Silent Hill Discussion

[StarZander]

http://mp3content01.bcst.yahoo.com/proot1/PubShare02/yahoointernal/11/21764261.mov

...

YES.

Mother fuckers this is the theatrical trailer! WATCH IT NOW.

Look a few pages back, and you'll see a link to it too. Most of us have already seen it. Although, not in a downloadable link, me thinks.


EDIT: Everyone who hasn't checked out the new and improved Silent Hill movie website, then go do so now:

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/

EDIT2: You should really sheck the Media gallery, as it has loads of new stills. Yummyness!

[The Instrument of GAWD]

I can't post in this thread anymore with out feeling stupid because of everyone making these huge posts with theories, points and such. All I can really do is comment on the trailer (which I got from Amaterasu's link).

Whoever said that it looks too bright wasn't too off. Compared to the game, yeah it is alittle bright. However, it'd probably be unreasonable to keep things that dark or foggy. To me, it felt like it was straying away some from the SH roots when the woman was using a cell phone and there was more than three people in one place.

One thing I can say I liked tho' was seeing the woman using a lighter instead of a flashlight. That was one thing that got me, every main character (except Henry) had a pocket flashlight and a pocket on their chest to put it in.

Well anyway, that's all I got I guess...

[Eccles]

Replaying SH2 got me thinking yesterday...do you suppose there's any connection between the mystery jumper from Brookhaven and the way the mannequins throw themselves off the tops of buildings?

If it were any other game I wouldn't comment, but given the way the Silent Hill series is crazy go-nuts over references and symbolism I think it could be referring to something.

I mean, I know the monsters in SH2 are going for the whole eros/thanatos thing, but that doesn't mean they can't go further, right?

Also: Jezum craw that's a freaky picture of Alessa. Where's her fuggen mouth!?
I'm totally gonna snag me one of those posters when the cinema across the street gets them...I couldn't forgive m'self if I didn't.

[Global-Trance]

Well... I'm out of the running for the finals round of the poster contest. :(

Thanks to those that voted for me anyways.

[Eccles]

Wait,I thought the freaky no-mouth Alessa was the poster they were using...given it's on the site and all the cinema's in my area have that as the poster on their websites.

Still...even if it isn't I'ma try and filch one of whatever they eventually do go for. So determined am I that I even considered getting a job for the sole purpose of getting one. <_< >_>

[Nulion]

One thing I can say I liked tho' was seeing the woman using a lighter instead of a flashlight. That was one thing that got me, every main character (except Henry) had a pocket flashlight and a pocket on their chest to put it in.

About the lighter, did you notice that what was happening in the trailer is the exact same thing that happened to Harry during the first part of SH1? It's where he sees shadows of his daughter running into an alleyway. He follows the shadow and is led into the alley, where it starts getting dark; at that point he has no flashlight, and has to use the lighter. Then he stumbles upon the corpse tied up to the fence, and after looking at it, is attacked from behind by those mumbler things: the trailer breaks this up, but any time you see her with a lighter chances are it's going to be THAT section.

Oh, also...did anybody notice that in the trailer, Sharon is holding almost exactly the same drawing book that Cheryl is in the opening of SH1? It even says "DRAWING BLOCK" on it. Even if they get some technical details about the movie wrong, such as the nurses or Pyramid Head not belonging, you have to applaud their attention to detail.

[Eccles]

Except that the book said CODWIGR DINER in that particular videro.

[Nulion]

It does? I could swear it always said DRAWING BLOCK. But then, I think the text actually changes if you beat the game, along with several other little scenes in the intro movie. I can't remember all of them now, though.

[Eccles]

It says drawing block in the game, but in the opening cinema it says Codwigr Diner. Or something like that, it's pretty blocky.

Why? No idea. That isn't on the map anywhere...no memos mention it. Nothing.

[Nulion]

I stand corrected, he's right o.o Even in the game though, when you go back to the alley and see the book, it still has that same gibberish on it you pointed out.

Weird. I went into Silent Hill 3 though, and on the bed near the end of the game is the same book, and it DOES say "DRAWING BLOCK". Guess they decided after the first game that sticking with gibberish for book covers wasn't a very good idea, hehe.

[Infinite HP]

After having just watched a speed run of Silent Hill (I've played the game before but it's been awhile, so I d/led a speed run of it), I am now more anxious than before to see this movie, but I am actually kind of hoping the movie will be a little better than the game.

The first one was alright, but it would seem this movie is going to incorporate all (or at least some) of the other games, which is an exciting prospect.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

One thing I can say I liked tho' was seeing the woman using a lighter instead of a flashlight. That was one thing that got me, every main character (except Henry) had a pocket flashlight and a pocket on their chest to put it in.

About the lighter, did you notice that what was happening in the trailer is the exact same thing that happened to Harry during the first part of SH1? It's where he sees shadows of his daughter running into an alleyway. He follows the shadow and is led into the alley, where it starts getting dark; at that point he has no flashlight, and has to use the lighter. Then he stumbles upon the corpse tied up to the fence, and after looking at it, is attacked from behind by those mumbler things: the trailer breaks this up, but any time you see her with a lighter chances are it's going to be THAT section.

Believe it or not, I forgot about that part. Whoops.

[UnforgivingEdges]

After having just watched a speed run of Silent Hill (I've played the game before but it's been awhile, so I d/led a speed run of it)

Link please?

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

I actually went to the theater to see the new Silent Hill trailer. Ifrit posted from a viable source that it was going to play with Underworld: Evolution. I don't know if anyone else's posted about this, because I only went back to the last page but... damn, I say, the trailer looks freaking awesome. They've got the environments down to the t and, on top of that, they're not using a bunch of nu-metal music like all these other horror games turned movies. Akira Yamaoka is the shiznit! Woo-hoo!

[CIaude]

I've shown the trailer to 7 people who have never played Silent Hill before. They want to see it now. :)

Edit:
Silent Hill YTMND's!:
Silent Hill 3 in one word *SPOILER!* (http://sh3resume.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill in a Nutshell (http://confusedharry.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill 4 cosplay *Slightly Disturbing* (http://sh4burning.ytmnd.com/)
Nobody expects Silent Hill (http://spanishsh3.ytmnd.com/)
YTMND spin off of ualuealuealeuale (http://silenthillualuestheclassics.ytmnd.com/)
Could this be realted to the film?! (Seriously, this is pretty cool/fucked up) (http://isdissilenthill.ytmnsfw.com/)

[Your Good Twin]

Definitely go to the official site and head over to the media section. Besides the tons of VERY revealing pictures, something... interesting happens while you're looking.

http://www.welcometosilenthill.com

[Infinite HP]

After having just watched a speed run of Silent Hill (I've played the game before but it's been awhile, so I d/led a speed run of it)

Link please?

http://speeddemosarchive.com/demo.pl?SilentHill_3529

There are a ton on this site (speed runs I mean).

there are also a ton of speed runs for different games on www.archive.org. Cool beans.

I will admit to you, though, UE that the quality even for HQ is still a little bad.

[Infinite HP]

I've shown the trailer to 7 people who have never played Silent Hill before. They want to see it now. :)

Edit:
Silent Hill YTMND's!:
Silent Hill 3 in one word *SPOILER!* (http://sh3resume.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill in a Nutshell (http://confusedharry.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill 4 cosplay *Slightly Disturbing* (http://sh4burning.ytmnd.com/)
Nobody expects Silent Hill (http://spanishsh3.ytmnd.com/)
YTMND spin off of ualuealuealeuale (http://silenthillualuestheclassics.ytmnd.com/)
Could this be realted to the film?! (Seriously, this is pretty cool/fucked up) (http://isdissilenthill.ytmnsfw.com/)

Sorry for the double post. Don't forget my ytmnd (http://pyramid3some.ytmnd.com/) :-D

[leokef]

Could this be realted to the film?! (Seriously, this is pretty cool/fucked up) (http://isdissilenthill.ytmnsfw.com/)

I know Something Awful started the comparison, but could we not link horrific porn to Silent Hill, please? Even in a comparison that is meant to be insulting to the porn?

[Aetherius]

hmm, does anyone know of an archive of Silent Hill 2 FMVs? Otherwise, I'd like to know how I might capture them for myself, if they are not attainable...

[Eccles]

hmm, does anyone know of an archive of Silent Hill 2 FMVs? Otherwise, I'd like to know how I might capture them for myself, if they are not attainable...Ive got them on CDR somewhere...which ones did you want?

Also, I like the music for that horrific porn one. The bit when you're at the very end of the hotel in SH2? Love it. Shame it's not on the OST.

[Aetherius]

I'd actually like to have all of them, if possible.

[Eccles]

Well I'm off to college in a bit...so I'll see what I can do when I get back home.

[Infinite HP]

I was JUST at a fan-based SH site yesterday that had movie and audio clips from all the games...dammit but my cache cleared out and I can't find it. I'll look later as well when I get back from class.

[Nulion]

Chances are, that was Silent Hill Media you were looking through, Infinite. I know the link is somewhere in this thread, probably around page 70-something :)

Great, great site.

And...er....since we're posting that ytmnd thing, here's my favorite:

It was inevitable! (http://trianglemansh.ytmnd.com/)

[Eccles]

Oh yeah. I found the CD. Get in touch and I'll see what I can do.

[StarZander]

Also, I like the music for that horrific porn one. The bit when you're at the very end of the hotel in SH2? Love it. Shame it's not on the OST.

I have that music. If you want it, just msg me on msn whilst I'm home, and I'll send it to you if you want. I probably have alot more you want aswell.

[ifirit]

iFUTUR3LIST Update:
Terror in the Depths of the Blog:
I was looking through Konami of Japan's website again and came across Akira Yamaoka's blog relating to his recently released album iFUTURELIST (http://www.konamistyle.jp/customfactory/akirayamaoka/index.html). Although completely written in Japanese, I found multiple mentions on Silent Hill within what little text I could translate. In addition to this, he seems to have been very active this month in filling his blog, which, to me, suggests that something important is happening in Yamaoka-san's life/career. Some photos show him giving some sort of presentation, while others seem to be unrelated to anything outside of iFUTURELIST. Although, I suspect that this recent peak in blog activity is due simply to the release of the fourth volume of the iFUTURELIST collection, but complete translation may reveal additional information regarding Akira's involvement in either Silent Hill (the film) or with Silent Hill 5. I report more after I've translated the complete texts.

Akira Yamaoka Official Blog - iFUTURELIST (http://www.blog.konami.jp/gs/2006/01/000782.html)

[Nulion]

Times like these, I really wish I could understand Japanese. Bleh :(

Ifrit, I've been trying to look up info on this but isn't Konami Gamer's Day soon? There's a chance we might learn something new when that rolls around.

*just now noticed Ifrit's signature and slaps self on the head repeatedly....though it doesn't have a date*

[DarkPoinko]

I've shown the trailer to 7 people who have never played Silent Hill before. They want to see it now. :)

Edit:
Silent Hill YTMND's!:
Silent Hill 3 in one word *SPOILER!* (http://sh3resume.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill in a Nutshell (http://confusedharry.ytmnd.com/)
Silent Hill 4 cosplay *Slightly Disturbing* (http://sh4burning.ytmnd.com/)
Nobody expects Silent Hill (http://spanishsh3.ytmnd.com/)
YTMND spin off of ualuealuealeuale (http://silenthillualuestheclassics.ytmnd.com/)
Could this be realted to the film?! (Seriously, this is pretty cool/fucked up) (http://isdissilenthill.ytmnsfw.com/)

Sorry for the double post. Don't forget my ytmnd (http://pyramid3some.ytmnd.com/) :-D

Possibly the funniest Silent Hill YTMND I've seen. (http://trianglemansh.ytmnd.com)

[StarZander]

Some of you may have heard of a new symphonic game consert, called PLAY!, and they will be playing music from the Silent Hill games. Their very first consert will take place in Stockholm, Sweden. Right where I live. And I can't even afford to go... But, the rest of you might, when it gets closer to you.

Read more here:
http://www.play-symphony.com/news.php?full=4

[Nulion]

Some new Silent Hill news! Apparently, Komani has just released information on a new....thing....for PSP, called "The Silent Hill Experience"

It's a sort of interactive UMD that has 6 different 15 minute long animated Silent Hill comics, interviews with the director of the SH Movie and with Yamaoka, stills and trailers from the games and for the movie, 20 music tracks from the games hand-picked by Yamaoka, and a behind-the-scenes look at the SH Movie.

It should be released this coming Spring.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/683/683276p1.html

[ifirit]

Ifirit, I've been trying to look up info on this but isn't Konami Gamer's Day soon? There's a chance we might learn something new when that rolls around.

*just now noticed Ifrit's signature and slaps self on the head repeatedly....though it doesn't have a date*
Konami Gamer's Day Update:
The Silent Hill Experience:
Although Konami kept the time and location of their annual Gamer's Day Press Event, it was held today in a local SOMA club called the Mezzanine in downtown San Fransico, CA. The press event featured highly anticipated information on games and additional media to be released this year. Among this plethera of gaming delights was no mention of the next sequel in the Silent Hill series. In it's place, however, is a UMD encoded (PlayStation Portable [PSP]) equivalent to The Art of Silent Hill or Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill called "The Silent Hill Experience," which will focus on all things Silent Hill released outside of the video game world (i.e. the Silent Hill comics, film, etc.).

To focus on these outside works, the UMD disk will contain 6 animated sequences of the Silent Hill: Dying Inside series (possibly including one tale from the Three Tales comics released after SH:DI), interviews and behind-the-scenes photage of Silent Hill (film), and a collection of "Akira's Picks" of music from the games. For Silent Hill fans, this is your reason to buy a PSP.

IGN - "Silent Hill Experience" (http://psp.ign.com/articles/683/683276p1.html)
GameSpot - "Konami takes new tack in 2006" (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/mgs3subsistence/news_6143067.html)
GameSpot - "Silent Hill gets Experienced" (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/silenthill4theroom/news_6143103.html)
Trailer - The Silent Hill Experience (.mov format) [MegaUpload Mirror] (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MUSD2PH0)
Trailer - The Silent Hill Experience (.wmv format) [MegaUpload Mirror] (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3DX0LA6J)

EDIT: Damn! I was too late.[/reference] Looks like Nulion beat me to the punch. Uploading those mirrors took longer than I thought.

