Sexuality

"We're getting deep in it now. I can almost taste it. All this talking and we still haven't touched on the sex thing. ...That's what you're thinking. Aren't all psychiatrists supposed to be obsessed with sex? It's not us, it's you."

- Dr. Michael Kaufmann, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Sexuality is a common motif in the Silent Hill series. The theme appears in nearly every game in some form or another, being more prominent in Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: Origins, with Silent Hill: Homecoming having the same theme as well. It is mostly absent from the first game and Silent Hill: Downpour, although both still have some traces of it.

Silent Hill
While there are no overt sexual themes apart from the supernatural impregnation of Alessa Gillespie with a demonic fetus and the intention for her to birth God, the Incubus monster has exposed breasts.

Silent Hill 2


Sexuality was a much larger focus in Silent Hill 2, in which James Sunderland's wife was hospitalized for three years due to a debilitating illness. During these years he watched his wife grow weak, bitter and, in her own words, ugly. This naturally had a profound impact on their sexual lives.

The Mannequin monster represents James' natural sexual urges and the novelization mentions they were born from lust. This ties into the scene where he saw Pyramid Head murder two Mannequins in the apartment building. According to creature designer Masahiro Ito, Pyramid Head's actions are not literal rape but they intentionally included a visual sexual undercurrent. As Takayoshi Sato explains, "Psychological horror has to shake human's heart deeply. Shaking people's heart deeply means uncover people's core emotion and their core motivation for life. Everybody is thinking and concerning about sex and death. Everything. If we want to scare, shake, or touch the users or spectators, then we have to think about sex and death deeply. To make like a death scene, somebody died or monsters died, we tried to mix erotic essence. This is kind of a visual and a core concept."

Angela Orosco had been sexually abused by her father and brother, a victim of her family's sexuality. Her trauma is manifested as the Abstract Daddy and by her Otherworld. For example, the room where Abstract Daddy is encountered symbolises Angela's uterus. Its muscular walls contain metallic cylinders, inside of which pistons thrust in and out, akin to a penis thrusting in and out of a vagina or anus. In Angela's final moments in the game, she is seen standing between two fleshly naked figures.

Silent Hill 3
In Silent Hill 3, the theme is present, though it manifests mostly in the form of the god forming within Heather Mason's uterus. Heather being pregnant against her will could be seen as a parallel to rape. A message above the Moonstone door appears to reference the labour and birth process.



Heather is a teenager and may be struggling with her own sexual feelings, while the part of her that is Alessa Gillespie knows the dangers of adults, including men. Heather is seventeen years old and is likely attracted to boys around her age but must maintain a low profile, and thus is unable to pursue any relationships, potentially causing her to struggle with intimacy. She later becomes the object of affection for Stanley Coleman against her will and he writes poems about how beautiful she is, although it only serves to creep her out and make her feel uncomfortable. A couple promotional images for the game also show Heather in sexual ways; one image has Heather without her turtleneck, while another places emphasis on her buttocks.

There is also a large emphasis on blood in Silent Hill 3; while blood is typical of horror games, some speculation also involves whether or not it relates to the pregnancy themes as a reference to menstruation and Heather experiencing the end of puberty. Some questionable examples include the bloody toilet in the Central Square Shopping Center and the blood in the bathtub of the Hilltop Center; this instance causes Heather to shift to the Otherworld upon seeing it. Many corridors have bleeding walls and floors as well.

