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Lying Figures are humanoid monsters appearing in Silent Hill 2. It is the first creature that James Sunderland encounters in his journey through Silent Hill, Maine. They are a physical manifestation of the memory of his sick wife on her deathbed and his internal suffering, taking the appearance of a hospital patient writhing in agony.

Creature designer Masahiro Ito was inspired by BDSM fashion and the movements of a co-worker in a hoodie when creating the monster. They were adapted as the Armless Man in the 2006-2012 film series and have appeared in comics, the art film Fukuro, and Bloober Team's retelling of Silent Hill 2.

History[]

James Sunderland and his wife Mary toured Silent Hill while on vacation. Afterwards, Mary fell into a terminal illness, and over the next three years, experienced a turbulent marriage, crippling symptoms, and hospitalizations. Following her eventual demise, James received a letter from Silent Hill in her handwriting, claiming to be from her. In denial about the circumstances of her death, James traveled back to the town to investigate. There, he fell into a paranormal dream state known as the "Fog World", which manifested aspects of his unconscious mind into physical form.

Upon entering South Vale, he discovered a trail of blood smeared across the streets and a silhouette wandering in the distance. He followed the trail to a tunnel, where he was shocked to discover a Lying Figure lingering in the darkness. He beat it to death in a confrontation, and returned to find scores of them now loitering the streets. He encountered more in the buildings and other areas before reaching Brookhaven Hospital. After the town transitioned to the Otherworld, Lying Figures were present in the Labyrinth and Toluca Prison, and were later seen again in Lakeview Hotel.[1]

Maria fought through several of them before meeting James in Rosewater Park.[2]

Other versions[]

Art of Silent Hill[]

A variant of the Lying Figure appears heavily in Fukuro, an abstract film that Masahiro Ito conceived as a metaphor for the human womb.[3]

Comics[]

Lying Figures were featured in the cover art for Silent Hill: Sinner's Reward #4 by Tom Waltz (April 2008).

Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team)[]

Lying Figures reappear in Bloober Team's iteration of Silent Hill 2.

Appearance and symbolism[]

SH2sp

The nine red squares are synchronized with the nine monsters that James faces on his journey.

As physical manifestations of James Sunderland's subconscious, the Lying Figures are among the nine creatures tied to the nine red squares.[4][5] The creature's upper torso is a body bag, the sign of a corpse, from which it writhes from side-to-side. Its movements represent a hospital patient squirming in agony[6][7][8][9] and the creatures were born from James' feelings of confinement.[10][6]

The name "Lying Figure" refers to both Mary's corpse and Mary in her sickbed.[7] When James came into contact with the first Lying Figure, he had no conscious memory of how Mary really died. But, according to Masahiro Ito, he vaguely remembered driving to Silent Hill with a corpse in the backseat of his car.[11][12]

In the Born from a Wish scenario, Maria is observed to be able to see James' Otherworld and monsters, being a manifestation of his subconscious herself.

Gameplay[]

They attack by spewing a spray of poisonous mist from an opening in their torso, which will knock James/Maria back and force him/her to recover for a few seconds before being able to resume his/her attack. Because of this, it's best to deal with them from range, preferably by using the handgun, as a few good shots can down the creature. However, if melee is the only option, it's advised to use the steel pipe while strafing left/right to avoid the poison.

They are slow-moving while standing upright; however, when knocked down, they can easily hit James/Maria by skittering very quickly along the ground, easily outrunning the player. It's best to flee if the situation arises.

Behind the scenes[]

Image 9185f9c54

Concept art for the creature. The left depicts a design with a straightjacket, while the right depicts a body bag.[13] The left design incorporates red boots and has a "mouth" that allows it to nourish itself by feeding on corpses.[6]

The design of the Lying Figure was inspired by BDSM fashion, especially the early concept art, and the final design was influenced by the atmosphere of figures in Francis Bacon's paintings.[13][14][15][16]

Ito created the monsters of Silent Hill 2 with human traits in mind, which he subverted in the designs and animations to create an uncanny valley effect. The Lying Figure's movements were inspired by one of his co-workers; Ito recounted, "One day, I saw him from a long way off. His hands were in his pockets, close to his body, and he was wearing a sweatshirt with a hood. He was also listening to his walkman and walking in a cool way."[17][18]

Trivia[]

2-009

Alleyway corpse.

  • The Silent Hill 2 "official" BradyGames strategy guide by Dan Birlew refers to them as "Patient Demon". However, this should not necessarily be accepted as an official name because it never appears anywhere else, and the "official" strategy guides occasionally contain errors.
  • The corpse in the alleyway where James obtains the Apartment Gate Key resembles a Lying Figure wearing clothing, possibly implying that Lying Figures were once human, or are human.
  • In the Silent Hill Historical Society, there is a painting titled Death by Skewering, depicting Lying Figures being impaled by tree branches.
  • While in the Otherworld, if James attempts to revisit the location where he killed the first Lying Figure, the area will be blocked off by police tape.
  • In the Art of Silent Hill, there is an image of "beta" Lying Figures in which they seem to have mouths (see #Artwork and models).
  • A creature briefly seen near an elevator in Silent Hill 3 reuses assets from Lying Figure and Fukuro Lady.[19]
  • The design is speculated to have something to do with physical distortion, as Mary said late into her illness, "I look like a monster!".
  • It has been speculated that the Lying Figure's attack is symbolic of coughing and Mary's illness. Ito clarifies that was not intentional.[20][21]

Gallery[]

Artwork and models[]

Silent Hill 2[]

Fukuro[]

Comics[]

Merchandise[]

Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team)[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. Silent Hill 2: "Letter From Silent Heaven" scenario; Konami Digital Entertainment
  2. Silent Hill 2: "Born from a Wish" scenario; Konami Digital Entertainment
  3. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/406798730923220992
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20200927025145/https://preview.redd.it/9prbabzeblp51.png?auto=webp&s=4383936c0047cbb64bd11d52750e04e3c5d9953e
  5. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1559810680441962497
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.silenthillmemories.net/lost_memories/guide/048-049_en.htm
  7. 7.0 7.1 https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1557465002533343232
  8. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1138097387170279424
  9. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/243734491946942464
  10. Silent Hill 2: The Novel - Chapter 6
  11. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1621636892419829760
  12. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1621650495629856768
  13. 13.0 13.1 https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1559074388972285952
  14. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1303147552284446720
  15. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1300176319594938368
  16. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/928623872491974656
  17. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1557473328373596161
  18. https://youtu.be/E1VKvED76WQ?t=980
  19. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/911496746697502720
  20. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1263548185500250112
  21. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1263548250616807429
  22. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/803244671577169920
  23. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1366950391770796032
  24. https://twitter.com/adsk4/status/1226314610338234368
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
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