It's Hard Being Green:
Although somewhat off-topic, I thought this article was very cool. Vixx, a long-time member of the Silent Hill online community & staff member for Silent Hill Heaven, received a package the other day as a thank you from Akira Yamaoka for some work she did on his initial website. I just can't help feeling envious that she recieved an autographed poster for Heather and a free copy of iFUTURELIST. I really need to check out that album.

Furious Angel - "The Day I Had a Surprise Package (http://furious-angel.com/2006/01/20/the-day-i-had-a-surprise-package)

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

Silent Hill Experience? Sweet. I'm hella there, yo.

[Nulion]

Hehe, didn't mean to steal your thunder there ifrit, was pretty happy to have heard there was something Silent Hillish to stick into my PSP in the near future :)

About that iFUTURELIST album though, it's pretty amazing how utterly different Yamaoka-san's normal, non-SH music is from the things he does in the SH games. You ever hear some of his tracks in the DDR series? Sme of them are actually pretty good and catchy...but NOTHING like his SH work.

[ifirit]

Likely the reason that there is a difference between Akira Yamaoka's work for Silent Hill and his other gaming compositions are based on the type of sound he desires and the influences that he uses to construct the music. Although he cites no particular artist in general, he does mention being influenced by certain genres and subgenres. For example, when composing "You're not Here," he was looking to create a rock piece that had pop overtones in order to reflect the type of music a teenager such as Heather would listen to. For the "Robbie Tracks" remix album, he was looking for a definite/characteristically European techno sound. Thus, for the Bemani titles, he tries to create high energy pieces that reflect various dance club vibes and often his work displays again a European influence.

The more I listen to his music (and to others' music), it becomes easier and easier to hear various genre influences in his work while still managing to avoid sounding like any particular artist. According to various interviews, Akira Yamaoka likes Bristol sounds (Punk/Rock), German techno and electronica, airy New Age music (usually originating from Central Europe as interpretations of traditional Asian folk songs) and American Jazz and Blues. I find that his specific tastes in music help him to know what distinguishes one sound from another, which is probably why his style is so unique. (Personally, I like his work on the Shin Contra [Contra: Shattered Soldier] album because it was the only time where he was trying to make a soundtrack sound like "video game music;" though he has stated that he wishes that he could have made it more "video-gamey.")

[Eccles]

There was a remix album and I wasn't told? Where can I get a hold of this monstrosity?

[ifirit]

The remix album that I am refering to is "Robbie Tracks (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1906374#1906374)," which was a three track mini-CD that remixed the music from the promotional "Robbie" video originally available on www.sh2004.com (the old flash version).

[Eccles]

I see. And since the three links you made in that post, there, have expired is there any other way I can get them?

[ifirit]

DC++

EDIT: Well, look at that. Post #666.

[Eccles]

I'm going to nod my head and pretend I understood what you just said.

Then I'ma go on MSN and pester you for it.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I got this link (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4644930520725521899&q=Silent+Hill+2) sent to me today.

[ifirit]

I got this link (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4644930520725521899&q=Silent+Hill+2) sent to me today.
Two words: Space Ghost.

[RazorOutlaw]

That was...different...

[ifirit]

Silent Hill Fanworks: Films
Since we're sharing Silent Hill-related videos, here are a couple more that you might want to check out.

El Despues (The Aftermath):
"El Despues" is a fan-created, short film inspired by "Jacob's Ladder" and the Silent Hill games, as well as a little known Chinese film called "The Eye." (The premise of "The Eye" is about a blind woman who, after receiving a cornea transplant, begins to see paranormal phenomena. However, she is without any visual memory so she is unware that it is paranormal. This leads to a series of plot twists and revelations.) Anyway, this fan film shows the audience what happens in the wake of a suicide.

The film is clearly inspired by the Silent Hill series, most particularly by Silent Hill 3, but in the most unexplainable way, since there are no obvious symbols or characteristics in the short film. Still, this is really one of the better live action films to be created in the name of "Silent Hill" (*shutters at the mention of "Silent Horror (http://www.x-strikestudios.com/silent.html)"*) as it captures that tale-tell "feel" in the games without actually incorporating any of the trademarks of the series (i.e. the alternate world, strange monsters, wheelchairs, nurses or obvious religious motifs). Instead, the film utilizes the cinematic aspect of the games and creates a narrative through camera angles and facial expressions, so pay special attention to these things. In addition to this, there is no dialogue (with exception to the introduction), which further places emphasis on actions and emotions. Tres cool.

Since this is a fan-made film, there are some inevitable trademarks of being a fan-made film. Specifically, the lighting in the film is made to be very dark in certain places and intensely bright in others, which is intentional. However, when viewing this on Google's video page, the plain white background adds a contrast that makes the film appear darker and obstructing what you can see. To remedy this, I suggest you download the film first and view it on the player of your choice such that the background does not create said contrast. Also, whether due to Google's resolution limitations or by fault of the creators, the picture clarity is rather poor, only allowing you to see mostly pixels at times.

In any case, this is an impressive and fun fan film that captures the Silent Hill motif without using it's trademarks, which makes the connection back to the series much more intangible. So, enjoy. (I know I'll never look at christmas lawn ornaments the same way again.)

El Despues (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7379268610353198752&q=Silent+Hill) (by Andes Ciambotti)

Nevermore:
"Nevermore" is short film that retells the classic poem created by everyone's favorite American alcoholic poet: "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. However, it retells the story in a modern setting using modern filming techniques, mostly inspired by Japanese horror games and films, of which includes the Silent Hill series.

Like "El Despues," "Nevermore" creates a narrative using simply actions and expressions without dialogue as the method of execution. One need not be familiar with Poe's most noted work to appreciate the film, but it offers a closer insight into what the symbols and metaphors mean when taken into context.

The premise of this short film revolves around a young school teacher who in the solitude of the afternoon begins to question his sanity as strange things happen in the classroom. Again, similar to "El Despues," the film emulates the essence of "Silent Hill" without using it's trademarks, but invokes the vibe from Silent Hill 4: The Room than from the others in the series. This is most noticable seeing as though the teacher is capable of leaving the classroom, yet he feels compelled to remain there. It's coupled also by the recasting of the raven as a student.

This is just a great fan film that makes you think just as much as it makes you creeped out. It reminds me most of the series "Boogiepop Phantom (http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/oXm=YxXT0rJBfanHeZ/browse/item/48817/4/0/0)" in terms of visuals and character development, but it could be also said of any Japanese genre film. My only wish would be for the director to have taken better advantage of the musical score in this one, as the short feels too silent (if ever there was such a thing). Still, I highly recommend this one.

Nevermore (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8296586312394612856&q=Silent+Hill) (by Mark Lee)

EDIT: In an strange twist of events ala six degrees, I managed to stumble across RazorOutlaw's myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/razoroutlaw) after following links from the director of "Nevermore." I was reading some posts made by this presumed "Josh" and thinking to myself, "Wow, this guy is pretty sharp. I wonder who he is?" Then, I see that's it him. That explained it all.[/non sequitur]

Anyway, I hope you come out okay after dealing with the reprocussions of Personal Victory Day, Razor. (I work in retail as well, so you've earned at least 20 respect points from me.)

[PlastikBag]

Silent Hill 2?

Moer liek "Running Places 2: Oshit, that door's locked" amirite?

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Silent Hill 2?

Moer liek "Running Places 2: Oshit, that door's locked" amirite?

Perhaps the same could be said of all relig-- ahem. I mean survival horror games...

[Nulion]

Oh, had another little relevant blurb...Saw this one over on IMDb, and it's definitely worth a look...

Go to this link

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/site/downloads/wallpapers/sh_wp5_1280x1024.jpg

And that is a link to one of the Silent Hill movie wallpapers. However, try changing the number in the "sh_wp5_" section of that URL...anything from 1 to 7. And in there are 3 hidden wallpapers that are not on the official website.

#1 in particular is pretty sweet, as the thing in the picture can only be described as the final boss in Silent Hill 2. At least that's what it looks like from where I'm sitting, hehe.

[CIaude]

Whenever I think of the Silent Hill trailer, I get an erection.

[Aetherius]

I made a music video for the song 'The nurse who loved me' by failure, using cutscenes from Silent Hill 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I have no where to put it, so I can't really share it.

[StarZander]

I made a music video for the song 'The nurse who loved me' by failure, using cutscenes from Silent Hill 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I have no where to put it, so I can't really share it.

I just got some webspace. I could probably host it for a while. I want to see this video. I love that song.

[RazorOutlaw]

EDIT: In an strange twist of events ala six degrees, I managed to stumble across RazorOutlaw's myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/razoroutlaw) after following links from the director of "Nevermore." I was reading some posts made by this presumed "Josh" and thinking to myself, "Wow, this guy is pretty sharp. I wonder who he is?" Then, I see that's it him. That explained it all.[/non sequitur]

Anyway, I hope you come out okay after dealing with the reprocussions of Personal Victory Day, Razor. [/size]
So, let me get this really strange twist of events straight. You saw the link to his myspace profile, then in his profile you saw that he was part of the group "Silent Hill", finally you were browsing that group's lil forum and saw some of my posts there.

That's the path I took to my profile, and I presume you did too. Until I followed that train of incidents, I just sat here in silence, listening to the wheels turn in my head and thinking "How in the hell was my profile found? That's a chance in a million I bet." To stroke my ego a little more (you did just say I was sharp, which is a big compliment coming from you) what posts were you referring to exactly in the Silent Hill group? I've posted a few times since then, but I couldn't think of many that stood out as being good examples of the discussions I've been in there.

I'll have to give you back those respect points, however, because I did not actually assault anybody in the store. I used personal experience (sans the fist to face) to embellish a story which was done in the style of www.girlsarepretty.com

At my store, irrationality and nitpicking rule the day. At the same time, an ounce of itelligence is worth a lot especially when the ridicule does start. :/

[UnforgivingEdges]

The poster contest finalists have been put up for voting.

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/postercontest/vote/

I don't really think any of them are very good. The last one especially looks too much like a communist propaganda poster. They're all very uncreative, in my opinion.

I voted for #1 in any case. I might vote for #3 tomorrow. Can't decide which one I like better.

[Aetherius]

I pick number one. It's the only one that doesn't have some ridiculous slogan somwhere, and looks remotely connected to the game.

[Aetherius]

excuse the double post, but I figured this needed a bump.


here is my music video, hosted very kindly by StarZander:
http://www.starzander.com/tings/Failure%20-%20The%20Nurse%20Who%20Loved%20Me%20(Silent%20Hill %20AMV).wmv

[Petara]

The poster contest finalists have been put up for voting.

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/postercontest/vote/

I don't really think any of them are very good. The last one especially looks too much like a communist propaganda poster. They're all very uncreative, in my opinion.

I voted for #1 in any case. I might vote for #3 tomorrow. Can't decide which one I like better.

Disappointing...they really aren't that great. And #5...wtf? Crap imo.
Might as well hop on the band wagon for #1.

[Jenga]

Just finished SH3. All of it was awesome except for the ending. How anti-climatic.

[StarZander]

Just finished SH3. All of it was awesome except for the ending. How anti-climatic.

Then get the UFO ending. 'Nuff said.

[Decoy Octopus]

So, apparently I've been living in my own little bubble world since I only discovered last night that there's a Silent Hill movie coming out soon.

High Definition Silent Hill Trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/silenthill/hd/)

It was only yesterday morning that I started a thread talking about how I wasn't sure that a Metroid movie could make a good film (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=76586&start=0). Here, however, I find myself on the completely opposite side of the fence. Despite what I know of video-game-to-movie translations, I want to believe Silent Hill will be good. Unlike Metroid, its plot is more suited for a motion picture without having to sacrifice key elements what makes it great.

I won't lie, I got more excited watching the Silent Hill trailer than I've gotten watching a trailer in a long time. I wait in eager anticipation of April.

[Teknobunny]

i agree. even when ive watched TRAILERS of other game-to-movie conversions, i was always finding myself feeling that something is lacking.

however, i think they mightve hit gold with silent hill. the best thing about it is that its all about the town, and not necessarily one involved plotline. if you dont believe me, play the second one. that is an awesome game that had a story of its own, just in silent hill. so the fact that they can change and introduce new characters isnt such a bad thing, especially considering they seem to have the "feel" of the game down so right. i mean, did you see pyramid head and those melting walls and the nurses? those are some pretty fucked up monsters by conventional standards, and they still had the balls to not "movie up" their enemy characters to make them suit a broader audience.

anyway, im pretty excited to see this movie too. lets just see if my hopes live up to the end result.

[Nulion]

Well....it's been on some other Silent Hill forums and IMDb for a few days now, but figured I'd post it here simply because it is extremely cool :)

Some French magazine managed to get a picture of Pyramid Head from the movie, and the picture I assume was taken from a movie clip shown at Wondercon '06, where Pyramid Head grabs some woman outside a church and rips her skin off. Fun for the whole family!

Anyway, here's the picture :)

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4/suspicionvandit/ph_movie.jpg

[RazorOutlaw]

Definitely an interesting twist, but as someone who liked PH because of his brawnyness I am a bit miffed that they made him thinner looking.

Other than that the costume design is interesting as hell (although I have a slight quibble with the grating on the sides of his head, even then it's pretty A+)

[UnforgivingEdges]

Definitely an interesting twist, but as someone who liked PH because of his brawnyness I am a bit miffed that they made him thinner looking.

Other than that the costume design is interesting as hell (although I have a slight quibble with the grating on the sides of his head, even then it's pretty A+)

I think the change is great. He has a more sinister, sinuous look because he's so thin; it really makes him that much more creepy.

Although I'm with you on the grates. It doesn't detract too much from his overall look, though.

[Nulion]

Actually, try looking up some of the concept art for PH, or some of the artwork done for him, you'll see that he actually is pretty scrawny.

At least that's what I thought when I had a look;
http://shforever.silenthillfever.com/redpyramidhead.jpg

Small picture yes, and his arms do have muscles, but they are still very thin.

About the grating on his head, it does have a more industrial look to it, and it makes sense since Silent Hill 1 felt so much more industrial than SH2 did, right? Also it'd make sense so that the actor playing PH (That IS a costume) would be able to see.

