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Era-Sh2Era-ShdEra-ShbomEra-Monsters

Template:Infobox SH monster The Bubble Head Nurse is a female monster that James Sunderland encounters in Silent Hill 2. They appear frequently in Brookhaven Hospital and in the streets of dark South Vale.

Bubble Head Nurses also appear as a frequent enemy in the spin-off game Silent Hill: Book of Memories.

Appearance

They wear provocative attire, exposing cleavage and sporting miniskirts. Their heads face downward, appearing swollen and bloodied and covered in gauze, convulsing violently as they wobble to their target. Their only visible facial feature are bloody, exposed jaws and teeth. When inspected closely the last four fingers of their hands seem to be fused. They have red squares on their mouths, which is intended to be linked to the nine red squares seen in Lakeview Hotel.[1]

The nurses move in an awkward manner, their legs carrying them in a shaky and crooked fashion, making them out to be a slow opponent; yet they are surprisingly fast on the attack.

NurseFace

Close-up of an Otherworld nurse.

In Silent Hill 2, the nurses in the Fog World take on a pale white tone, while most of the nurses in the Otherworld have an orange-brown color. These darker nurses lack the bloody mouths, instead having what looks like a transparent film over the nose and mouth area. The Otherworld nurses also have parasites on their backs and right shoulder, similar to the Puppet Nurses in the first game, as well as thin spikes lodged into their faces.

Character

Bubblehead nurse1

James shooting a Bubble Head Nurse.

They emit shrieks and gurgles when approaching him and carry their own melee weapons, usually pipes similar to James's. They are fairly aggressive and will surround James if he encounters more than one in an area. However, if they come in close contact with one another and decide to attack, chances are they will knock out one of their own close by.

It is advised to fight them from range either with the handgun or the shotgun, as a blow from a pipe can do quite a bit of damage. In the hospital, it is preferred to use the shotgun, due to the narrow corridors, and because they tend to travel in groups. Melee is not the best option for fighting them, but if the need arises, the steel pipe is the favored option due to its range.

Symbolism

BubbleBash

James bashing a Bubble Head.

They are suggestive of Mary Shepherd-Sunderland's hospitalization.[2] The nurses are likely manifested by James's mind, combining his anxieties surrounding his wife's terminal illness and the sexual deprivation that came with it, hence the risqué clothing worn by them. The nurses also die with their legs widely spread apart, a very provocative scene that further contributes to the game's sexual theme.

The bubble, "condom", type head of the nurse is representative of suffocation.[3] This references the events when James killed Mary by suffocating her with a pillow; hence, the reason why their heads convulse violently like somebody trying to break free from being suffocated.[4]

Their faces were intended to have a small baby face in it.[5] This is intended to be the remains of James' and Mary's dream to have children, which ended when Mary became ill.[6]

Bubble Head Nurses may represent James' frustrations towards the (American) health care system, which was unable to identify or cure Mary's fatal illness. When Mary fell ill, James expressed anger towards her doctor for "letting Mary die". Mary also expressed frustration, feeling the hospital was profiting off her suffering. The term "bubble head" is an insult used to call someone foolish and stupid, and could symbolize James feeling Mary's nurses were incompetent. James asks Laura, "Who's Rachel?!", implying he didn't bother or care enough to familiarize himself with Mary's nurses, possibly because he already lost faith and hope in them.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Sh book of memories art 20120126 06

Nurse from Book of Memories.

In the spin-off game Silent Hill Book of Memories, they are simply called "Nurses", as opposed to their full name, and are one of the first enemies to be encountered in the game, appearing in the first zone onwards. The player can encounter light, blood, and steel versions of the nurse.

Armed with a steel pipe, they usually attack in groups, are fairly fast, and will attempt to surround the player; however, their attacks only cause a small amount of damage and they are fairly easy to kill, especially from range. They also have a weakness to the steel pipe, the same weapon which they wield.

If the player has the Expansion Pack, they can also wear Bubble Head Nurse masks, called the "Creature Head".

Silent Hill: Downpour

Bubble Head Nurses only appear in the "Surprise!" ending, attending Murphy Pendleton's surprise birthday party, along with James, Mary, Laura, Heather, and all the other characters from Silent Hill: Downpour.

