The machine with the walkway descending into it.
A possessed Eileen walking to her death.
The Death Machine is the unofficial name of the terrible contraption Eileen Galvin faces during the final battle in Silent Hill 4: The Room.
Description[]
The machine itself looks like a giant metal gyroscope, consisting of a round metal core surrounded by four rotating spiked rings. The machine is almost fully immersed in a deep pool of blood, completed by a walkway leading to it. It was "invented" by Walter Sullivan when he was a young boy, the purpose of which is to kill anyone who gets near.
In the final battle, Eileen Galvin is completely possessed, walking slowly to the core. Her speed varies on how well Henry Townshend defended her throughout the game. If Eileen walks into the death machine, she will scream a tormented shriek, resulting in a bad ending.
Symbolism[]
Little Walter's sketch.
The design of this machine is heavily reminiscent to ophanim depictions in its core design: four wheels encircling a core body, but instead of eyes as ophanim are described to have in the vision of Ezekiel, Walter's machine replaces them with brutal spikes. The ophanim are described as the wheels of the throne of the Christian god, the eyes meant to symbolize the deity's omnipresence. There is much focus on holy bodies and divine stature in Silent Hill 4: The Room, primarily in terms of Walter protecting his "mother", and ophanims are also described as being constantly alert and "guard" the throne of God; some interpretations even consider them as high-ranking angels.
Trivia[]
The machine on the soundtrack cover.
- The contraption appears on the soundtrack cover.
- Even if Eileen is killed by the machine, the news proclaims that she passed away due to her injuries. This is because in the Real World, Eileen's physical body is still in St. Jerome's Hospital.
Spiral staircase room.
- One of the rooms in the spiral staircase below the Building World may have foreshadowed the final battle and Eileen's sacrifice. The room has eight plates with pictures of eyes which may symbolize eight victims who watch the final battle, the bloody gurney may symbolize Eileen's sacrifice, and the door may echo Room 302's door which becomes opened for Walter if the 21 Sacraments is complete.
- There is a child's drawing near Room 105 representing a woman in the machine being chopped in pieces. It is most likely that this was drawn by Walter's younger self.
- If a holy candle is placed near Eileen while she is walking to the machine, its effect can slow her down, should the player feel her too possessed for safety.
A similar machine in Silent Hill.
- A rotating metal sphere with round holes on its surface is seen in Silent Hill during the battle with Split Head, and it shares a similar construction to the Death Machine. It is also located in the center of the room where the battle takes place and surrounded by a ring with spikes.
- Other horror media have used similar-looking devices:
- Thir13en Ghosts has a deadly series of spinning, concentric rings that serves as an engine to be driven by the souls of the ghosts in the house.
- The machine greatly resembles the gravity drive of the titular ship the Event Horizon in the 1997 science fiction horror of the same name. In the film, the gravity drive accidentally tears a hole into a universe of torture, pain, and insanity, which infects a derelict spaceship with its corruption. The Book of Lost Memories confirms that Event Horizon is an inspiration of the Silent Hill series.
- A device heavily inspired by the machine appears in the horror RPG Fear & Hunger during the boss battle with the Tormented One. Developer Miro Haverinen names the Silent Hill series as a major inspiration.[1][2]
Gallery[]