[ifirit]

Warning - Silent Hill: Dying Inside Spoilers
Actually, try looking up some of the concept art for PH, or some of the artwork done for him, you'll see that he actually is pretty scrawny.

At least that's what I thought when I had a look;
http://shforever.silenthillfever.com/redpyramidhead.jpg

Small picture yes, and his arms do have muscles, but they are still very thin.

About the grating on his head, it does have a more industrial look to it, and it makes sense since Silent Hill 1 felt so much more industrial than SH2 did, right? Also it'd make sense so that the actor playing PH (That IS a costume) would be able to see.
Oh, man! I completely forgot to update the thread this past Friday. I was going to make a post about the recent Wondercon event held in San Fransico where the Silent Hill film got a special presentation, featuring a performance of the Red Pyramid Thing and special appearance by Deborah Kerr Unger, who held a brief Q&A session about her work in the upcoming film. I was all set to get you guys pumped up but I completely forgot about it.

Well, maybe I can justify my absense by informing you guys about a recent update on the No Escape website (http://www.noescape.rateofinjury.com/main.htm). It's official, I've confirmed that I will be creating the official film guide for Silent Hill: No Escape which will be featured as a Bonus Feature for the release of the DVD. I'm not going to say very much about it right now, but I can assure you that it will not disappoint you guys. So, keep your eyes peeled for the update on the official fan site.

Let's see, what else has been going in the Silent Hill communities recently? Briefly, new film stills have been added to www.welcometosilenthill.com (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/) which can be downloaded from Silent Hill Fever. Electronic Gaming Monthly's latest magazine issue is featuring an interview with both Akira Yamaoka and Christophe Gans, which is on newsstands already. Hot Topic has released their first merchandise to promote the film, a Robbie T-shirt. A relatively new fan project has released a demo of an adaptation of Silent Hill for an SNES-style game called Heinsen Hill (www.heinsenhill.de.vu). The poster contest ends Friday, so make sure to keep voting every day for your poster pick. (I think #3 works best to use for appearing in theaters; enough to peak people's interest and inform them that this is a horror film, without being too cheesey or vague.) And lastly, Silent Hill: Dead Alive will be releasing Issue #3 pretty soon. Issues #1 and #2 have already hit stores with 5 variant covers for Issue #1 and two for #2.

For those who have forgotten, Silent Hill: Dead Alive is the second series of comics to be released by IDW Publishing. The new series is a direct sequel to Silent Hill: Dying Inside as it begins a short time after Issue #5. Lauryn has regained control of power in Silent Hill and has revived the ghost-town to her liking, which angers Christabella who is forced to see out her existance as the little sister Lauryn once had. Until, one day when Christabella wakes up to find everything returned to the way it was before. But, this time, her body has reverted to its mortal form. This series still sucks and Ceincin's language hasn't cleaned up since the first series, but if you really care, the series is supposed to take place during the seven-year period between the fire and the events of the first game, which only serves to further diminish the games as it would seem that the comics make references to things that have yet to happen in the timeline. Also, apparently all the comics are connected to the SH:DI storyline, making things make even less sense.

Anyway, avoid the SH comics for now and make sure to keep your eyes open for lots of updates from various sources about all things Silent Hill. Hmm... I'm wondering if I should do another Silent Hill Remixes post.

[Decoy Octopus]

Well....it's been on some other Silent Hill forums and IMDb for a few days now, but figured I'd post it here simply because it is extremely cool :)

Some French magazine managed to get a picture of Pyramid Head from the movie, and the picture I assume was taken from a movie clip shown at Wondercon '06, where Pyramid Head grabs some woman outside a church and rips her skin off. Fun for the whole family!

Anyway, here's the picture :)

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4/suspicionvandit/ph_movie.jpg
8O Oh god...

I think Pyramid Head may once more haunt my dreams.

[RazorOutlaw]

In going with Ifrit's post mentioning interviews GameTrailers (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2374) has a...well...trailer for the Silent Hill Experience on the PSP. While it includes some interesting, albeit slightly neligible, features, it also has a snippet of an interview with Gans and Yamaoka.

At any rate, it's a scrap of information (Gans opinion on the movie, I think, while Akira just sits there looking bored). I just thought I might point out that there's a trailer for Silent Hill Experience anyway. I had no idea there was one

P.S.

Good luck writing the guide to No Escape, Ifirit. I'm sure you'll do a good job, following in the trail blazed by PresidentEvil.

P.P.S.

Sorry about the mispelling.

[Jenga]

In going with Ifrit's post mentioning interviews GameTrailers (http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2374) has a...well...trailer for the Silent Hill Experience on the PSP. While it includes some interesting, albeit slightly neligible, features, it also has a snippet of an interview with Gans and Yamaoka.

At any rate, it's a scrap of information (Gans opinion on the movie, I think, while Akira just sits there looking bored). I just thought I might point out that there's a trailer for Silent Hill Experience anyway. I had no idea there was one

P.S.

Good luck writing the guide to No Escape, Ifrit. I'm sure you'll do a good job, following in the trail blazed by PresidentEvil.The expression on Yamaoka's face made me laugh.

[ifirit]

Good luck writing the guide to No Escape, Ifirit. I'm sure you'll do a good job, following in the trail blazed by PresidentEvil.
PresidentEvil won't know what hit him, since this guide isn't going to be you're standard collection of ideas presented in text form alone. They'll be a few surprises along the way. Right now the working title is "Sairento Hiro: Hi Esuke^pu Pa^fekuto Guide." Just to give you a clue about what it is.

P.S. If you want to, you can download the promotional videos for The Silent Hill Experience here (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=2183357#2183357).

[Nulion]

BIG Congrats on your doing the film guide for SH: No Escape, glad to hear you'll be flexing those theoretical muscles in a DVD bonus thingie :)

Speaking of a DVD, this was the first I'd even heard of it...May have to get a copy of this thing someday, hehe. Great all around news :)

As for another post on Silent Hill Remixes ifirit (YES, I fixed it! Nyah!), I would keep my eye on Tranceaddict, the guy there (Carl B) who did a remix of Room of Angel I'd posted several pages back is contemplating doing another version of that song. At least that's what my friend's been telling me, who frequents that forum. I'll keep an eye on it and post whatever he puts up, if anything at all.

[Decoy Octopus]

As for another post on Silent Hill Remixes ifirit, I would keep my eye on Tranceaddict, the guy there (Carl B) who did a remix of Room of Angel I'd posted several pages back is contemplating doing another version of that song. At least that's what my friend's been telling me, who frequents that forum. I'll keep an eye on it and post whatever he puts up, if anything at all.
Hahahaha

He mispelled it even after ifirit corrected RazorOutlaw. That's rich!

[Nulion]

Meh, I'm tired and don't pay attention 8)

[RazorOutlaw]

P.S. If you want to, you can download the promotional videos for The Silent Hill Experience here (http://www.ocremix.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=2183357#2183357).
Looks like I was late in posting mine anyway. >:

[RazorOutlaw]

So, I was mulling a bit over what has happened in the Silent Hill series.

Here are some thoughs (highlight to read):

It's been concluded before that the events in SH1 led to the strengthening/release of the town's dark power. Following this theory, the releasing of power lead to SH2, where James was called back to that town.

This also explained Silent Hill 3, where Heather encountered alternate renditions of her world. By extension, the whole Walter Sullivan fiasco was a result of the town too because the town gave him the power to extend his reach beyond Silent Hill's borders.

Is this correct or are we simply assuming too much? I mean, Walter was an ordinary killer (albeit a good one for the number of his victims). He had no supernatural powers on his own. There's no real reason for him to come back from the dead in the form of a dream-ghost, and the town's dark influence actually extending to other areas seems to be the most logical conclusion.

Heather, on the other hand, carried a demon fetus. She had a direct tie to Silent Hill there, so who is to say that it wasn't the fetus's dark power that made her see things? Or, what if Claudia somehow influenced Heather's perception?

Finally, James had some serious memories attatched to Silent Hill so you could say that in his delusionment and depression that he felt drawn to Silent Hill and that it wasn't necessarily the town that had a hand in pulling him in. The fact that he came back to the town doesn't necessarily mean that the town had any dark influence over him.

But as a counterpoint, Eddie and Angela were pulled in to Silent Hill as well, seemingly without any previous experience there.

I couldn't help but ponder these things.

[Souliarc]

Meh...never played a shred of the game, but I own every bit of the music I can get my hands on.

[Aetherius]

Good. Akira Yamaoka's music has been extremely influential in my own music.

[Souliarc]

Good. Akira Yamaoka's music has been extremely influential in my own music.

Checked out your music, and I can definitely notice the correlation. Good stuff.

I've done a midi rip (not directly) of "Promise" and hope to expand on it. Though the guitar/main melodies are usually quite simple and riffish throughout his music, the effects and counter-melodies portrayed are what bring the songs out in it's entirety. That's what I love, and what is going to be hard to match, or...expand on. "Forest" is a perfect example.

[CIaude]

As an artist, I like to sit with my sketch book and listen to SH3's soundtrack to see what idea's I can come up with.

[Roboduck]

Pyramid Head being in the movie just guaranteed me going.

I was already gonna go just seeing the previews in the theater. But now I'll punch a toddler to get in.

[CIaude]

Pyramid Head being in the movie just guaranteed me going.

I was already gonna go just seeing the previews in the theater. But now I'll punch a toddler to get in.

Do you see what violence in video games does to people? The poor soul... :(

[Aetherius]

I can understand Pyramid head exciting people...even though he doesn't belong in the movie...*shakes fist*


There's better be a GOOD reason for him to be there.

[CIaude]

There's better be a GOOD reason for him to be there.

Why's he in the movie? He's pyramid head! He's just so wholesome and family friendly!

[Aetherius]

thematically, he doesn't belong, unless what's-her-rose has something to feel guilty about.

[RazorOutlaw]

Avery/Gans logic was that PH's image is part of the town's history, therefore he exists intrinsically as part of the town.

The equivalent of the character being Samael/God or even Valtiel.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

As an artist, I like to sit with my sketch book and listen to SH3's soundtrack to see what idea's I can come up with.

I know what you mean. I drew this while listening to "You're Not Here" back when I first got the game.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29454874/

[CIaude]

As an artist, I like to sit with my sketch book and listen to SH3's soundtrack to see what idea's I can come up with.

I know what you mean. I drew this while listening to "You're Not Here" back when I first got the game.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29454874/

I'm not allowed on deviantart anymore. Why? You know those rules they have? I broke all of them. Every single one... I'm kind of proud. Kind of... :?

[The Instrument of GAWD]

As an artist, I like to sit with my sketch book and listen to SH3's soundtrack to see what idea's I can come up with.

I know what you mean. I drew this while listening to "You're Not Here" back when I first got the game.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29454874/

I'm not allowed on deviantart anymore. Why? You know those rules they have? I broke all of them. Every single one... I'm kind of proud. Kind of... :?

Sweet. I don't know if I have to worry about that... I don't draw penix or gania's too much. But anyway, good job on getting banned. DA can suck ass alot at times. What with the rediculious shit that get's on the Daily Favorites from time to time.

Anyway, about SH2. I'm not sure what it is, but that game feels so comfortable to play. Aside form the terror and heart ache your supposed to feel I mean. I've played it over and over, not just for the endings but because of the story.

It's like when you were a kid, you had a movie you liked to watch so much that after watching it once, you rewind it and watched it again. It makes me somewhat sad that the guy directing the SH movie said that if they were to make a squel, they'd base it off of SH3 since it's a direct follow up of the first game and follows the mythology where as SH2 was too different from the first. (read that in the EGM interview)

[Aetherius]

I'm not allowed on deviantart anymore. Why? You know those rules they have? I broke all of them. Every single one... I'm kind of proud. Kind of... :?

You hosted child porn up there?

[FriedRice]

Gans said he would really liked to have done a movie based on Silent Hill 2 first but decided that he needed to explain the town itself before he tried to base a movie on SH2. Therefore, he chose to adapt Silent Hill 1, which is very logical. Regardless, I'm super ecstatic about this. It comes out less than two months from today! 8O But it still feels incredibly far away...

[CIaude]

I'm not allowed on deviantart anymore. Why? You know those rules they have? I broke all of them. Every single one... I'm kind of proud. Kind of... :?

You hosted child porn up there?

Damn, that must be a new one.

[RazorOutlaw]

I don't usually share anything with anybody, because I'm a very greedy and selfish person.

But for once I broke through my egocentric thinking, and decided to post this...odd but somewhat hilarious video of PH.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

PH owns a black cat, lives in a modern home, cuts his own grass, and lives a lonely life.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=q2BhnkVoKvA

[CIaude]

:lol: That's a good find!

[Manic Cinq]

Does anybody know the name of the song that plays in that video "The Loneliness of Pyramid Head"?

[Aetherius]

It's "your rain" from the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack.

(unless you mean the credits music, in which case, I have no idea, but it's obviously akira yamaoka)

[CIaude]

It's "your rain" from the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack.

And DDR, we can't forget DDR... :)

[Aetherius]

It's "your rain" from the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack.

And DDR, we can't forget DDR... :)

Yes we can.

[StarZander]

Wow, that costume was really well made. I've seen several PH cosplayers, but they are all really bad. But this.... awesome.

[speculative]

I played through SH3 last year. Used a FAQ because I'm more about story these days than randomly back-tracking through areas I've been through before. The back-tracking in this game was tolerable with FAQ, wouldn't have been without it. (Especially the fiery "spirit world" area toward the end - couldn't even see where I was going.)

This is the first "survival horror" game I've played. Currently, I've started the RE remake on GC. I really enjoyed SH3: great graphics, music, cutscenes... and like all Japanese games a lot of it just plain doesn't make sense, kind of like an early R.E.M. album. (Stipe admitted in an interview that some of the early song's lyrics were just nonsensical words put together.)

Would it be worth it to go backwards and play SH1 and SH2, or would SH3 have "spoiled" it for me? Sounds like it's time for a SH1 remake on PSP or PS3 perhaps? Maybe I'll watch the film, which is based on SH1, and then pick up SH2 for PS2.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I played through SH3 last year. Used a FAQ because I'm more about story these days than randomly back-tracking through areas I've been through before. The back-tracking in this game was tolerable with FAQ, wouldn't have been without it. (Especially the fiery "spirit world" area toward the end - couldn't even see where I was going.)

