Dean R. Koontz: Koontz Street.
 * Michael Crichton: Crichton Street.
 * Colin Wilson: Wilson Street.
 * Dan Simmons: Simmons Street.


 * Resort Area:
 * John Sandford: (West) Sandford Street.
 * Kit Craig: Craig Street.
 * Craig Rice: Craig Street.
 * Sigourney Weaver: Weaver Street.


 * Silent Hill (South)
 * South Vale:
 * Robert Nathan: Nathan Avenue.
 * David Wiltse: Wiltse Road.
 * David Lindsay: Lindsey Street.
 * Andrew Vachss: Vachss Road.
 * David Martin: Martin Street.
 * William Katz: Katz Street.
 * Lawrence Sanders: Sanders Street.
 * Richard Neely: Neely Street.
 * Thomas Harris: Harris St.
 * John Saul: Saul Street.
 * Ronald Munson: Munson Street.
 * Ruth Rendell: Rendell Street.
 * Jonathan Carroll: Carroll Street.

Religion
The Order takes inspiration and draws elements from other real-life religions, such as the origins of Christianity, Japanese folklore, Aztec rituals and Native American beliefs.

Aztec mythology is referenced in the Tablet of "Gluttonous Pig", Tablet of "The Oppressor" and Tablet of "The Seductress".

Motifs
The series features references to old fairy tales, nursery rhymes and Shakespeare's works, whether it be in the form of a puzzle or findable item. They have become motifs in the series. 


 * William Shakespeare
 * In one of Shattered Memories endings, Dahlia Mason slaps Harry Mason and says, "You think your crap is Shakespeare?! Your piece of shit novels?! No one even reads them!"


 * Fairy tales and nursery rhymes
 * Snow White — In Silent Hill 2, Snow White has her own music box. She is found as a statue in Silent Hill 3, and the doll head must be placed in her hand in order to move on. Also near her statue are three of the seven dwarves. The other four are subtly hidden underneath transparent floor panels in the same room. In Shattered Memories, there are billboards that read "Sno-White" and show a smiling face, probably advertising a tooth-whitening product.
 * Cinderella — In Silent Hill 2, Cinderella has her own music box. She is found as a statue in Silent Hill 3 and her red shoe must be placed in her hand in order to move on.
 * The Little Mermaid — In Silent Hill 2, Little Mermaid has her own music box.
 * Rapunzel — In Silent Hill 2, Rapunzel has her own music box inside the music box in Lakeview Hotel's lobby.
 * Thumbelina — In Silent Hill 2, Thumbelina has her own music box inside the music box in Lakeview Hotel's lobby.
 * Mother Goose — Found in Alessa Gillespie's shelf in her room and referenced in Crematorium Puzzle.
 * Ring Around the Rosie — Laura sings this to herself in the trailer for Silent Hill 2. Alex also hears children singing it while playing when he enters Shepherd's Glen's park.
 * Arbatel de magia veterum — This grimoire inspired Aratron, Bethor, Hagith, Ophiel and Phaleg in Nowhere.
 * Tu Fui, Ego Eris — A Latin phrase that Heather speaks in Silent Hill 3, found engraved on tombstones.
 * The Bogeyman — A creature in folklore used to frighten children into behaving that Joshua mentions many times in his drawings. It appears in Silent Hill: Homecoming as Pyramid Head. It also appears in Silent Hill: Downpour as a being which manifests as a large cloaked figure with a gas mask and a hammer.

Unsourced
Works that are awaiting a proper citation.


 * Christina Aguilera — Wore a similar outfit to Maria's to the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. Despite speculation, there has been no direct confirmation.


 * Mary and Laura's outfits are almost identical to wife and daughter characters of the main protagonist in the movie Con Air.


 * Alessa's appearance could be inspired by the film The Legend of Hell House and its character, medium Florence Tanner.


 * Shepherd's Glen
 * Scott Boulevard: Ridley Scott
 * Kubrick Avenue: Stanley Kubrick
 * Carpenter Avenue: John Carpenter
 * Craven Avenue: Wes Craven
 * Friedkin Road: William Friedkin
 * Lyne Street: Adrian Lyne
 * Barker Street: Clive Barker
 * Walton Avenue: Robert Walton, a character in Frankenstein


 * Silent Hill (Shattered Memories)
 * Shelley Rd. - Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. There is also a Frankenstein's Monster toy memento that the player can get from the machine in the cinema.
 * Hawthorne St. - Nathaniel Hawthorne, Gothic fiction writer.
 * Navidson St. - The Navidson family from Mark Z. Danielewski's book House of Leaves.