Trivia

  • The Silent Hill 2 "official" BradyGames strategy guide by Dan Birlew refers to them as "Nurse Demon". However, this should not necessarily be accepted as an official name because it never appears anywhere else, and the "official" strategy guides occasionally have errors.
  • Masahiro Ito drew inspiration for the design of the nurses attire from The Exorcist III, Jacob's Ladder, and bondage-inspired clothing.
  • Originally, Ito's concept for the nurse was to have the head be a semi-liquid bubble with a thin skin very much similar in appearance to a condom. When the monster got shot, it would simply burst like a water balloon, but this never came to be due to the technical limitations at the time. The weapon also changed from Ito's original design. In the initial stages the idea was for the nurse to have an IV stand with blood packets to attack with, but instead Ito armed the nurse with a steel pipe.[7]
  • From the artworks by Masahiro Ito at the gallery below, the Bubble Head Nurses originally comes in different types such as the acid and twin-tail version, but this idea was ultimately scrapped.
NurseAttack

Dark Nurses in the film.

  • Similar nurse monsters appear in the Silent Hill film and Silent Hill: Revelation, referred to in the credits as "Dark Nurses". As nurses of Brookhaven Hospital, they take a similar appearance to the Bubble Head Nurse.
  • A Bubble Head Nurse costume could be purchased in the now-defunct PlayStation Home.[1]

References

  1. Masahiro Ito, Twitter
  2. Book of Lost Memories
  3. Masahiro, Ito (adsk4). "This tweet is 'the Bubble Head Nurse' in SH2 is suffocated by covering her head with a vinyl like condom...." Tweet.
  4. Masahiro, Ito (adsk4). "It's representative of suffocated invalid Mary's swallen head. The nurse in SH2, she shakes her head like struggling to shake off the covered vinyl..." Tweet.
  5. Masahiro Ito, Twitter
  6. Masahiro Ito, Twitter
  7. Masahiro, Ito (adsk4). "About Silent Hill 2 Bubble Head Nurse, my originally planned for its head is a semiliquid thing covered with a thin skin like a condom, and it bursts like a water balloon, when it's shotten...." Tweet.