This is the first "survival horror" game I've played. Currently, I've started the RE remake on GC. I really enjoyed SH3: great graphics, music, cutscenes... and like all Japanese games a lot of it just plain doesn't make sense, kind of like an early R.E.M. album. (Stipe admitted in an interview that some of the early song's lyrics were just nonsensical words put together.)

Would it be worth it to go backwards and play SH1 and SH2, or would SH3 have "spoiled" it for me? Sounds like it's time for a SH1 remake on PSP or PS3 perhaps? Maybe I'll watch the film, which is based on SH1, and then pick up SH2 for PS2.

Silent Hill 2 is the best game in the series, and it's not directly tied with any of the other games.

Not to mention it's one of the greatest games ever made, and you should definitely play it.

[speculative]

Thanks for the info; I think I'll add SH2 to my list of super-cheap PS2 games that I will add to the collection. With older PS2 games so cheap now (used or new) I see no reason for me to buy another console until well after 2010...

[CIaude]

I didn't like Silent Hill 2 as much when I first beat it. Looking back on it though, it was a hell of a good game. And I understand why UE got so damn hostile when I made that comment about the water ending. It took awhile, but I figured out that I didn't really like that ending because it never really clicked that James was the way he was. I guess I was in denial about it. :roll:

Silent Hill 3 is, in my opinion, the scariest. The otherside of the hospital still makes me cringe, and that carnival... Good stuff. :)

But I have to say that my favorite is the first. Sure the voice acting was shitty, but I loved that "first level." It really set the tone for the rest of the game. I also didn't get the same adrenaline rush in the 2nd or 3rd games when running away from the monsters.

But all in all, I wish I played them in order. I think I would have appreciated and enjoyed them better.

[Oblivion]

has anyone seen the trailer for the Silent Hill movie? I think its gonna do well... least I hope they don't screw it up. Won't do the game any justice if they do.

[Aetherius]

...I'm pretty sure we've all seen it...

Uhm, did anyone read the interview with Chris Gans (with a few little interjections from Akira Yamaoka)in EGM?

It's convinced me that this movie will be pretty good, since Gans is actually a fan of the series himself, is working closely with the makers of the games, somehow impressed Yamaoka, and knocked Uwe Boll at the same time. Sounds pretty promising.

[Decoy Octopus]

Uhm, did anyone read the interview with Chris Gans (with a few little interjections from Akira Yamaoka)in EGM?

It's convinced me that this movie will be pretty good, since Gans is actually a fan of the series himself, is working closely with the makers of the games, somehow impressed Yamaoka, and knocked Uwe Boll at the same time. Sounds pretty promising.
I read the interview, yeah.

Gans was pretty blunt with his thoughts about Boll. I liked that. It shows me that doesn't want to be associated with Uwe in any way. What's the best way to do that? Make a good movie! (Yes... my logic is flawed...)

[Avoli]

I liked what he said about Ebert....if that's the one was-fat critic. This movie will do great I feel mainly because Konami had a good hand in it also. I find it impressive that Gans explained the switch to a female lead instead of a male (the male was too girlie to be believable lmao).

[CIaude]

I made this for all my home boys who sleep with the lights on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/TangDave/sh_halo_background.jpg

[CheezSamich4Hire]

I have 2, 3, and 4. I picked up 4 today, picked up 2 and 3 about a week ago. Play them gradually, circulating and stuff. I can't find 1 though. So far, 2 is better than 3.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I have 2, 3, and 4. I picked up 4 today, picked up 2 and 3 about a week ago. Play them gradually, circulating and stuff. I can't find 1 though. So far, 2 is better than 3.

You're really going to ruin it for yourself play them all at once.

[CheezSamich4Hire]

Well, I'm not playing them all at once. I started to play 3..halfway through....Picked up 2 because I wanted to see Pyramid Head at least once before continuing...now back to 3. After I'm done 3...I'm gonna finish 2, then 4..which I haven't even touched yet.

[Aetherius]

So...yesterday I HAD to write a sonnet, and...it just ended up being about silent hill...which was slightly embarrassing in my poetry class, but a little less embarrassing here. So, without further ado, here's my crappy Silent Hill Sonnet (it's spenserian!):

Each moment that I feel the skin peel off,
I will savour the taste of iron and salt.
Running blood in my mouth comes out in coughs,
dissolving on my tongue, as sick’ning malt.

In my eyes, I can feel tears filled with salt,
commingling with the flow of blood outside.
These tears, the blood, they’re mine. They are my fault.
My guilt has led me to this place to hide.

It’s from this guilt- the crimes I’ve kept inside-
that this world comes, attacking me with dread.
Denying my own past, I fought and tried
to kill the mem’ries of those wronged and dead.

For now, I am haunted by those I’ve killed,
until fog swallows me in Silent Hill.

Feel free to go 'man, that was shitty.'

[CIaude]

So...yesterday I HAD to write a sonnet, and...it just ended up being about silent hill...which was slightly embarrassing in my poetry class, but a little less embarrassing here. So, without further ado, here's my crappy Silent Hill Sonnet (it's spenserian!):

Each moment that I feel the skin peel off,
I will savour the taste of iron and salt.
Running blood in my mouth comes out in coughs,
dissolving on my tongue, as sick’ning malt.

In my eyes, I can feel tears filled with salt,
commingling with the flow of blood outside.
These tears, the blood, they’re mine. They are my fault.
My guilt has led me to this place to hide.

It’s from this guilt- the crimes I’ve kept inside-
that this world comes, attacking me with dread.
Denying my own past, I fought and tried
to kill the mem’ries of those wronged and dead.

For now, I am haunted by those I’ve killed,
until fog swallows me in Silent Hill.

Feel free to go 'man, that was shitty.'

"Man that was shitty." :roll:

Edit: It's wouldn't seem nearly as bad if it didn't come of as gratuitous "emofgt" poem. It's not very obvious the poem is related to a fictional source until the very end. But no, it's not all that bad at all.

[ifirit]

I don't have much time, so I'm going to just make a quick...

Silent Hill Film Update:
Silent Hill Poster Contest Concluded; Winner Announced:
On February 27, 2006, the website announced the official winner of the Silent Hill Poster Contest. So, congratulations to Chuck Waite of El Cerrito, CA for his entry (listed as Poster #4). He'll receive the allotted first place prize of $2500, 25 tickets to the premiere of the film, a limited edition copy of his poster as produced by TriStar Pictures, special Silent Hill merchandise and bragging rights over all others for creating the official film poster. The other contestants will receive runner-up prizes and enjoy a free seat to the premiere of the film, so congrats to them as well.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Movie Poster Contest (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/postercontest/vote/)
Zap 2 It - "'Silent Hill' Poster Contest Winner Unveiled - Pea Soup Never Looked So Creepy" (http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-silenthillpostercontestwinner,0,602013.story)
Yahoo News - "'Silent Hill' Poster Contest Winner Unveiled" (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060227/lam090.html?.v=37)

Official Silent Hill Website Major Update:
In addition to the announcement of the winner for the poster contest, the webmasters for the Sony Pictures Silent Hill Website released all new updates to the site. The features included are a close-up view of the Silent Hill newspaper released for promotional use for the film, the Cast and Crew page opening listing the main cast and major crew members responsible for creating the film, a filmmaker's blog and last, but not least, hidden easter eggs.

As much as I'd like to discuss the Cast & Crew page or the Filmmaker's Blog, the real attraction here is the addition of new easter eggs and hidden links within the site. Each of the flash site's five major pages includes a hidden easter egg. I'll post how you can find them below, but I suggest you try locating them for yourself, as it's more fun to do so.
The locations of the easter eggs are:
1) Welcome Page - Click on Rose as she walks into the fog or on the "Welcome to Silent Hill" sign in the background to get a film clip of Cybil searching for Rose.
2) About Page - Click on the silohette of Rose in the fog or on the "History" link in either the Misty or Alternate page to access a short sound clip of Christopher looking for Rose and a following film clip of Rose in the Alternate World.
3) Media Page - Click on the shadow in the fog of the cemetary or on the "Audio" link to access a mini-game with Rose's lighter, which results in a film clip from the site's original introduction flash.
4) Cast & Crew Page - Click on the image of Sharon (as she appears) or on the "Film Sets and Locations" link to access another mini-game in the Midwich classroom. Simply piece together the torn drawing and then click on the girl in the center to unlock another secret SH wallpaper.
5) Downloads Page - Click on any of the items that feature the Silent Hill film logo to access the "Dare You, Dare You..." page for yet another clip.
The page is compatible with both Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher and with Foxfire 2.0 or higher. If you are having trouble viewing the site's flash page, please make sure that you have installed Flash Player 8.0 or higher. Also, clear your cookies and cache to prevent previous information from interfering with the new design, as it is based on the previous design. Lastly, if you are still having trouble viewing the page, right-click the page and select Play on the menu as sometimes the auto-play feature doesn't run on start.

Enjoy.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Official Film Website (www.welcometosilenthill.com (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/))

[Nulion]

...That's got to be, by far, the most awesome-looking movie website I've ever seen o.0

Thanks for the info ifirit! (I got it RIGHT this time!)

Oh, just curious, anybody here get tickets to see the PLAY! Concert in Chicago? For those who didn't know or didn't read the other thread about it...or didn't see the info earlier in THIS thread, Yamaoka is going to be there doing some of his music live, as well as doing a meet and greet with the people rich enough to pay $125 to see this, on top of travel expenses, hehe.

Got my ticket, I'll be there. Should be fun, too :)

[ifirit]

WARNING: Silent Hill Film Spoilers

You guys really need to check out this week's...

Silent Hill Film Update:
Silent Hill at Chicago's Fangoria Convention 2006:
As a continued part by both Sony Pictures and Davis Films promotion for the film, the Silent Hill film was previewed at this year's Fangoria Convention, held on Saturday, March 4, 2006 - Sunday, March 5, 2006. (For those that are unaware, Fangoria is a monthly magazine publication that centers around the horror genre in the multimedia arts: films, novels, video games, comics, sculptures & figurines, etc.) Much like the WonderCon event in San Fransico, CA, the promotional presentation included a screening of a scene from the upcoming film (uneditted for maximum exclusivity) followed by a panel discussion on the film (which was scheduled at WonderCon, but did not actually happen). Unlike the WonderCon event, the full-length trailer was shown as well and fans (holding Gold Ticket status) were also allowed to have a meet-&-greet with the panel. Fans with general admission to the convention were scheduled to partake in the meet-&-greet, but time constraints on the actors prevented them from doing so.

The panel included the cast members: Laurie Holden (Cybil Bennett), Deborah Kara Unger (Dahlia Gillespie), and Alice Krige (Christabella [confirmed recently on the official site (http://www.welcometosilenthill.com), though presumably sharing a connection to the comics by name alone]). The panel also included producer Andrew Mason who was able to disclose some more behind-the-scenes information about the film than the actors. Though the convention itself was fairly small in comparison to the WonderCon event, this sense of intimacy allowed fans the time to ask the questions that were on their minds and for the actors to answer appropriately without feeling overwhelmed with repetious remarks.

One such fan to enjoy the full benefit of the presentation was Savral (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=1393), staff member for the forums at Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk) and Silent Hill Heaven (http://www.silenthillheaven.com/), who very logically planned out his trip to the convention so that he could return to the forums with footage of the event and presentation. However, like all great plans of mice and men, this one went awry. Still, his quick thinking and disregard for convention edicate, allowed him to come away with enough footage of the event to make fans happy. So check out the links below to see pictures of the panel discussion and panel members as well as video of the exclusive preview to Silent Hill.

Please note that the end of the preview was deliberately not recorded by Savral for personal reasons, and also to develop a sense of a cliffhanger to entice fans to see the full scene for themselves in theaters once the film is released. Also, due to lack of video film space on his camera, Savral was only able to record on low resolution and week lighting was not much help either, but you can still see the images well enough. In addition, due to webspace constrictions and frequency of dial-up users, the poster uploaded smaller clips in addition to the full length of film of the presentation, listed below.

Silent Hill Forum - "My day at Fangoria Con" - Original Post (Part 1/2) (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=329691&postcount=82)
Silent Hill Forum - "My day at Fangoria Con" - Original Post (Part 2/2) (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=329701&postcount=86)
Fangoria Convention 2006 - Silent Hill Preview Clip (Uncompressed) [MegaUploads Mirror] (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IA63X9IN) [.avi file / 227.36 MB]
Fangoria Convention 2006 - Silent Hill Preview Clip (Compressed) (http://home.wi.rr.com/rdmrdm/Movie.wmv) [.wmv file / 13.10 MB]
Fangoria Convention 2006 - Silent Hill Panel Discussion Clip (http://home.wi.rr.com/threechords/MVI_1290.avi) [.avi file / 10.26 MB]
Fangoria Convention 2006 - Silent Hill Presentation Photos [MegaUploads Mirror] (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=55LWHTRJ) [.zip / .jpg files / 1.54 MB]

EDIT: A higher quality, smaller download version of the Silent Hill preview clip is also available for download off RapidShare, care of Stike (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=442).

Fangoria Convention 2006 - Silent Hill Preview Clip (Compressed) [RapidShare Mirror] (http://rapidshare.de/files/14838944/sh.mov.html) [.mov file / 17.9 MB] (Requires QuickTime 7 or higher)

For those looking for a transcription of the dialogue in the scene to aid in understanding of what is being said, I'll re-post the one on the Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk) contributed by Comrade Snarky (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=9984), Bogus (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=8978) and KrwlngNMeSkin (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=10050) below. Spoilers marked, of course.
[Camera pans in, people running up church steps]

Cybil: Rose, let’s go!

Rose: Cybil!

Cybil: Rose, come on!

[People continue running, doors yawn open. They enter.]

Rose: Cybil!

Dahlia: [To people running by] You run not towards sanctuary but from your fears! [Turning to Cybil] You do not join them in there, you can’t come back out.

Cybil: We gotta get inside!

Dahlia: No! They’re wolves in the skins of sheep. They’ve brought about their own hell and they’ll take you with them. [Dahlia is hit by a rock thrown by That Poor Girl] Ooof!

