The flashlight, along with the radio, is a staple item of the Silent Hill series and serves as a useful tool to enhance the level of fear induced in the player by providing a small quantity of light in very dark environments. It is also essential in some cases to have the flashlight switched on to be able to use keys, pick up items, or even check a map if there is not adequate lighting available. Doing so, however, may attract the attention of certain monsters, such as some variants of the Nurses, which are naturally drawn to light.
Silent Hill 4: The Room is thus far the only game to not feature the flashlight; regarding the loss of the flashlight: "We wanted to have more ambiance so you could see what's there in front of you. There you start thinking of what to do next. That's kind of an obvious horror that we wanted to implement this time, that's a kind of major change."[1]
The Born from a Wish scenario in Silent Hill 2 also doesn't feature the flashlight.
Earlier games feature a swivel-head model attached to a jacket's breast pocket where it is worn, allowing the protagonist to attack monsters more easily, especially with melee weapons. In the later games, handheld flashlights seem to be becoming common. It can be toggled on and off either by the press of an allocated controller button, or by going into the inventory screen.
The flashlight has unlimited battery power in all games, although in Silent Hill 2, the player must insert a new battery upon entering a specific room.
Silent Hill[]
Harry Mason's flashlight.
The flashlight is found in the first game inside Cafe 5to2 on the counter near the map, shortly after Harry Mason first arrives in Old Silent Hill.
Silent Hill 2[]
James's flashlight.
James Sunderland finds the flashlight on a mannequin wearing Mary's dress in room 205 of Wood Side Apartments. Picking it up will awaken a sleeping Mannequin behind the doll.
A good example of the flashlight's necessity is when James must draw his own map of an area since an existing one is not available. To do so, James needs to be able to see what he is drawing on, thus the flashlight fulfills its purpose by illuminating his activity.
Laura's flashlight.
The flashlight's battery runs out of energy in the room filled with Creepers and James must replace the battery with a dry cell battery. It breaks in the Fog World Lakeview Hotel after watching truth of the video tape, which may serve symbolic purpose related to Mary.
Laura is also seen with her own flashlight, only appearing in cutscenes.
Silent Hill 3[]
Heather's flashlight.
Heather Mason finds the flashlight in the storeroom of the Central Square Shopping Center while in the Otherworld. The storeroom is located to the left of the women's restroom on the first floor. Ironically, Heather must turn the storeroom light off to find it.
Heather also sees a version of the same flashlight in her dream of Lakeside Amusement Park at the start of the game.
Silent Hill: Origins[]
Travis' pocket flashlight.
Travis Grady begins the game with both the flashlight and radio already on hand. Its use is identical to that in the previous games.
Use of the flashlight (and simply beating the game) grants the player special options on further playthroughs of the game.
- Stalker Outfit: Use the flashlight for less than 3 hours during play.
- Flashlight Filter: Upon finishing the game, the light of the flashlight can be changed by using a Flashlight Filter in the "Extra Options" menu. The shapes are a smiley face, a soccer ball, a jack-o'-lantern, or the Halo of the Sun.
Silent Hill: Homecoming[]
Alex's flashlight.
Alex Shepherd gets the flashlight from his bed in his house. Alex also briefly has the flashlight at the very start of the game when he is in Alchemilla Hospital. While the flashlight serves its purpose, it illuminates very little and all of the environments in Homecoming are very dark. At the end of the game, Alex gives his flashlight to Joshua Shepherd. It resembles a flashlight briefly handled by Jacob Singer in the 1990 psychological thriller film Jacob's Ladder.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories[]
Harry using his flashlight.
The flashlight appears in the re-imagining of the first Silent Hill game. However, instead of having it inserted into Harry Mason's jacket, he now carries it in his hand. The flashlight doesn't take the form of a pocket flashlight, but a regular flashlight.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories features a new system where the player can physically move the flashlight in Harry's hand instead of turning the protagonist to see. The Wii Remote is used as the flashlight, and moving the Wii Remote around also moves Harry's flashlight in the corresponding movement. However, the player must always keep the cursor pointer and the Wii Remote pointed at the screen at all times.
Turning off the flashlight will help Harry to escape from Raw Shocks and make him harder to see, while simultaneously making it harder for the player to see.
Silent Hill: Downpour[]
Murphy's flashlight.
There are two types of flashlights that appear in Silent Hill: Downpour.
Flashlight[]
"A heavy utility flashlight with a long handle."
After the bus crash, Murphy Pendleton can find a flashlight next to a dead man in the forest. Flashlights can be held in hand or clipped onto Murphy's belt. While clipped onto Murphy's belt, it illuminates the area directly in front of him, much like the earlier versions do. However, when it is held in hand, the player can aim the flashlight using the analog stick, much like Shattered Memories. This allows for precise movements with the flashlight and direct illumination if desired.
Forensic Flashlight[]
Forensic flashlight.
"A special police flashlight with two modes: Forensic UV and LED Spotlight."
