- "Douglas" refers to multiple subjects. See Douglas for more uses.
“ | That's fine. Nobody's gonna cry over my grave anyway.
|
” |
Douglas Cartland is the deuteragonist of Silent Hill 3. He is a middle-aged private detective who was hired by Claudia Wolf, the Silent Hill cult leader, to locate Heather Mason and return her to Silent Hill.
Appearance[]
Douglas has gray hair and wears a brown coat with pants. Because of his age, his hair is thinning and he combs his hair back to hide it. Once Heather encounters him in her apartment, he is seen no longer wearing his hat.
After completing the game once, the player can select the "Extra New Game" option and enter the Konami Code (↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → or W, W, S, S, Q, E, Q, E, Escape, Enter in the PC version). If entered correctly, a sound of sighing (Maria from the "Dog" Ending of Silent Hill 2) after selecting the action and riddle level, and Douglas' pants are replaced with boxers throughout the entire game.
Background[]
10 years prior to Silent Hill 3, Douglas worked as a police detective and retired. Shortly after, he and his wife divorced. The Book of Lost Memories calls Douglas a "widower", indicating that his ex-wife died after they divorced.[1]
Douglas had one son who was killed while attempting to rob a bank because his family was burdened with financial concerns. Douglas feels his son's death was his fault, calling himself a "penniless good-for-nothing". He eventually became a freelance independent private investigator.
Silent Hill 3[]
Douglas' original motive is to return Heather to Claudia. Douglas talks to Heather Mason after she finishes her phone conversation with her father at the Central Square Shopping Center. Douglas requests for some of Heather's time to which she clearly states her disinterest. Douglas informs her that it's about her birth, which still isn't good enough to interest her. Unfortunately, Douglas comes off as a creepy stalker to Heather; he follows Heather, but can only go so far, as she enters the women's bathroom to avoid him. Heather refuses to re-enter the mall as she thinks he's a "weird old detective".
Douglas, waiting in the shopping mall's lobby, finds Heather after she kills the Split Worm. He reveals that he has also seen the monster, but Heather interrupts him. She accuses Douglas of being in on it with Claudia, but realizes that Douglas is just as shocked as she is. Heather decides to head home using the subway.
In the Daisy Villa Apartments, after the Missionary is defeated, Douglas discovers Harry Mason's corpse. Douglas calms Heather down, and they lay him in bed. Despite not agreeing with Heather's revenge plan, Douglas states that he feels responsible and offers to take Heather to Silent Hill to murder Claudia in retaliation for Harry's death. When Heather tells Douglas he might die, he replies, "That's fine. Nobody's gonna cry over my grave anyway." He then heads out to get his car ready.
Outside the apartment building, Douglas greets Heather and reveals that Vincent Smith gave him a map and told him to go look for Leonard Wolf upon arriving in Silent Hill. Douglas gives Heather the map and Harry's notebook and they drive to Silent Hill.
During the car ride, Douglas and Heather discuss the rumors of Silent Hill as well as Heather's past as Alessa Gillespie. Heather also recaps the events of the first Silent Hill. Douglas mentions he went to Silent Hill once on a missing person's case, which may possibly be a reference to James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2. Douglas sits silently in the car, listening to Heather's feelings about her father's death.
When they arrive in Silent Hill, Douglas and Heather stop at Jacks Inn. They briefly discuss being afraid to be alone; Douglas admits to being anxious, and he then heads for Leonard Wolf's house. At some point, Douglas supposedly returns to the inn before Heather comes back from Brookhaven Hospital and leaves a message for Vincent to tell Heather to head to the Lakeside Amusement Park, where Claudia apparently is.
At the amusement park, Douglas speaks with Claudia and becomes angry that she deceived him. Claudia once again explains her whole plot, and Douglas, like everyone else, disagrees and mocks her. Douglas then raises his gun to Claudia, who challenges his readiness to kill her. Whatever happens after the cutscene leaves Douglas badly injured, to the point he feels his leg is broken. It may be possible that supernatural powers possessed by Claudia came into play here because there are no monsters present in the cutscene.