TPG: Filth and lies!

[Cybil looks on, stunned]

Rose [kneeling to Dahlia]: Please, I have seen your daughter. I’ve seen Alessa.

Cybil: It’s coming!

Rose: She’s dead, isn’t she?

Dahlia: [Bitterly] Fire doesn't cleanse, it beakons.

Cybil: Rose, hurry!

Rose: She looks exactly like Sharon. She brought us here, didn’t she?
[Pause. TPG appears to be picking up another rock to throw at Dahlia.]
Why? What does she want?

Dahlia: [Whispers] You’re raising an angel. Be careful what you choose.

[The dark moves in]

Cybil: Rose!

[They run up the steps, leaving Dahlia and TPG behind]

Rose: GO! GO GO GO!

[Dahlia points at something off camera (TPG or PH or what?)]

[TPG screams. Camera shows her being hauled by her head up the stairs in PH’s grip]

[PH rips TPG’s dress off, she screams and flails more]

Rose: Oh god, no!

[Twist and tear time]

END

Electronic Gaming Monthly's Silent Hill Movie Interview: Director's Cut:
For those that picked up this month's issue (#201) of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), you were able to read the interview conducted with both Christophe Gans (director [as if you didn't know by now]) and Akira Yamaoka (executive producer & sound composer for the film). However, the published interview was an editted version of the complete interview. Fortunately, Shane Bettenhausen, who conducted the interview, has released the uncut piece on 1-up.com (http://www.1up.com/) for your reading pleasure.

Although the piece doesn't go into any newer details than what was revealed in the published version, it does go deeper into Gans' thinking behind his approach to creating the film, which can give you a greater appreciation for all the hard work it took to bring the film to this point. I suggest that the hardcore fans read this to gain a better perspective of things, since as of the time of the interview, the film had not been fully completed yet.

1-UP.com - Silent Hill Movie Interview: Director's Cut (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=6605116&publicUserId=1002415)

Silent Hill Production Diary Update:
A new entry has been added to the official Silent Hill Production Diary: "Silent Hill - Notes from the Director Christophe Gans" entitled "On Harry Mason, the WonderCon Footage, and Capturing the Horror of the Game." The Production Diary will be used to answer questions from fans across the internet about the film and its production. Questions can be submitted online and a subscription to the diary can be made through any XML feeder. Read the diary for more details.

Sony Pictures - "Silent Hill: On Harry Mason, the WonderCon Footage, and Capturing the Horror of the Game" (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/productiondiary/archives/2006/03/on_harry_mason.php)

[RazorOutlaw]

Movie update:

Monsters! Simply put, some posters have been released to the public showing three creatures that dwell in the Silent Hill Movie's universe. I cannot verify if the names are true or not, but the images are. Anyway, since I don't want to link to them directly they can be found here (http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&entryID=13859682&groupID=100011491&adTopicID=14&Mytoken=7793D108-7E7A-994C-906FBBE205781A8F46153381)

[CIaude]

Fucking awesome! The numbler is so damn creepy!
8O

[The Instrument of GAWD]

Here's something I'd like to bring up; Just reccently I found a copy of Silent Hill 2 Restless Dreams for the X-Box. I bought it, played it, and noticed something that I didn't notice in the PS2 ver.

In one room of the Blue Creek Apartments (specifically, the one with the note on the door), I heard whispering. It was clear, not muffled but it was too low that I couldn't comperhend what was said. It seemed to trigger when I left the kitchen of that room. Now I may have only noticed this now because I was the only one in the house when I did this.

Another thing I noticed, for the one memo that mentions 3 paitence and their personality conditions. All their first names start with "J", same as 'James'.

Before I end this, did Angela ever call James by his name? Either my memory is failing me or she really didn't. I can only remember her adressing him as 'Oh, it's you.' Guess it has to do with her being abused by her father? Eh, it's a shame we never really find out what happened to her...

EDIT: Yesterday I went to see Ultraviolet, the highlight of that movie was seeing the Silent Hill trailer in the previews. Yeah I downloaded it, but this is the first I've seen it on the big screen.

[CIaude]

I've been playing Silent Hill 4 for about the past week or so, and I had heard mixed things about it. Things like "It's not the best in the series" or "It's ok..."

Well fuck man. FUCK! That game is fucking spooky! I mean, really fucking fuck fucked up! What the fuck! WHAT THE HOLY FUCKING FUCK?!

Walter Sullivan's corpse was in the apartment next to me the entire time! And that 21/21 ghost waiting outside the apartment for me! And I was looking out the window and a thing fell! I don't know what it was, but it was definately a 'thing' and it resembled a baby!

I love it.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

I've been playing Silent Hill 4 for about the past week or so, and I had heard mixed things about it. Things like "It's not the best in the series" or "It's ok..."

Well fuck man. FUCK! That game is fucking spooky! I mean, really fucking fuck fucked up! What the fuck! WHAT THE HOLY FUCKING FUCK?!

I love it.

If anything, that's what SH4 is good for. Scaring/creeping the PISS outta you.

That thing falling outside the window is a head btw. Supposedly rare to see.

The thing that REALLY got me is the 1st floor of the apartment before going after Eileen. The double-baby headed things walking on their hands are quiet and the music track (Resting Comfortably I think it was called) are what do it for me.

[ifirit]

Movie update:

Monsters! Simply put, some posters have been released to the public showing three creatures that dwell in the Silent Hill Movie's universe. I cannot verify if the names are true or not, but the images are. Anyway, since I don't want to link to them directly they can be found here (http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&entryID=13859682&groupID=100011491&adTopicID=14&Mytoken=7793D108-7E7A-994C-906FBBE205781A8F46153381)
The images you posted are truly exclusives and not fake items created by avid fans, so to add some credibility to your post, I'm going to put up the sites to the original images and articles. Enjoy.

Ain't It Cool News - "AICN Exclusive creepy SILENT HILL image!!!"
Ain't It Cool News was the first site (by all measurable standards) to post an article claiming to have recieved an exclusive image from the film from Sony Pictures, at 4:50am CST (Central Standard Time) on Wednesday March 8, 2006. Their image is one of the monster that has its legs stretched around behind its back. According to rumors on the internet, in a recent interview with Christophe Gans (soon to be published), he refers to a monster called the "Janitor," which many people believe to be this monster. Although this is not yet official, many people are beginning to stick with the nominclature, just like "Patient Demon" (Lying Figure), "Doorman" (Abstract Daddy) and "Pyramid Head" (Red Pyramid Thing), which for some reason are the only names misused and from SH2. The article can be found below.

Ain't It Cool News - "AICN Exclusive creepy SILENT HILL image!!!" (http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22665)

CHUD.com - "Exclusive: Silent Hill Pic!"
The CHUD.com (Cinema Happenings Under Development) also posted an article featuring an exclusive picture of another monster from the film. Although not specified in the article, this monster is believed to be the altered design of the Mumblers from SH1 according to internet rumors. The article also talks a little about the press and promotion of the film along with the expectations that fans have for the film, while remarking on the critics' as well.

CHUD.com - "Exclusive: Silent Hill Pic!" (http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=6110)

ComingSoon.net - "Exclusive: Creepy Image From Silent Hill!"
The article on ComingSoon.net is the third in the series of exclusive images from the film. Aside from the synopsis posted on the official site, the article just includes the new image. This image is one of the miner-inspired monsters that have appeared in numerous downloads from the offical site (wallpapers, IM icons, trailers, etc.). So, appropriately, people have dubbed these monsters "The Miners," though again this name is not yet official.

ComingSoon.net - "Exclusive Creepy Image From Silent Hill!" (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=13534)

Fangoria - Upcoming Issue:
Lastly, Fangoria (who recently held their Fangoria Convention) will publish in their next issue (#252 available in stores on March 21, 2006) two articles featuring Silent Hill. The first will discuss the revival of game-to-film creation, though mostly through Konami titles (Konami being the most artistic videogame publisher around) including Castlevania, Silent Hill and regretably DOOM. The second article will discuss the film specifically by itself, but does not disclose exactly what information it will include, whether it be an interview, exclusive tour, recap of promotional events, etc.

Fangoria - Upcoming Issue (http://www.fangoria.com/upcoming_issue.php)

EDIT: Here's something I'd like to bring up; Just reccently I found a copy of Silent Hill 2 Restless Dreams for the X-Box. I bought it, played it, and noticed something that I didn't notice in the PS2 ver.

In one room of the Blue Creek Apartments (specifically, the one with the note on the door), I heard whispering. It was clear, not muffled but it was too low that I couldn't comperhend what was said. It seemed to trigger when I left the kitchen of that room. Now I may have only noticed this now because I was the only one in the house when I did this.
This sound also appears in the PS2 version, but is much more faint than in the X-Box version. I believe it might be something to do with the 3-D sound design program introduced in SH2 that differs for the X-Box than the PS2. If you'd like to download a copy of the sound (seeing as that you own the game), visit Silent Hill Media (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com) (operated by DUST, formerly "Dustfungus") and go to the SH2 Sounds (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com/sh2sound.htm) section to get the sound archive. (Unfortunately, DUST lost all the sound files from the original site, which were completely organized and recorded at optimum quality, so you'll have to search through each file manually to find the correct one. Or if you are too lazy to do that, I have the original copies of the sound archive from the first time. PM or IM me if you are interested.)

Another thing I noticed, for the one memo that mentions 3 paitence and their personality conditions. All their first names start with "J", same as 'James'.
Coincidence? I think not.

Before I end this, did Angela ever call James by his name? Either my memory is failing me or she really didn't. I can only remember her adressing him as 'Oh, it's you.' Guess it has to do with her being abused by her father? Eh, it's a shame we never really find out what happened to her...
Yes, Angela specifically says James' name toward the end of the game in the stairwell. She says:

Angela: That's what I thought.
[pause]
Angela: James, give me back that knife.
James: No, I... I won't.

Listen for it for yourself on Silent Hill Media (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com) in the SH2 Voice (http://www.shm.dustfungo.com/sh2voice.htm) section.

I made this for all my home boys who sleep with the lights on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/TangDave/sh_halo_background.jpg
I was looking at that a while ago, and at first, I consciously dismissed it because of it's obvious synthetic texture, but for some reason I think it stuck with me subconsciously because I actually went back a couple of times to look at it again. And on repeated viewings, I came to appreciate the image in being a good piece of fanart. The synthetic texture in the manner that is presented suggests an organic design, but the fact that it isn't organic makes me feel uneasy about what I should think (which is good). I almost get the sensation that the blood is going to move or crawl if I turn away from it. I think this happens because one doesn't know how to expect synthetic blood to move if it could, as opposed to how one would expect real blood to move on a wall. So, Nice Work. :nicework:

So...yesterday I HAD to write a sonnet, and...it just ended up being about silent hill...which was slightly embarrassing in my poetry class, but a little less embarrassing here.

Each moment that I feel the skin peel off,
I will savour the taste of iron and salt.
Running blood in my mouth comes out in coughs,
dissolving on my tongue, as sick’ning malt.

In my eyes, I can feel tears filled with salt,
commingling with the flow of blood outside.
These tears, the blood, they’re mine. They are my fault.
My guilt has led me to this place to hide.

It’s from this guilt- the crimes I’ve kept inside-
that this world comes, attacking me with dread.
Denying my own past, I fought and tried
to kill the mem’ries of those wronged and dead.

For now, I am haunted by those I’ve killed,
until fog swallows me in Silent Hill.
Granted I'm no expert in poetry, I have to agree that I feel that this piece was a little poor by most standards. This might be due to the repetition of words used in the poem, especially the rhyming ones, particularly "salt" and "guilt." This repetition hinders the way the poem flows when read or spoken, being that it sounds like it speeds and slows in the wrong places. It may be a matter of taste (no pun intended), but the word choice for the poem needs to be improved. Perhaps you should include more complex words that incorporate the ideas in the poem so that the flow is easier on the tongue, or if you prefer to have the flow of the poem difficult to read, you could have imagery of the words appear just as choppy as the flow.

However, from my general impression of the poem, it felt as if you were striving to create a post-twentieth century interpretation of romanticized poetry. In other words, a creepy, disturbed version of love from a series of perverse actions. Being so, you really should work on making the flow and word choices reflect romantic (the period, not the emotion) styles, using flowery words and emotive sentence structure. So, work on revising the poem in that direction. Otherwise, as is, it only continues to fuel fire to the stereotype that SH fans are emos. Don't propetuate this stereotype.

[CIaude]

I made this for all my home boys who sleep with the lights on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/TangDave/sh_halo_background.jpg
I was looking at that a while ago, and at first, I consciously dismissed it because of it's obvious synthetic texture, but for some reason I think it stuck with me subconsciously because I actually went back a couple of times to look at it again. And on repeated viewings, I came to appreciate the image in being a good piece of fanart. The synthetic texture in the manner that is presented suggests an organic design, but the fact that it isn't organic makes me feel uneasy about what I should think (which is good). I almost get the sensation that the blood is going to move or crawl if I turn away from it. I think this happens because one doesn't know how to expect synthetic blood to move if it could, as opposed to how one would expect real blood to move on a wall. So, Nice Work. :nicework:

YAY! A winner is me! :D

[speculative]

Wow, if the images are any indication of the film's style, then it seems like they will do a great job! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593664/photogallery-ss-0

[Aetherius]

Granted I'm no expert in poetry, I have to agree that I feel that this piece was a little poor by most standards. This might be due to the repetition of words used in the poem, especially the rhyming ones, particularly "salt" and "guilt." This repetition hinders the way the poem flows when read or spoken, being that it sounds like it speeds and slows in the wrong places. It may be a matter of taste (no pun intended), but the word choice for the poem needs to be improved. Perhaps you should include more complex words that incorporate the ideas in the poem so that the flow is easier on the tongue, or if you prefer to have the flow of the poem difficult to read, you could have imagery of the words appear just as choppy as the flow.

However, from my general impression of the poem, it felt as if you were striving to create a post-twentieth century interpretation of romanticized poetry. In other words, a creepy, disturbed version of love from a series of perverse actions. Being so, you really should work on making the flow and word choices reflect romantic (the period, not the emotion) styles, using flowery words and emotive sentence structure. So, work on revising the poem in that direction. Otherwise, as is, it only continues to fuel fire to the stereotype that SH fans are emos. Don't propetuate this stereotype.