Upon entering the Silent Hill Archives in the Centennial Building, Murphy finds a forensic flashlight emitting a UV light that reveals footprints, and other markings that are otherwise invisible. The Forensic Flashlight also allows Murphy to see Dolls' shadows more clearly. This item is required for the "Shadow Play" sidequest, as well as obtaining the code in the License Plate Workshop puzzle.
Silent Hill: Book of Memories[]
The player will always have a flashlight equipped by default and can be turned on and off at any time. When the light is shined on containers that have items inside, they will glow a bright red. The same red glow is also displayed by items, weapons and memos outside of said containers, the only exception being the keys, which will sparkle when illuminated.
The flashlight's usage is limitless, but it can be disabled by enemies with a shadow effect.
Not using the flashlight at all in at least one zone will earn the player the "Ninja" trophy.
The flashlight's frequency of usage is also a determinant of the memo affinity in some areas, particularly Fire, Light & Blood.
P.T.[]
The flashlight in P.T.
The flashlight appears once more in Silent Hills' playable teaser, P.T.
The protagonist finds a handheld flashlight on the floor of the bathroom during the third loop. It is rather similar to Cybil's one in the 2006 movie. Much like in Shattered Memories, the player can control the flashlight's direction by moving the right joystick. The flashlight also appears to be affected by the hauntings that occur in the never-ending hallway, as its light sometimes vanishes inexplicably.
Silent Hill: The Short Message[]
The flashlight in The Short Message.
The flashlight Anita's smartphone
The flashlight used in Silent Hill: The Short Message is used through the character Anita's smartphone.
Silent Hill film[]
Cybil Bennett.
The flashlight makes an appearance in the Silent Hill film. Rose Da Silva first finds the flashlight in Midwich Elementary School inside of a drawer.
Later in the movie, an Order Soldier gives Rose a "heavy duty" type of flashlight. She uses it to get through a pack of Nurses blocking her path to Alessa Gillespie in Brookhaven Hospital.
Cybil Bennett carries two flashlights during the film, one of them being a handheld and one a clip-on for her uniform's shoulder strap.
Silent Hill: Revelation[]
Heather Mason.
Heather Mason is seen getting a hold of a flashlight in Brookhaven Asylum. She then uses in search of Leonard Wolf's cell.
Gallery[]
| v · e · d |
|---|
| Characters |
| Protagonist - Lisa's Husband |
| Monsters |
| Lisa - Bloodied Bag - Baby |
| Locations |
| Bathroom - Concrete Room - Never-ending hallway |
| Terms |
| Flashlight - Radio |
| Archives |
| Baby Laughter - The Six Fragments |
| v · e · d |
|---|
| Characters |
| Major Characters |
| Rose Da Silva - Christopher Da Silva - Cybil Bennett - Dahlia Gillespie - Thomas Gucci - Anna - Christabella - Sharon Da Silva - Alessa Gillespie - Dark Alessa |
| Other Characters |
| Sister Margaret - Eleanor - Adam - Colin - Lisa Garland - Jennifer Carroll |
| Monsters |
| Armless Man - Colin - Creeper - Dark Nurse - Grey Child - Red Pyramid |
| Locations |
| Brahms - Brookhaven Hospital - Church - Da Silva House - Gans County - Grand Hotel - Midwich Elementary School - Nathan Drugs - Pete's Bowl-O-Rama - Sacrificial Chamber - Silent Hill, West Virginia - Smitty's - Toluca County Archives - Toluca County Mining Museum - Toluca County Orphanage - Toluca Lake |
| Terms |
| The Brethren - Monster - Flashlight - Manifestation - Otherworld - Fog World - Real World - Siren - Great Knife - Welcome Sign - Brethren Symbol |
| Archives |
| Soundtrack |
| v · e · d |
|---|
| Characters |
| Major Characters |
| Heather Mason - Christopher Da Silva - Vincent Cooper - Claudia Wolf - Leonard Wolf - Dark Alessa - Douglas Cartland - Alessa Gillespie |
| Other Characters |
| Rose Da Silva - Dahlia Gillespie - Suki - Travis Grady - Order Soldier - Detective Santini - Mannequin Girl |
| Monsters |
| Armless Man - Delusion - Leonard Wolf - Lobotomy - Mannequin Monster - Memory of Alessa - Missionary - Nurse - Pyramid Head - Valtiel |
| Locations |
| All Hallows High School - Brookhaven Asylum - Central Square Shopping Center - Jacks Inn - Sanctuary - Silent Hill, West Virginia - Lakeside Amusement Park |
| Terms |
| The Brethren - Halo of the Sun - Monster - Manifestation - Otherworld - Fog World - Real World - Robbie the Rabbit - Seal of Metatron - Siren - The Order - Great Knife - Welcome Sign |
| v · e · d |
|---|
| Characters |
| Major Characters |
| Anita Planert - Maya Hindenburg |
| Other Characters |
| Amelie - Krysta Planert |
| Monsters |
| Sakura Head |
| Locations |
| The Villa - Kettenstadt |
| Terms |
| Flashlight - Radio - Real World - Fog World - The Silent Hill Phenomenon - The Witch of the Far East - Otherworld - Monster - Robbie the Rabbit |
| Archives |
| Memos - Puzzles - Soundtrack |