Gallery

Artwork

Models

Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill: Book of Memories

Merchandise

v · e · d
Characters
Major Characters
James Sunderland - Mary Shepherd-Sunderland - Angela Orosco - Laura - Eddie Dombrowski - Maria
Other Characters
Ernest Baldwin - Amy Baldwin - Mary's Doctor - Rachel - Thomas Orosco - Mrs. Orosco - Jennifer Carroll - Patrick Chester - Mira - Harry Mason - Greys - Scott Fairbanks - Walter Sullivan
Monsters
Abstract Daddy - Bubble Head Nurse - Creeper - Flesh Lip - Lying Figure - Mandarin - Mannequin - Mary - Prisoners - Pyramid Head
Weapons
Chainsaw - Chinese Cleaver - Great Knife - Great Spear - Handgun - Hyper Spray - Pipe - Revolver - Rifle - Shotgun - Wooden Plank
Locations
Baldwin Mansion - Blue Creek Apartments - Brookhaven Hospital - Church of the Rebirth - Dog House - Heaven's Night - Jacks Inn - Labyrinth - Lakeview Hotel - Lake Shore Restaurant - Neely's Bar - Motor Home - Observation Deck - Pete's Bowl-O-Rama - Rosewater Park - Silent Hill Historical Society - Silent Hill Ranch - Silent Hill Woods - South Vale (Carroll Street - Katz Street - Lindsey Street - Nathan Avenue - Neely Street - Rendell Street - Saul Street - Vachss Road - Wiltse Road) - Texxon Gas - Toluca Graveyard - Toluca Lake - Toluca Lake Island - Toluca Prison - Wiltse Coal Mine - Wood Side Apartments
Terms
Flashlight - Fog World - Little Baroness - Manifestation - Map - Monster - Otherworld - Radio - Red Square - Siren - Seal of Metatron - UFO Ending - Sexuality - Toilets
Archives
Memos - Items - Keys - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables - Pachislot
v · e · d
Characters
Major Characters
Ashley Baker - Derek Copeland - Graham Reynolds - Howard Blackwood - Jack Merrick - Katie Collins - Matthew Collins - Protagonist - Lorelai Reynolds - Shannon - Trent Baker
Other Characters
Alex Shepherd - Cybil Bennett - Emma - Harry Mason - Heather Mason - James Sunderland - Jason - Joshua Shepherd - Lisa Garland - Mary Shepherd-Sunderland - Mira - Murphy Pendleton - Travis Grady - Walter Sullivan
Monsters
Air Screamer - Blood Baby - Blood Guardian - Blood Mama - Bogeyman - Bubble Head Nurse - Butcher - Double Head - Earth Guardian - Fire Guardian - Flesh Lip - Ghost - Grey Child - Insane Cancer - Light Guardian - Needler - Mother - Pyramid Head - Raw Shock - Tremer - Schism - Steel Guardian - Swarm - Valtiel - Water Guardian - Wood Guardian - Wood Sapling
Weapons
A. Y. Guitar - Assault Rifle - Baseball Bat - Bare Hands - Beam Saber - Bogeyman's Hammer - Chainsaw - Circular Saw - Crossbow - Crowbar - Dagger of Melchior - Earth Sword - Fire Axe - Fire Sword - Flamethrower - Great Cleaver - Great Knife - Great Spear - Grenade - Guitar - Handgun - Hyper Spray - Katana - Knife - Maul - Meat Cleaver - Laser Gun - Pickaxe - Pillow - Pipe - Princess Heart - Robbie Doll - Rock Drill - Shovel - Shotgun - Steel Sword - Stun Gun - Sword of Obedience - Submachine Gun - Television - Torch - TV Remote - Water Sword - Wine Bottle - Wood Sword - Wood Plank
Locations
Howard's Shop - Library - Forsaken Room - Otherworld
Terms
Monster - Flashlight - Accessories - Artifacts - Karma Meter - Book of Memories - Welcome Sign
Archives
Memos - Broadcasts - Michelle's Diary
v · e · d
Characters
Major Characters
Murphy Pendleton - Charlie Pendleton - Carol Pendleton - Anne Marie Cunningham - Howard Blackwood - John P. Sater - Patrick Napier - Frank Coleridge - George Sewell - Bobby Ricks - Nun
Other Characters
Sanchez - Homer - M. Koons - Bryan Handley - Ariadne Johnson - Melissa Matlan - Glen Milton - Ricky - Daniel Stephens - Chloe Zane - Mary Shepherd-Sunderland - James Sunderland - Laura - Heather Mason
Weapons
Baseball Bat - Bogeyman's Hammer - Bottle - Brick - Chair - Colt - Crowbar - Demon Statue - Double Headed Axe - Fire Axe - Fire Extinguisher - Fork - Frying Pan - Golden Gun - Golf Club - Hammer - Handle - Hand-to-Hand - Hatchet - Ladder Hook - Knife - Lamp - Meat Cleaver - Nailgun - Pickaxe - Pitchfork - Plank - Rake - Rifle - Rock - Shotgun - Shovel - Steel Pipe - Vase - Wrench - Tomahawk
Monsters
Bogeyman - Doll (Shadow) - Monocle Man - Nurse - Prisoner Juggernaut - Prisoner Minion - Pyramid Head - Screamer - Tormented Soul - Void - Wall Corpse - Weeping Bat - Wheelman- Bubble Head Nurse
Locations
Aerial Tram Station - Centennial Building - Chastain Heights - Chastain Heights Cinema - Devil's Pit - Devil's Pitstop - Interstate Gas Station - Hardware Store - Hillside - Logan's Park - Monroe Cemetery - Overlook Penitentiary - Pearl Creek - Pearl Creek Bank - Pleasant River - Port District - Ryall State Prison - St. Maria's Monastery - Underground Subway - Toluca Lake
Terms
Trinkets - Flashlight - Fog World - Map - Monster - Otherworld - Real World - Sidequest - Siren - Walkie-talkie - Manifestation - Seal of Metatron - Welcome Sign - Halo of the Sun
Archives
Items - Keys - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables - Memos - Pachislot
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