Well, I know it's a terrible poem. The fact that I was FORCED to write a sonnet (fixed form) is a little bit responsible. I'm not one for poetry that rhymes, let alone poetry with a fixed number of syllables or in a specific meter.

If I'd intended to write a poem about silent hill (I prefer prose, though) It might have come out better.

That said, no matter how you slice it, blood is blood. It pisses me off that mention of blood in poetry is immediately branded 'emo' rather than 'graphic realism.' It is a hokey poem, though.

[Jenga]

http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cybil0xg.jpg

Cybil?

EDIT:May or may not be a spoiler warning. Since *spoiler* we're not sure if it's really her or not. Get the hell over it.

[Sefiros]

Well thank you for that, you cunt.

[RazorOutlaw]

I'd be able to tell if it were Cybil or not if the colored line covering up the supposed police badge were not there. That'd be the biggest teller right there of course. After all, it's a fucking charred corpse not a clean image.

[Jenga]

Then go hunt down the original picture. I'm sure some of the Silent Hill fansites out there must have it by now. Sefiros, what are you bitching about?

[Decoy Octopus]

http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cybil0xg.jpg

Cybil?
You know... that could have been preceded by a possible Spoiler Warning.

[Jenga]

http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cybil0xg.jpg

Cybil?
You know... that could have been preceded by a possible Spoiler Warning.It was in a press release. I figured you people would've seen it by now.

[Jenga]

Anyways, could we go into discussion whether it's really
her or not? If its not her, it may be a fellow officer that went missing, and Cybil went to SH to find him/her.
A sacrifice to Alessa maybe?

[Decoy Octopus]

http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cybil0xg.jpg

Cybil?
You know... that could have been preceded by a possible Spoiler Warning.It was in a press release. I figured you people would've seen it by now.
Yeah, I personally don't care about spoilers and all that. I just know that some people are trying to avoid as much information about the movie as possible and, since this a general Silent Hill thread, and not a movie specific one, they may find what they're not looking for.

That said, Cybil is a dispensable character, really. Her death might add more to the story than her living ever could.

[TriforceStealer]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/TriforceStealer/photos/christophe-gans-20060310021545536.jpg

[UnforgivingEdges]

So I just finished a graphic design assignment in which we had to create a webpage for ourselves.

The only reason I would post that here is if it had some relevance. (http://www.calpoly.edu/~jfassino)

There are some definite improvements I could have made to the entire thing, most notably the home page fonts (they are too simple), but I just ran out of time on the assignment. If I had another week, I ould have gone back in and tuned up everything so it was more cohesive.

Hopefully it shows up on PCs alright; I designed it using Dreamweaver on a Mac.

[Jenga]

http://img76.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cybil0xg.jpg

Cybil?

EDIT:May or may not be a spoiler warning. Since *spoiler* we're not sure if it's really her or not. Get the hell over it.*BIG FUCKING Spoiler*














Dunno about you guys, but I feel this proves its her. The before picture was taken from a Fangoria article.













http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4973/cybildies5jh.jpg

[Aetherius]

While I'm interested in how well the film translates the game to the big screen, I could have lived without that information.

By the way. Kevin Spacey is Kaiser Sose, jigsaw is the dead guy in the middle of the room, and Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.

[Jenga]

If somebody could get some scans from the Fangoria article it'd be great.

[CE]

So...yesterday I HAD to write a sonnet, and...it just ended up being about silent hill...which was slightly embarrassing in my poetry class, but a little less embarrassing here.

Each moment that I feel the skin peel off,
I will savour the taste of iron and salt.
Running blood in my mouth comes out in coughs,
dissolving on my tongue, as sick’ning malt.

In my eyes, I can feel tears filled with salt,
commingling with the flow of blood outside.
These tears, the blood, they’re mine. They are my fault.
My guilt has led me to this place to hide.

It’s from this guilt- the crimes I’ve kept inside-
that this world comes, attacking me with dread.
Denying my own past, I fought and tried
to kill the mem’ries of those wronged and dead.

For now, I am haunted by those I’ve killed,
until fog swallows me in Silent Hill.


Alright, I'm not sure about this, but I think that's no sonet. A sonet has a very strict structure: 4 Verses, 4 verses, 3 verses, 3 verses. Thats 4,4,4,2. Also, it has a equally strict ryhme structure. It's supposed to be:

A
B
B
A

A
B
B
A

C
D
C

C
D
C

And this one is: ABAB ABAB ABAB CC

That's the original sonet, created in Europe. I don't know if there are variations to it, but I'm pretty sure there aren't. Also, I think the metric isn't right. It's supposed to be decasyllabic.

[RoboPanda]

Actually, the ABBA pattern that you're thinking of is in the Petrarchan sonnet (Italian sonnet), not the English (Shakespearean) sonnet that Aetherius wrote. His is really a sonnet. Do I have to say sonnet again?

[CE]

Oh right, sorry then. I thought it was always the same... Well, my portuguese teacher said they were strict, so I thought there was only one type of sonnets... Oh well, carry on then.

[Aetherius]

Actually it's a spenserian sonnet, not a shakespearian.

[FriedRice]

Silent Hill, people, Silent Hill! Not poetry 101!

Back on topic, SILENT HILL RULEZ!!1

[Aetherius]

It just occurred to me that were sean bean not cast in this silent hill movie, he'd make a pretty good match for James Sunderland.

[The Joker]

When I first heard this was being made, & that Bean was cast, I thought they were making Silent Hill 2 into a movie. Then I found out it was part 1... & that Bean doesn't have a lot to do in the movie.

[RoboPanda]

Actually it's a spenserian sonnet, not a shakespearian.

Ah! I just noticed that as well. Eterea led me to believe his rhyme pattern was ABAB ABAB ABAB CC - though it actually follows the spenserian. Good show!

[Decoy Octopus]

*BIG FUCKING Spoiler*
Dunno about you guys, but I feel this proves its her. The before picture was taken from a Fangoria article.
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4973/revealingURL (http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4973/cybildies5jh.jpg)
[Editted quote to emphasize spoiler warning]

Yeah, I think that pretty much settles it there.

[RazorOutlaw]

Stardate 2006/18/03:

People still think PH is part of the town's mythology. Too tired to battle against all people following that line of thinking. What shall I do?

[Aetherius]

Pyramid is part of the town's mythology insofar as he existed in the past as an executioner, but seeing as he was conjured by JAMES's emotions, I would say he has no place in the world of Silent Hill 1, as none of the characters really have any guilt to feel. Harry/Rose are just parents looking for their children, not tortured souls who did something unpleasant. Furthermore, the lack of pyramid head in any other Silent Hill Game than 2 so far indicates to me that while he is part of the town's history, he is only there because James is aware of him, and applies it to his other-world, not because he exists inherently in the 'otherworlds' of silent hill.

[The Joker]

I coulde've swore that there are references to Pyramid Head in "The Room".

Also, aren't there 2 Pyramid Heads in SH2. And that Jimmy Stone, wore a Triangle shaped hood, is infact Pyramid head(?).

[Kiyosuki]

The red Pyramid executioner was a real person...or figure at least. Thats why you see the paintings and hear stories about him/her/it in the other games. But the thing is, is that the Red Pyramid was just the cult's executioner garb. The Pyramid Head itself is a fabrication of James'...how it managed to take the form of the Pyramid executioner when James didn't have any prior experience with the cult is a matter of speculation. I personally like to think that somehow he heard stories about it and was horrified at the thought of such an evil sounding person...and thus his worst fears (his guilt) took the form of the most hideous thing he could think of.

That or it was just the work of Samael somehow...but Pyramid Head is a product of James' mind. Although the idea of someone else coming across something similar...like Rose in the upcoming film isn't that too far fetched since the image itself is based off of real people. It'd be like if I imagined a monster that looked like a Klu Klux Klan member....based off of a real person/people but the monster itself is something from my mind that just took the shape of something I find hideous.

[Parjay]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/TriforceStealer/photos/christophe-gans-20060310021545536.jpg

You know I can almost see a bit of Alien inspired bio-organic mechanics going on in Pheads movie helmet.

[Aetherius]

I coulde've swore that there are references to Pyramid Head in "The Room".

Also, aren't there 2 Pyramid Heads in SH2. And that Jimmy Stone, wore a Triangle shaped hood, is infact Pyramid head(?).

There are indeed.
The "red devil" that is the 01/21 is supposed to have been a pyramid head, I think. The mention him being in the ceremonial robes and wearing the triangle 'hood'.

[RazorOutlaw]

His clothing is the same kind PH uses, but Jimmy Stone really isn't the same PH James sees.

[Aetherius]

No, of course not.

But it doesn't really matter. The PH james sees isn't real. Obviosuly there are piles of other Pyramid Heads.

[RazorOutlaw]

What makes you think there are piles of other PHs?

[The Instrument of GAWD]

What makes you think there are piles of other PHs?

Because there were 2 in the same place at the same time, more than likely.

[Aetherius]

Because historical documents said that there was more than one of them.

[RazorOutlaw]

More than one executioner who wore the same outfit PH has, maybe. I don't ever recall reading that more than one Red Pyramid Thing existed.

[CIaude]

Pyramid heads existed in the town's history as executioner. However, they didn't wear the obsidian helmets we're familiar with. They wore triangle shaped hoods. James warped imagination somehow interpreted this and conjured the pyramid head that torments him throughout the game. Also, since the pyarmid head executioner is part of the town and cult's history; it could be plausible that there are still pyramid heads that exist during the time frame of the games.

What I'm trying to say is, despite the fact that the PH that torments James, is of his own creation. It is still possible that there the pyramid head seen in the movie is a different pyramid head; and is merely a visual reference to the towns history and mythology.

The director of the film definately seems to know his shit about the game, and I have faith in his decisions. Besides, (our savior) Akira Yamaoka has given the movie his blessings; and that's more than enough for me.

[Aetherius]

"red pyramid thing" eh?

Well, unless you're going to get into a semantics debate, there are two pyramid heads in the second to last battle in Silent Hill 2. they are described as "red pyramid head" and "white pyramid head" but when I was playing they both looked the same to me, so meh.

I said 'pyramid heads' not 'red pyramid things.'

In my book, Anybody wearing the pyramid helmet/hood = a pyramid head. It's a fixture of the Order's religious heirarchy.

[RazorOutlaw]

Pyramid heads existed in the town's history as executioner. However, they didn't wear the obsidian helmets we're familiar with. They wore triangle shaped hoods. James warped imagination somehow interpreted this and conjured the pyramid head that torments him throughout the game. Also, since the pyarmid head executioner is part of the town and cult's history; it could be plausible that there are still pyramid heads that exist during the time frame of the games.
I am aware that the PH/RPT is part of James's mind, a product of it really, but the game specifies that the executioners were employed during the Civil War while the prison was still a POW camp. Yes, the clothing and the executioners are part of the towns history. They're part of the past. I don't really think the hooded executioners are still used in a mid-90's tourist attraction.
red pyramid thing" eh?

Well, unless you're going to get into a semantics debate, there are two pyramid heads in the second to last battle in Silent Hill 2. they are described as "red pyramid head" and "white pyramid head" but when I was playing they both looked the same to me, so meh.
Indeed, Red Pyramid Thing is the official name of the creature. James's name doesn't really mean much beyond what he had observed, a pet name if you will, whereas the name from The Book of Lost Memories is an official name given to the creature after the game was released. In short "Pyramid Head" is a misnomer in much the same way Imperial Star Destoryer is to Imperator Star Destroyer.

That there are two Pyramid Heads in that last battle is no indication that more exist anywhere else. Due to the fact that much of what James encounters in the game is a reflection of his mind, it is very shakey to conclude that the creatures exist anywhere else for anyone else. For instance, when I tell my friends that my pink rabbit came by with his friend to visit, are they going to conclude that there must be piles of other pink rabbits out there or that I'm just fucking crazy?

I said 'pyramid heads' not 'red pyramid things.'
And that means what exactly? One is a misnomer and the other is the official name. Your definition doesn't exactly mean much to anybody.
In my book, Anybody wearing the pyramid helmet/hood = a pyramid head. It's a fixture of the Order's religious heirarchy.
Well in my book Pyramid Head or Red Pyramind Thing only refers to the creature that appeared to James. Those are the most common names for a specific individual. To me, anything else that wears or looks like PH is referred to as an executioner, a person whom aside from wearing ceremonial execution robes, also wore a helmet during the executions. Technicall y it should be the other way around, and that the creature called Pyramind Head or Red Pyramind Thing looks like the executioners, since one preceeded the other. Also, I don't see how wearing a conical hood equates to being called a pyramid head.

Now there certainly are connections between PH and Valtiel (apparently Valtiel's look is derived from ceremonial robes in the same way Alessa was actually wearing ceremonial robes), and as a result PH has some distant ties to the Cult of Valtiel sect. Yet that doesn't make the creature, or his image, anymore a part of a hierarchy than a priest outfit makes a man a priest.

Basically I see no evidence for the "PHs", as I understand them, to be a fixture of the cult's hierarchy other than that a similar character appeared in a picture next to a guy who also had a weird cross on his face in the Sullivan Victims.

[The Joker]

Fact of the matter is, that Akira Yamoka ultimately has the last say. Seeing as he allowed a PH in the movie, I'd say he thinks of pyramid head as a character of the world, the same way the nurses, the gods, & the main cult characters are.

We could go on & on about evidence, or lack thereof, but I think Akira giving the okay to PH in the movie. That's not even considering all the various, "loose ends" left in the games. They leave it so they can include Pyramid if they felt he fit the game, & not have a contradiction.

[Eccles]

You meet pyramid head 9 times throughout the game. Only two of these instances have more than one PH in the same place at the same time (the hotel and the bottom of the labyrinth).

As for the names...the name in the strategy guide is Red Pyramid Thing. In the DVD that came with the game it's called Triangle Headed Monster.

Also: http://home.comcast.net/~andydthorley/Tick.html
In the game I'm working on there are three Silent Hill references currently...one of 'em is on that page. There's also a painting titled The Silent Hill and there's a skeleton with 21121 on his head.
Hooray!