Some monsters in the game have been theorized by players to be sexual in symbolism, though these hypotheses have not been confirmed. Examples include:
 * The Split Worm may reflect the birth process (the worm's split opening corresponding to a vaginal introitus and the worm's "face" referencing the fetus, or God) or a phallic instrument (emphasised by the various cavities that the Split Worm enters and exits throughout the battle, something that could be an allusion to coitus). Lastly, the teeth in its mouth could be a reference to the myth of vagina dentata.
 * Similarly, the Glutton embodies the appearance of the female private parts (its body's shape is conical: it starts out wide on the top, gradually becoming slender and narrow down toward the bottom, akin to the uterus and the vagina), while its two cavities possibly represent the urethral orifice and vaginal introitus respectively. Additionally, one of the vagina's general purposes is to stimulate the penis and therefore induce ejaculation. In this sense, it absorbs (i.e. consume, or digest) penises and, more precisely, sperm or seminal liquid, which fits the theme of gluttony. The soldiers that the Glutton consumes in the story could parallel the idea of sperm. Finally, the creature within the Glutton could be symbolic of a fetus in utero, which could be taken further to be seen as a breech birth in that its feet are coming out from the bottom. This subject can tie into women's fears of pregnancy complications.
 * The convulsing movements might be a parallel to orgasmic muscular contractions in the female reproductive tract, an action that forces sperm into the fallopian tube to aid fertilisation. The uterus similarly experiences powerful contractions that, along with a mother's efforts of bearing down or pushing, serve to expel an infant during birth.
 * The Insane Cancer might be a manifestation of the fetal god in Heather's uterus, slowly growing like a disease and coming back after apparently being killed. This is supported by the science of how cancer operates: it is the uncontrollable growth of cells, which can be seen as synonymous in the game as the development of God within Heather, which the Order believes is inevitable. The Insane Cancer could also represent elements of body horror associated with pregnancy, as some mothers fear they will become obese or overweight, bloated, disgusting, and generally unattractive during pregnancy.
 * The Missionary's title, his clothing, and his weapons may all be seen as a sign of dilation and cutterage, which is the dilation of the cervix and surgical extraction of part of the lining of the uterus and/or contents of the uterus by cutterage (scraping and scooping). The Scraper also bears similar attributes.
 * The Sewer Monster might be representative of a severed umbilical cord.
 * Valtiel, as God's attendant, observes Heather in order to ensure the birth of God. His garb consisting of a mask, smock, and gloves is reminiscent of surgical wear, symbolizing his role as a midwife, where he helps to deliver the reborn god.
 * The Slurper enemy appears as a masculine shirtless muscular monster wearing underwear. The Slurper enemy has a habit of knocking Heather to the floor and climbing on top of her.
 * Lastly, the god is a feminine creature that has a bare torso. Prior to the fight, Heather jumps into an introitus which players have noted could symbolize a ruptured vaginal orifice which experienced a recent episiotomy due to its shape. This might be a parallel to an especially violent birth and the room where the god is battled could be seen to be a uterus; this could be an analogy of Heather defeating God before it can be "born" into the world.

Silent Hill 4: The Room
Cynthia Velasquez is implied to be promiscuous. Even at the age of thirteen, she was already going to night clubs. Walter Sullivan is hinted at being attracted to her, but she turned him down. Cynthia is given the "Temptation" theme in the 21 Sacraments. When she enters what she thinks is a dream, she promises Henry Townshend, the first man she meets, a "special favor" if he helps her.

Although Henry was checking to see if Eileen Galvin was safe, he still winds up spying on her, which could be seen as having a voyeuristic element to it. The Eileen Head monster could be seen as a reversal of this role. Her breathing may be interpreted as being sexual and orgasmic, as if she is engaging in coitus or masturbation, or other forms of genital stimulation. Eileen is known as the "Mother" reborn.

Both Cynthia and Eileen have sexual alternate outfits with breast jiggle physics.

The Spiral Staircase, apparently manifested from Walter's subconscious, is shown to have many naked figures for unknown reasons. Some of them are female and seem to be in bondage. For example, one female mannequin is hung from her nipples. Given Walter's lonely nature, it is possible he was unable to develop an average view of sexuality and became interested in BDSM. Another setpiece shows a tall nude masculine figure with wings being worshipped by two female figures, both of whom are also in their birthday suits. This may represent Walter's desires.

At one point in the game, a mannequin of Cynthia is mysteriously manifested in the subway, a possible reflection of Walter's desires to have her.

The Twin Victims are essentially conjoined twins, which occurs when a fertilized cell fails to split properly, rendering both beings becoming fused together. Also, the Bottom is presented with the head at the bottom and the arms outstretched to either side, which might suggest Walter's childbirth, specifically in the lithotomy position. The Old Type Gum Heads appear naked.

The Conjurer could be seen to symbolise Walter returning to his "mother's" uterus.

