Flesh Lip is a monster appearing in Silent Hill 2. It is a manifestation of James Sunderland's subconscious thoughts, representing the memory of his wife in her sick bed. Creature designer Masahiro Ito created the design and animations, taking inspiration from Isamu Noguchi's statue "Death (Lynched Figure)" and the photograph "Man with No Legs" by Joel-Peter Witkin.
Since its debut, Flesh Lip has appeared in the 2012 spin-off Silent Hill: Book of Memories, and in the pachislot and 2024 video game adaptations of Silent Hill 2.
History[]
James Sunderland vacationed Silent Hill, Maine with his wife Mary before she contracted a terminal illness. After her death, three years later, he returned to the town under the delusion that she might somehow be alive, waiting for him there. His subconscious thoughts were manifested into physical form and he encountered nine figures on his journey, represented by nine red squares, among them being a creature called Flesh Lip. He was flanked by three of them in Brookhaven Hospital and was able to fend them off, before transitioning to the Otherworld.[1][2][3]
In other media[]
Silent Hill: Book of Memories[]
Flesh Lips are a recurring enemy in the 2012 dungeon crawler Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Serving a gameplay function, they drop into environments from above and command other creatures to spawn and attack the player character until destroyed.[4]
Pachislot Silent Hill[]
Flesh Lip as it appears in Pachislot Silent Hill.
Flesh Lip appears in the 2015 pachislot game Silent Hill, which adapts the plot of Silent Hill 2.
Silent Hill 2 (2024)[]
Flesh Lip appears in Bloober Team's retelling of Silent Hill 2. James kills one of them in a confrontation in Brookhaven Hospital, after which a second one appears and pulls him into the ceiling as the environment transitions into the Otherworld.
Appearance and symbolism[]
Flesh Lip is a creature bound to a grid-like lattice with a mouth located on its abdomen. Encountered in a hospital, it represents James' memory of Mary in her sick bed. Its flesh is reminiscent of broken skin similar to Mary's disease.[5][6][7][8] The lattice evokes a bed frame[5] and the imagery of "Misty Day, Remains of the Judgment",[9] a painting that resonated with James during their vacation to Silent Hill.[10][11][12][13][14]
"Mouth" is a recurring motif in the creature design. Mary verbally abused James during her illness, so the mouths on the creatures represent her inner turmoil and verbal attacks.[15][16][17] None of the monsters in Silent Hill 2 have mouths until Flesh Lip appears,[18] after which every creature introduced has a mouth.[19] Flesh Lip is a more abstract representation of the vision of Mary that James confronts in the game's climax. She transforms into a sickly creature that hangs upside down from a similar lattice.[7] James knows that he should remember killing her, but actively suppresses the memory in Brookhaven Hospital.[20]
Behind the scenes[]
"A rough sketch that is very similar to the final design. Instead of a 'mouth,' a protuberance is visible in the abdominal area." - Excerpt from Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle.
Flesh Lip was designed and animated by Masahiro Ito for the video game Silent Hill 2. Due to budget constraints, each of the creatures had to be animated by hand instead of relying on motion capture.[21][22][23][24] The cage frames on its body were inspired by Isamu Noguchi's statue "Death (Lynched Figure)", and the 1976 photograph "Man with No Legs" by Joel-Peter Witkin, which appeared in the film Jacob's Ladder.[25][26] Its mouth was inspired by the painting "Second Version of Triptych 1944" by Francis Bacon.[27]
Ito returned as a conceptual artist on Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2, redesigning the look of the creature.[28] The frames of the cage act as legs and a means of attack. Bloober Team used spiders as a design reference.[29]
Trivia[]
- If James dies during the fight in Silent Hill 2, one of the creatures drags his corpse into the ceiling.[30]
- Defeating the Flesh Lips in the Silent Hill HD Collection unlocks the trophy/achievement "Where's That Letter!?"[31]
- The design of Sofia-M from Ito's manga Acid Bufferzone is based on Flesh Lip.[32]
Gallery[]
Silent Hill 2[]
Silent Hill: Book of Memories[]
Silent Hill 2 (2024)[]
.jpg "Flesh Lip (Remake).jpg (959 KB)")
Merchandise[]
References[]
- ↑ Silent Hill 2 (2001); Team Silent, Konami
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200927025145/https://preview.redd.it/9prbabzeblp51.png?auto=webp&s=4383936c0047cbb64bd11d52750e04e3c5d9953e
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1559810680441962497
- ↑ Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2012) - "Bestiary"; WayForward Technologies, Konami
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle (2003) - "Silent Hill 2: Creature Commentary" (Fanmade English Translation)
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/935208330728849408
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Silent Hill 2 Complete Guide & World Guide (Konami Official Guide) (2001); A.I. generated English translation:
The Relationship Between Flesh Lip and Boss Mary
Flesh Lip and Boss Mary are structurally very similar. This is because Flesh Lip serves as a precursor to Boss Mary. Both share common features, such as the "grid that evokes a bed" and the "mouth that curses James" positioned below, along with severe skin damage caused by illness. The battle against Flesh Lip takes place in a hospital, which is significant as it was where Mary received treatment, deeply imprinted in James's mind.
The image of being caught in the grid and hanging upside down evokes the scene of Maria being executed by Pyramid Head in the hotel lobby
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/146551655775731713
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1856868409763643446
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210702212623/https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/844034081482395649
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1418699264646029316
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1719050500652548354
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1856868409763643446
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1856876270430425194
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160411234831/http://8226.teacup.com/hill_nobu/bbs/1476
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/98421367644491776
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/534388208524468224
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/534391668384886785
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/534388290971906048
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1857111261517115609
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1170622089419640832
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1453133426433818626
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1170622089419640832
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1263249682651742208
- ↑ https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/866411411764682752
- ↑ https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/866417586287722496
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1856823186744381819
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1842200085972836497
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOT8DwSFD0
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.ign.com/wikis/silent-hill-hd-collection/Silent_Hill_2_HD
- ↑ https://x.com/adsk4/status/1254117621152141312