[Aetherius]

To further confuse things, the book of Lost Memories DOES title the section on PH as "red pyramid thing", but also refers to it as Pyramid Head several times (if I recall correctly...).

The Order of SH4 is BASED on the religions of the older Silent Hill. I'm just making connections. I'll agree that the Pyramid Head in Silent Hill 2 is restricted to James' imagination, but I'm not going to rule out the possibility, that having existed at any time in silent hill's history makes the role of pyramid head/valtiel fair game for appearances to the town's visitors in any form. The Red Devil, of SH4 is to me a representation of the Pyramid Helmet-wearing executioners, and indicative of their role/character in the Order. Obviously they're not the same thing as the PH james sees, and as such, would not have the same 'silent antagonist' kind of stigma.

[The Joker]

Spaking of which, it'd be cool in the next SH to hav a variation of the Pyramid executioner. Like a wall crawling, crazy hangman type of PH variant. MAking all sorts of weird sounds when he's near. That = awesome in my book.

[RazorOutlaw]

Fact of the matter is, that Akira Yamoka ultimately has the last say. Seeing as he allowed a PH in the movie, I'd say he thinks of pyramid head as a character of the world, the same way the nurses, the gods, & the main cult characters are.

We could go on & on about evidence, or lack thereof, but I think Akira giving the okay to PH in the movie. That's not even considering all the various, "loose ends" left in the games. They leave it so they can include Pyramid if they felt he fit the game, & not have a contradiction.
I'm hoping that some explanation will be eventually provided for PH being in the movie, but I don't see the movie going back against the games. The movie, as far as I can tell, has its own continuity.
The Red Devil, of SH4 is to me a representation of the Pyramid Helmet-wearing executioners, and indicative of their role/character in the Order. Obviously they're not the same thing as the PH james sees, and as such, would not have the same 'silent antagonist' kind of stigma.
Warning: Spawlers
The Red Devil is mentioned in both SH2 and SH4, and according to the Sullivan Victims the only character with the nickname "Red Devil" is a certain George Rosten. Do you recall that James read about Walter Sullivan saying "the Red Devil made me do it! It was him! I swear?" Well, some people felt that was PH. But the Sullivan Victims explicity says that George Rosten raised Walter to be a killer. Thus the accusation that it was the "Red Devil" that made him do it points directly to George Rosten.

As for PH appearing to other people, the BoLM specifically states the criteria for how the creature was created. Because of that, I find it highly unlikely that other people would reach the depth of James's feelings of guilt, and make another Pyramid Head for themselves. I just feel that it is dubious that if James could see PH then anybody could see PH, or their deep dirty secret could make it, even though its clothing is an intrinsic part of the town's history. We actually don't have enough information either way, although the fact that there had been trips to SH by other people without a Pyramid Head showing up would indicate even more that the same scenario happening is unlikely.

Of course, being that SH5 will be released some time after the movie there is always the chance that due to pressure to appeal to the masses, Konami could throw in Pyramid Head. That would remove any doubt that James's specific criteria would have to be met in order for the creature to appear.

[Aetherius]

Your first paragraph doesn't actually provide any argument against mine. What he does with walter, I would say is indicative of his role. But like I said, no one IS the PH that James sees. That's not real.

[Bigfoot]

Sorry to hop on this thread without reading any of the previous comments...and this has probably been answered, but..


What's the reason behind the mother being the main character and not the father being the person who's looking for his daughter? At first I thought the movie was maybe leading into the first Silent Hill game, cause he was told by his wife to meet him at their spot. But then I remember the part where they wreck in the jeep. In the game it was the guy driving(can't even think of his name off the top of my head :P ) and not the woman.

[Sentora]

My two cents on the Pyramid Head movie debate.

I have no problem with ol' pointy showing up, because it hints that one of the characters could have a secret that'll shock the hell out of us much like James did. Personally, my bets are on Cybil, since we honestly know little to nothing about her save for what that japanese game revealed about her.

Or it could just be a cameo that makes us fanboys and fangirls squeal, hinting that James' story is occuring at the same time. That body he's dragging does seem similar to Maria...

[Aetherius]

Sorry to hop on this thread without reading any of the previous comments...and this has probably been answered, but..


What's the reason behind the mother being the main character and not the father being the person who's looking for his daughter? At first I thought the movie was maybe leading into the first Silent Hill game, cause he was told by his wife to meet him at their spot. But then I remember the part where they wreck in the jeep. In the game it was the guy driving(can't even think of his name off the top of my head :P ) and not the woman.

Well, first off, you've got the plot of silent Hill 2 confused with the plot of the first game. Harry's wife sends him no letters.

Also, according to Chris Gans:

"I think when Roger Avary and Nickolas Boukhrief and I started to work on the project we assumed, because we are all fans of the game, that we would start writing with Harry Mason as our lead.

It quickly became clear however Harry never acted like a masculine character. He was constantly dizzy, fainting, talking to himself, screaming and in fact was very vulnerable. We didn't want to betray the nature of the game by changing the character's feelings and motivations, so we felt it was better to change to a female protagonist and retain all those important qualities. I don't want people to think that I have been "politically correct" because we changed Harry into Rose. There is no political correctness in Silent Hill.

It's important to mention that we were conscious that allowing the Gamers to have to face a new character would help in the transition from Silent Hill the Game to Silent Hill the Movie."

You can read info like this on Gans' Blog.
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/productiondiary/index.php

[Bigfoot]

Sorry to hop on this thread without reading any of the previous comments...and this has probably been answered, but..


What's the reason behind the mother being the main character and not the father being the person who's looking for his daughter? At first I thought the movie was maybe leading into the first Silent Hill game, cause he was told by his wife to meet him at their spot. But then I remember the part where they wreck in the jeep. In the game it was the guy driving(can't even think of his name off the top of my head :P ) and not the woman.

Well, first off, you've got the plot of silent Hill 2 confused with the plot of the first game. Harry's wife sends him no letters.

Also, according to Chris Gans:

"I think when Roger Avary and Nickolas Boukhrief and I started to work on the project we assumed, because we are all fans of the game, that we would start writing with Harry Mason as our lead.

It quickly became clear however Harry never acted like a masculine character. He was constantly dizzy, fainting, talking to himself, screaming and in fact was very vulnerable. We didn't want to betray the nature of the game by changing the character's feelings and motivations, so we felt it was better to change to a female protagonist and retain all those important qualities. I don't want people to think that I have been "politically correct" because we changed Harry into Rose. There is no political correctness in Silent Hill.

It's important to mention that we were conscious that allowing the Gamers to have to face a new character would help in the transition from Silent Hill the Game to Silent Hill the Movie."

You can read info like this on Gans' Blog.
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/productiondiary/index.php

Ah ok, cool. Thanks for clearing that up.


And yeah haha, I didn't get the two mixed up, oops. It's been forever since I've played Silent Hill titles.

[UnforgivingEdges]

Europeans rejoice (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6146783.html)

[RazorOutlaw]

Your first paragraph doesn't actually provide any argument against mine. What he does with walter, I would say is indicative of his role. But like I said, no one IS the PH that James sees. That's not real.
You said that the "Red Devil" of SH4 is a representation of the helmet wearing executioners, and that this indicates their role in the order. First, The Sullivan Victim files give spotty information at best, being that they only tell you that this George Rosten manipulated Walter. Whether this manipulation was ritual, or if he did it for personal gain, we don't know. Second, Red Devil is a nickname and not a representation of the cult’s inner workings. Next, we don't even know if the executioners were part of the cult's priestly hierarchy, we've only got people wearing conical hoods which look similar to the pyramid helmet worn by the executioners. The similarities aren’t enough to draw a conclusion. The helmets worn by the executioners were just something they did, and even if they did wear the helmets for religious reasons, there is still no evidence for a connection between the priests and the executioners at all. No such thing is described anywhere in the books or games.

But since you're saying that the particular type of priest, this "Red Devil", was is a representation of the helmet wearing executioners, exactly where do you get this information? At what point in what book, or even in the game, do they say that the priests are derived from the executioners?

[The Joker]

Every fan of Silent Hill knows the creatures have been conceived by a child at least in the first game. They are the creation of Alessa's mind. They embody a strange, naïve, candid sense of cruelty that only a child can have. They are more like broken dolls than horrible creatures.

I gott hat bit whilst reading the poduction diary (I'm sick with a bug & bored!). Anyway, it is entirely plausible that PH in this movie was a representation of the boogy man. Almost the same way as Walter saw the Red Devil when he was growing up. James saw a PH as a reflection of what he was, a boogey man type that killed his wife.

Thus, it is plausible that he exists as a Silent Hill archetype of a boogey man.

[ifirit]

You said that the "Red Devil" of SH4 is a representation of the helmet wearing executioners, and that this indicates their role in the order. First, The Sullivan Victim files give spotty information at best, being that they only tell you that this George Rosten manipulated Walter. Whether this manipulation was ritual, or if he did it for personal gain, we don't know. Second, Red Devil is a nickname and not a representation of the cult’s inner workings. Next, we don't even know if the executioners were part of the cult's priestly hierarchy, we've only got people wearing conical hoods which look similar to the pyramid helmet worn by the executioners. The similarities aren’t enough to draw a conclusion. The helmets worn by the executioners were just something they did, and even if they did wear the helmets for religious reasons, there is still no evidence for a connection between the priests and the executioners at all. No such thing is described anywhere in the books or games.

But since you're saying that the particular type of priest, this "Red Devil", was is a representation of the helmet wearing executioners, exactly where do you get this information? At what point in what book, or even in the game, do they say that the priests are derived from the executioners?
Being that you made the point to differentiate the separation of the history of the town from the religion of the town, I don't feel that you've made the point clear about the distinction between the Red Pyramid Thing (monster), the executioners of Toluca Prison, and the clothing worn by Jimmy Stone (a priest of the cult of Silent Hill). Therefore, I'll try to elaborate and clarify these distinctions.

Let's look at this chronologically. First, in the 1860's at the Toluca prison camp and later prison, those executed in the prison were done so by men dressed with an executioner's hood, which historically (Western civilization), looks triangular/conic though is often black in color. No documentation was made as to the exact description of the executioner's clothing at the Toluca Prison Camp, but it was assumed to be particularly distinct from those of tradition. This is not to say that the clothing looked like that of the Red Pyramid Thing, but that the clothing was different enough from what is traditionally worn for the artist to make note of it in his painting: Misty day, remains of the Judgement. (Please note that the painting reflects the image of the Red Pyramid Thing as it appears in the game, not within the history of the town. It is speculated that the image could have been either an artist interpretation, an extention of James' delusion, or a distortion of reality caused by the power of the town.) The red color of the hood associated by the cult and by players may have been due to blood covering the executioners. From the information written on the "Blood Swamp" monument, it is stated that large quantities of blood were emptied into the swamp from the executioners' cleaning themselves and their tools, suggesting that there was enough to stain the water red. This may imply that their clothing was also covered with blood, escpecially when one considers the methods of execution. As such, the mythos of the executioners wearing red hoods and dirty aprons extends from a distorted view of what they looked like before washing themselves off. This appearance would have been important to the followers of the religion of Silent Hill as many of those executed were practitioners.

Second, as a result of the witch hunts in the 17th century, yet re-emphasized after the Civil War, the religion of Silent Hill entered another quiet period in its history, where the followers practised in secret and developed their faith around Christian beliefs as to assimilate within normal society. During this period, the cult of Silent Hill is created, where the beliefs of old religion (which was poly-lithic, believing in multiple gods and spirits) were merged with Christianity (a monolithic faith, believing in a single onmipotent being). The cult thus created new forms for the older gods and spirits as angels and heavenly beings governed under a single god. The cult replaced many of its rituals (many containing blood rites such as blood-letting and human sacrifice) with prayers and ceremonies, but continued to maintain the important ones which involve the three traditional ceremonial items: obsidian goblet, white chism/oil, and the cult's bible. Because of this assimilation of Christian beliefs, many of the blood rites used in the ceremonies of the previous religion fell out of practice, but were still documented to remind the followers of the blood-stained past. In this era, the robes worn by the cult of Silent Hill (those aprons seen in SH1) were created as part of the new system of faith. Their appearance was not to be considered hostile or demonic, though their origins suggest so. As such the aprons were meant to hold holy significance within the cult and be representative of status among its members. As such, the appearance of many angels and heavenly beings are shown to wear such robes, i.e. Vatiel (SH3), the hung bodies (SH1), the Red Pyramid Thing (SH2), etc.

Third, after Dahlia's attempt to bring god into the world, many of the previously un/under-used blood rituals were reintroduced to the cult because of their extremely powerful ability to bring about results. It is assumed that this helped to spur stories and rumors about the cult that inspired fear among the citizens of Silent Hill and passing tourists. These stories and rumors also helped to spark new interest in the town's history among tourists, which included the attrocities of the Toluca Prison and Prison Camp, though its documentation had been kept since the 1910's. It's likely that the image of a priest of the cult of Silent Hill (wearing the traditional apron and purely ceremonial red hood with a cross (http://www.translatedmemories.com/images/sv/v1p2.jpg)) performing a blood ritual, like human sacrifice, was juxtaposed with the historical recants of the Toluca Prison's staff resulting in a distortion of its original appearance. This distortion is probably the source of James' manifeastation of his personal executioner. So, please note that the ceremonial robes of the priests of the cult of Silent Hill do contain references to the executioners of Toluca Prison, but that their relevence within the cult and the history of Silent Hill reflect a nature of holiness and spirituality, not vengence or a sense of judgement against the wicked. In other words, the priests of the cult of Silent Hill do not assume roles as executioners (while wearing their robes) meant to strike down the wicked, but as people who hold a spirituality within them trying to become further holy, despite the fact that the means include performing blood rites with other people. It's a very fine and subtle distinction to make, but if you exclude the use of human blood as part of the ceremonies, the differences become profound.

I gott hat bit whilst reading the poduction diary (I'm sick with a bug & bored!). Anyway, it is entirely plausible that PH in this movie was a representation of the boogy man. Almost the same way as Walter saw the Red Devil when he was growing up. James saw a PH as a reflection of what he was, a boogey man type that killed his wife.