Silent Hill: Origins


The theme is much more prominent in Silent Hill: Origins than in past games, save for Silent Hill 2. Protagonist Travis Grady is a troubled trucker tormented by his past. When he was a child, his mother went insane and tried to murder him. As an adult, his problems with women becomes apparent. A fellow trucker tells him that he needs to find himself a nice girl, implying he doesn't have much contact with them. Monsters are noticeably affected by this, the Faceless Nurses being the most obvious, as well as the Two-Backs. Also, Lisa Garland plays a role in this, as she flirts playfully with Travis at times and it is implied that she and Michael Kaufmann have had intercourse.

The Butcher also portrays his sexual frustration, as the creature can be seen slicing through the reproductive organs of his victims, specifically the sexualized monsters. It is unclear whether Travis once was a serial killer and committed these acts, or if the Butcher is merely a manifestation of his inner demons.

Silent Hill: Homecoming
After an accident on the lake that kills his brother, Alex Shepherd goes into a state of psychological repression and becomes schizophrenic. For this, as well as other reasons, he is institutionalized in a mental hospital between the ages of 18 to 22, and the game does not dive into what Alex's experiences were like in the institution and how he coped with his sexual feelings.

During his time, he creates the delusion that he was a soldier, believing that he was in a hospital for wounded soldiers, rather than a mental hospital. He claims that the nurses wear revealing clothing to comfort the soldiers, although whether or not the nurses wore revealing clothing is unclear. The Nurses in the game have noticeable cleavage and have a growing fetus in their uterus, heavily symbolizing birth, which is a very powerful theme in the game. They have jiggle physics as well.

In his diary, Alex speaks fondly of the girls back in his hometown of Shepherd's Glen, as well as making reference to buxom females he sees during his tour of duty, suggesting that he is somewhat sexually frustrated. In another diary, he also mentions, "I think I love her" in regards to Elle Holloway. Although Alex and Elle visited each other often as teens, nothing apparently became of this friendship.



Homecoming also features a lot of monsters with sexual elements and unknown symbolisms. Examples include:


 * Nora Holloway's monstrous form Asphyxia bears many pairs of breasts. When Nora died, she was a teenager. The creature is heavily sexualized, evidenced in both her physical appearance and her sway-like, seductive movement, yet she is still unrevealing (her genitals being covered in the same manner as a teen girl would conceal her naked body). The overwhelming abundance of breasts as well as the attempt to hide her reproductive tract may also indicate how she almost had puberty but did not get the chance ultimately. Her emergence from vagina-looking cavities in the wall symbolise the theme of labour and birth, which is a recurring idea in the game.
 * Scarlet Fitch died as a little girl, yet in her monstrous form she has full breasts. Their presence could demonstrate how she was also denied the opportunity to experience physical and sexual maturity. Alternatively, Scarlet was also a fan of dolls, some of which have breasts, so her monstrous form may reflect her desire to be like her dolls.
 * Amnion appears as a female humanoid figure attached to a large mechanical apparatus resembling a spider. The human body is pale and bloated, akin to a waterlogged corpse, or, more likely, a heavily pregnant woman due to give birth. Amnion has three pairs of breasts above her distended abdomen. A hose-like tube connects her mouth with her genitalia, much like an umbilical cord. This convulses and flows as if there is liquid circulating within. The name "Amnion" references the amniotic sac that surrounds a fetus; the tube of water protruding from her mouth referring to the act of drowning as well as the imagery of an umbilical cord; and the iron lung component used for Amnion's "neck", which is indicative of an oxygen mask or some other instrument that aids breathing.
 * The Needler has its head is located between its legs, a design choice that, when combined with its reclining posture and stirrup-like leg blades, may be intended to viscerally parallel labour and childbirth (in the lithotomy position), which is a constant theme in the Silent Hill series, and a particularly emergent idea in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Elaborating on the childbirth reference, since Alex Shepherd had always been second to his brother Joshua, the Needler itself may be a physical manifestation of the way Alex perceives Joshua's birth.
 * The Lurker's face may be interpreted as having vaginal symbolism. Its teeth-filled maw could possibly reference the vagina dentata myth.
 * Siams are monsters which are a fusion of stereotypical masculinity and femininity. It appears to represent a view of men being dominant and women being submissive; the male figure is muscular while the female figure wears stilettos.
 * Pyramid Head has a new design in which he is quite tall, muscular and shirtless for the first time in the game canon. His design may represent Alex's desire to be and feel attractive and powerful. Alex suffered from some self-esteem and jealousy issues due to his parents favoring Joshua. In one of the endings, Alex becomes a Pyramid Head.
 * The Schism wears an instrument on its genitalia and it also has an elongated shaft-like neck.