When Heather arrives at the amusement park, she discovers that Douglas' leg is broken. Douglas tells Heather she reminds him of his late son. He also tells Heather, as she leaves to confront Claudia, that perhaps if he killed her instead, his nightmare would end. Heather, nervous, doesn't feel offended, and she takes a deep sigh before she continues on her way.
In the "Normal" ending, after Heather kills the god, she pretends to be possessed and startles Douglas with the intent to stab him. Douglas says Heather has bad taste in jokes, but Heather interrupts, telling Douglas to call her Cheryl.
In the "Possessed" ending, Douglas is killed by Heather, who actually did stab him to death with her switchblade. This ending can only be unlocked after completing the game once and if the requirements are met.
Silent Hill: Revelation[]
- Main article: Douglas Cartland (film)
Douglas appears in the film Silent Hill: Revelation as well. As in the game, he is a private detective who has been hired by Claudia Wolf to find Heather Mason. After discovering the truth about Claudia's motives, he stalks her to Central Square Shopping Center. Douglas decides to warn Heather about the danger of the Order. Unlike his game counterpart, before he can tell her the truth, he is killed by the Missionary.
Creator's comment[]
“ | His name comes from a famous actor from the 1920s, Douglas Fairbanks. Simply put, this name just seemed to suit him. There is no real connection to his namesake. |
” |
“ | The masculine characters in the game like Douglas the detective, who was based on the priest from The Fifth Element, were also created to be like real human beings with their failings and complexes. |
” |
Quotes[]
- "Look... I was just hired to find you. I'm not on anybody's side." (To Heather)
- "Revenge doesn't solve anything."
- "What's the deal with Silent Hill, anyway? It used to be a nice, quiet little town, but now... but I'll tell ya, that's one screwed up town."
- "You're right, I am afraid. I'm fifty-somethin' years old, and I never seen nothing like this. I still feel like I'm dreaming."
- "Yeah... I just wanna wake up and have a smoke already."
- "You lied to me about Heather, lady. I don't like being used."
- "No this, no that, no nothin'. A paradise for castrated sheep, maybe. Sounds pretty boring." (To Claudia)
- "What'll we do if this god thing gets born?"
- "But if this is how a god of mercy acts, I don't wanna see any more of him. That's a pretty good reason to risk my life, don't you think?"
- Heather: "You think you're Superman or something?"
Douglas: "You know, I always wanted to be him." - "You... you remind me of my son." (To Heather)
- "Dead people don't cry. Stupid kid got himself shot robbing a bank."
- "Maybe cause his pop was a penniless good-for-nothing. Who knows? Anyway, now I guess I'll never find out. Sorry, I shouldn't have said you reminded me of a guy like him."
- "Maybe killing you here is the only way to end this nightmare."
- "You've got terrible taste."
Trivia[]
- Douglas was modeled after Ian Holm's role as the priest Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element. He was also modeled after Giancarlo Giannini.
- His voice actor, Richard Grosse, died before the game was released. This is reason for his position being replaced in the HD Collection.
- The Book of Lost Memories refers to Douglas as "The Hanged Man", the twelfth of the Major Arcanas of a Tarot Deck, due to him becoming involved with unfortunate circumstances.
- A memo in Silent Hill: Homecoming found in Room 211 in the lair of the Order mentions Douglas had exposed the Order after the events in Silent Hill 3.
- This calls into question whether or not Douglas reported the monsters or the Otherworld to anyone, or if he kept this aspect a secret, either due to no one believing him, or him figuring the Otherworld/monsters are over. Then again, whether or not other characters who survived through Silent Hill reported the Otherworld/monsters are also unknown, including Travis Grady, Harry, and Heather.
- Douglas admits to Claudia that he has shot someone. When this is said, it is clear that he regrets it. Although nothing more is revealed on this, Douglas' son was shot robbing a bank, which has prompted speculations as to whether Douglas shot his own son out of necessity; however, no facts currently link his shooting to the shooting of his son.
- Douglas wistfully admits to Heather that he always wanted to be Superman. This could be something that inspired his will to work with justice and the law.
- In the song "Silent Hill no Uta" at the end of the game's "UFO" ending, he is alluded to as not being a real detective, but rather a fishmonger.
- According to the Book of Lost Memories, the hair of his real-life creator's hair was also thinning, and this was a worry.