The muscular membranes that Alex cuts through on some walls are like a toothed vaginal introitus, also a nod to vagina dentata. It could additionally represent labour and birth, in an explicit sense. During labour, cervical dilation is a natural event that can be seen as an analogy to when Alex slices each membrane open, only to see each side lined with teeth. This could possibly be a reference to Lillian bearing her two sons, knowing one of the boys had a doomed fate, thus they inevitably entered a dangerous world, represented by the teeth.

There is a small Easter egg in the game referencing anal sex. One of the books in the Shepherd House reads "Anal Sex For Dummies".

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories


Unlike all other games in the series, there is a very real possibility for the protagonist to become a sleaze, which influences the ending. Harry Mason can look at pictures of partially naked women and act sleazy and promiscuous (e.g. staring at cleavage during certain cutscenes in which the player controls the camera), and this will affect how the game progresses and the ending as a whole.

Depending on his Psych Profile, characters can become sexualized such as Cybil Bennett. The Raw Shocks may also begin to look feminine as well, with giant lips, breasts and slices in their legs as if to resemble stockings.

In the "Sleaze and Sirens" ending, it is revealed Harry cheated on his wife with Lisa Garland and Michelle Valdez.

Psychiatrist Michael Kaufmann also asks Cheryl Heather Mason many sexual questions, and in the end, he claims she has "abnormal sexuality" no matter what the player answers. Cheryl also fell victim to some sexual humiliation when a female student at her high school took a photo of her showering after gym class.

Silent Hill: Downpour


Murphy Pendleton encounters Dolls who have a sexual design for unclear reasons. In Anne's Story, it is implied they may manifested from Anne Marie Cunningham instead of Murphy. One of them slut shames Anne because she had a sexual encounter with Leonard B. Trent, who manifests as a phallic monster to her.

Patrick Napier was a pedophile interested in Charlie Pendleton. Although it is unclear what happened in Charlie's final moments, it is possible he was molested by Napier, who proceeded to drown Charlie in a lake.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories
The Blood Mama and Mother enemies have sexual designs.

Silent Hill film series


In the first film, Alessa Gillespie was assaulted as a child by her school's janitor, Colin. The Dark Nurses also appear to be quite sexualized, showing cleavage, although it is not explained why this is. In a scene in which Red Pyramid stabs through a door at Rose Da Silva and Cybil Bennett, according to director Christophe Gans, the Creepers represent sperm entering a victim's vagina, a clear reference to Alessa's rape at the hands of the janitor.

In the sequel Silent Hill: Revelation, the original script had a scene planned between Sharon Da Silva between Vincent Cooper but it was removed from the final film, mentioning, "He leans in to kiss her and tentatively at first but then with increasing passion. Heather responds with her own desire and need..." Although it is unclear what happened, it is possible Sharon and Vincent had sex. In the final version of the movie, it is suggested there is still some sexual tension between the two, the most explicit when Vincent gives her a kiss and Sharon does not retaliate, possibly due to being attracted to Vincent herself.

The Missionary monster has a sexual design with elements of BDSM clothing. It is not clarified why the monstrous form of Claudia Wolf appears this way, however.

During one point in the movie, Sharon encounters the Mannequin Girl exposed on a table. She is transformed into a naked mannequin.

Comics

 * At the beginning of Past Life, Issue 3, Jebediah Foster wakes up in bed with Helene Leek.
 * Julianna Abernathy's manifestation wears a nurse outfit because her husband apparently had a nurse kink.

Trivia



 * Despite the Silent Hill series having a focus on sexuality, there are currently no known LGBT+ characters. However, the Doll Puzzle in Origins does reference the act of exploring one's sexual expression with a doll interested in cross-dressing.
 * Although Silent Hill: The Arcade does not have a prominent sexual theme, the Mama monster has a rather sexual design for unclear reasons. It may represent Hanna being unable to grow up due to her murder.