Thus, it is plausible that he exists as a Silent Hill archetype of a boogey man.
Having explained my point, I feel a need to extend my discussion to consider the appearance of the Red Pyramid Thing (officially titled "Red Pyramid" for the film) if whether or not its presence contradicts the representation within the mythos of the games, or if it considers the subject thoughtfully.

The presense of the Red Pyramid in the film based on presence alone is not contradictive to the storyline from the games if one considers that its form represents that of the priests of the cult of Silent Hill or of angels of god. Because the clothing worn by the priests of the cult is a symbol of their devotion to their faith, the Red Pyramid should represent a being of divine intervention. However, if Alessa were to fear the priests of the cult or the agents of god, then the Red Pyramid would hold no greater presence within the world than any other monster; I'd consider it on par with a puppet doctor or puppet nurse. Yet, according to certain theories about the RP based on the WonderCon footage, it is speculated that it plays a bigger role in the film and acts as an agent under Dahlia's command. This form does contradict the mythos of the series, because it gives a person without possession of the town's power the ability to control "heavenly" beings. As such, assuming that the writers knew this, the RP cannot act under Dahlia's control, but Alessa's. Therefore, Alessa is likely to be using the agent of god to obtain some sort of goal; my guess being that the Red Pyramid acts as the physical manifeastation of the "Mark of Samael" or "Seal of Metatron." The Red Pyramid thus would appear at various points in the film to complete one section of the ceremony. Though I am assuming that the Seal of Metatron is used to escape from Dahlia, I cannot adhere to such a theory unless it is explained in the film.

As such, the Red Pyramid's violent actions would have to be tied to the blood rites of the religion of Silent Hill, being that it is a part of the ceremony for the "Seal of Metatron." To assume that the Red Pyramid continues to represent an executioner in this context would, beyond all shadow of a doubt, contradict the mythos of the series. Realizing this, I understand now what will make or break the success of the film's story, which when considered seems fairly obvious: the role of the Red Pyramid in the film. To be represented as an executioner and Id-like figure would be a direct contradiction to the series and hamper the rest of the story's development as a film.

Silent Hill Film Update:
Silent Hill Television Promotions:
Although I am not aware of the official first running of the television promotion for the film, as of 12:49am on Thusrday, March 30, 2006, I witnessed the appearance of the Silent Hill trailer on television on MTV. The television promotion showed the official theatrical trailer almost in its entirety, only to allot for time between commercials. The beginning was editted to quickly explain the backstory within 30 secs, and proceeded to return to normal pace after Rose's entry to the "other side." Considering that the commercial ran for almost two minutes, it was very risky and likely very costly to due so. Still, the point is that television promotions for the film are now underway, indicating that the opening is not too far away. (w00t!)

[RazorOutlaw]

You know what, the entire discussion so-far has been a clusterfuck. I completely misunderstood you Aetherius, and wasn't willing to admit that I misunderstood you in the first place. I did forget that both Valtiel and PH wore the same clothing, basically, which in turn were used as religious vestments for the priests.

Of course, leave it to ifirit to hand out the smackdowns. Not that I'm complaining, but damn. :/

[UnforgivingEdges]

Realizing this, I understand now what will make or break the success of the film's story, which when considered seems fairly obvious: the role of the Red Pyramid in the film.

Or you know, success could depend on the quality of filmmaking combined with the fact that the world is actually getting a movie based on the Silent Hill games.

You're the type of person, with your cockamamey theories and shit, that will never allow the movie to be enjoyed because the filmmaker might not have made the film that fits with your arduous and drawn-out vision of the game.

Just enjoy the fact that Silent Hill fans are getting a movie at all, and don't peg success of the movie on all these BS notions that a handful of hardcore fans may subscribe to.

[Eccles]

Realizing this, I understand now what will make or break the success of the film's story, which when considered seems fairly obvious: the role of the Red Pyramid in the film.Or you know, success could depend on the quality of filmmaking combined with the fact that the world is actually getting a movie based on the Silent Hill games.Just like the Mario film was appreciated for its being a Mario film, am i rite

[StarZander]

Realizing this, I understand now what will make or break the success of the film's story, which when considered seems fairly obvious: the role of the Red Pyramid in the film.

Or you know, success could depend on the quality of filmmaking combined with the fact that the world is actually getting a movie based on the Silent Hill games.

You're the type of person, with your cockamamey theories and shit, that will never allow the movie to be enjoyed because the filmmaker might not have made the film that fits with your arduous and drawn-out vision of the game.

Just enjoy the fact that Silent Hill fans are getting a movie at all, and don't peg success of the movie on all these BS notions that a handful of hardcore fans may subscribe to.

I really feel I have to defend ifirit here. He makes more theories than anyone (here atleast), to give people as many perspectives on the games as possible. If you want to keep it simple, or just in your own perspective, then you don't have to read his theories. ifirit probably knows more about Silent Hill and everything around it, than anyone else in the world. But he's still just a fan, and I've known him for quite some time now, and I can promise you that it won't matter if the movie sucks or is loved by the entire world, because he will enjoy it and most likely love it either way. Because it is Silent Hill.
When he speaks of it's success, he's speaking in a general sense, and what the general public will think. He's not saying "I won't like the movie unless it's exactly like this and that and whatever.", he's just trying to predict what people will think, and I think he's pretty accurate, because he's very thorough in his research, and is usually right in these things.

I'm sorry if I misunderstood some things, I'm just speaking from my experience as a good friend of ifirits, and I just felt I needed to defend him. That's all.

[UnforgivingEdges]

When he speaks of it's success, he's speaking in a general sense, and what the general public will think. He's not saying "I won't like the movie unless it's exactly like this and that and whatever.", he's just trying to predict what people will think, and I think he's pretty accurate, because he's very thorough in his research, and is usually right in these things.

The "general public" doesn't care about the theories. The "general public" plays Silent Hill games because they think they're scary, they like the story and gameplay, or some combination of the above.

If you expect the filmmakers to find a way to explain some of the most obscure details in the series' to appease hardcore fans (which are fewer in comparison to the "general public") and to somehow make the movie fit in line with the game storyline, then I'm willing to bet you're going to be sorely disappointed.

I'm sure everyone will enjoy it in their own way, I just think that people who make Silent Hill details their life will never have the movie live up to their expectations, because let's face it, the movie has to appeal to most, if not all, cinema-goers who plunk down the money to see the film, and the diehard, minutiae-oriented fans can't expect the film to cater to them on such a hardcore level.

[The Joker]

I'm willing to bet the defense was more in line with your harshness of the other post you made, rather than your point about box office success. Having said that... the 21st can't get here soon enough!

[StarZander]

I'm willing to bet the defense was more in line with your harshness of the other post you made, rather than your point about box office success.

Exactly.

[Aetherius]

right in these things.
If you expect the filmmakers to find a way to explain some of the most obscure details in the series' to appease hardcore fans (which are fewer in comparison to the "general public") and to somehow make the movie fit in line with the game storyline, then I'm willing to bet you're going to be sorely disappointed.[/quote]

David Lynch does it, why can't Mr. Gans?
That is to say, a movie that is so intricate and complicated thatnobody gets it. Fuck the general public. The Silent Hill Movie's not about money, it's about Chris Gans making a movie of a game that he really enjoys, and us being glad that someone is finally doing it. (After we see it, we can talk about content).

end spew.

begin commentary.

With regards to ifrit, the guy is ridiculously knowledgeable on the subject of silent hill, or at least he apears to be.
There are times when he speculates, and those are the times that I usually disagree. :D

[Decoy Octopus]

right in these things.
If you expect the filmmakers to find a way to explain some of the most obscure details in the series' to appease hardcore fans (which are fewer in comparison to the "general public") and to somehow make the movie fit in line with the game storyline, then I'm willing to bet you're going to be sorely disappointed.[/ quote]

David Lynch does it, why can't Mr. Gans?
That is to say, a movie that is so intricate and complicated thatnobody gets it. Fuck the general public. The Silent Hill Movie's not about money, it's about Chris Gans making a movie of a game that he really enjoys, and us being glad that someone is finally doing it. (After we see it, we can talk about content).
The way in which David Lynch makes movies is done because that's his mode of telling great stories. He's not doing it for the benefit of anyone, he does it for the benefit of the movie.

In a licensed property, such as Silent Hill, appeasing fans with things they recognize and including convoluted references to inconsequential aspects of the games can detract from the movie itself. A movie should be made with a view to it being a good movie, not just a movie based on a video game.

[cfG-21]

Realizing this, I understand now what will make or break the success of the film's story, which when considered seems fairly obvious: the role of the Red Pyramid in the film.

Or you know, success could depend on the quality of filmmaking combined with the fact that the world is actually getting a movie based on the Silent Hill games.

You're the type of person, with your cockamamey theories and shit, that will never allow the movie to be enjoyed because the filmmaker might not have made the film that fits with your arduous and drawn-out vision of the game.

Just enjoy the fact that Silent Hill fans are getting a movie at all, and don't peg success of the movie on all these BS notions that a handful of hardcore fans may subscribe to.

but his theories aren't that drawn out and they are on par on the whol story of silent hill. it's easy to understand. Lot's of people suffered in the town throuhgout it's history. Different faiths come into the play and a woman who worships fallen angels causes havoc. That's pretty much it really.

[Sentora]

I just saw a new commerical of Silent Hill minutes ago. It just looks better and better, especially seeing PH almost gut the girls with the Great Knife.

And BTW, some comic stores are putting out promos for the movie in form of a newpaper detailing some of the town and a poster. Check out if your local shop has them.

[UnforgivingEdges]

And BTW, some comic stores are putting out promos for the movie in form of a newpaper detailing some of the town and a poster. Check out if your local shop has them.

It's also downloadable in pdf format from the film website. (http://www.welcometosilenthill.com)

[ifirit]

When he speaks of it's success, he's speaking in a general sense, and what the general public will think. He's not saying "I won't like the movie unless it's exactly like this and that and whatever.", he's just trying to predict what people will think, and I think he's pretty accurate, because he's very thorough in his research, and is usually right in these things.

The "general public" doesn't care about the theories. The "general public" plays Silent Hill games because they think they're scary, they like the story and gameplay, or some combination of the above.

If you expect the filmmakers to find a way to explain some of the most obscure details in the series' to appease hardcore fans (which are fewer in comparison to the "general public") and to somehow make the movie fit in line with the game storyline, then I'm willing to bet you're going to be sorely disappointed.

I'm sure everyone will enjoy it in their own way, I just think that people who make Silent Hill details their life will never have the movie live up to their expectations, because let's face it, the movie has to appeal to most, if not all, cinema-goers who plunk down the money to see the film, and the diehard, minutiae-oriented fans can't expect the film to cater to them on such a hardcore level.
You seem to be confusing Silent Hill fans, particularly those who frequent this thread, with normal video game fanatics. Silent Hill has always had a cult status (no pun intended) within the video game community, because of its incredibly artistic influences. Any person who has taken a good look at that virtual world can see that. And art is a substantially subjective thing to discuss. Yet, for those who understand the principles of true artistic flair, good art is reasonably obvious. Also, artists, in particular the creators of this series, tend to be very protective of whom they allow to handle their works. So, in order for anyone to earn the trust of the creators to adapt a film for Silent Hill, they have to prove it. Gans apparently was able to because he was able to show Konami that he was a "hardcore fan," based on the thirty minute audition video he sent to the executives at Konami. So, if Gans is one of those people who makes the details of the games his life, is it completely unreasonable to expect the film to contain some merit of faithfulness to the series?

Honestly, it sounds like you've not been reading over the press materials surrounding the film and judging for yourself the depth of the film director's thought processes. (I apologize for the tone of that statement, but my impression seems to be that you are not informed well enough to support your argument. And in this arena, accurate support is critical to presenting claims.) Gans has stated numerous times that he understands the intrecacies of the Silent Hill series and had worked over the last five years to develop a tightly constructed adaptation to the original game. Visually, that point was made clear at first glimpse; fans are simply waiting for the opening release to see not IF it adheres to the series, but how far so, as that can determine how much it furthers the discussion on the subject of Silent Hill's mythology. I say this because you can't even discuss the subject of Silent Hill without having to theorize even a little. So, if you feel the need to counter a claim, provide one of your own to help further the discussion.

Anyway, as a thank you to all of those who worked to continue the discussion on the subject, I'm PM-ing them a copy to an exclusive "Making Of" video for the film, something I'm sure "hardcore gamers" would appreciate. I'll also direct them to a contest where they can win a free official limited-edition T-shirt from the film. (It's good to be hardcore.)

For the rest of you, I suggest you catch up on your reading in another...

Silent Hill Film Update:
Essential Silent Hill Links:
On the Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/), member Kodaemon (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=9909) has compiled a list of essential links of press and promotional materials for the upcoming film (opening in US theaters on April 21, 2006). This list includes many important links, such as the official film site, theatrical trailer, promotional teaser, press interviews, set visits, convention videos, and a whole lot more. For those who want to catch up on everything related to the film, this is your one-stop-shop.

Silent Hill Forum - "Essential links" (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=23235&page=1&pp=15)

Silent Hill Television Spots:
I'm sure by now many of you have begun seeing the television spots for the upcoming film (one which was shown this past Sunday during rerun of "Family Guy"). I've seen spots shown also on Comedy Central, MTV, Fox, and Spike TV, but some of you may have noticed that there are some variations. Well, you are correct. So far, there have been four officially released tv spots for the "Silent Hill" film. I've compiled links to all four spots (which have not been added to the essential links just yet). So without further delay, here they are.

Silent Hill Television Spot #1 - [MegaUpload Mirror] (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=O8O9TFK9) [.mov file / 3.41MB]
Silent Hill Television Spot #2 - [YouTube Stream] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G67k9QYnyMQ) (Stream-only)
Silent Hill Television Spot #3 - [SaveFile Mirror] (http://www.savefile.com/projects/281661) [.mpg file / 22.2MB]
Silent Hill Television Spot #4 - [SaveFile Mirror] (http://www.savefile.com/files.php?fid=7182036) [.mpg file / 22.0MB]

Smaller video files are available for spots #3 & #4, but I wanted to offer you guys the higher quality video files. Also, if anyone can find a downloadable version of spot #2, please post a link here.

Official Film Website Update:
This might be old news to some (probably many), but a new character downloads page has been added to the official flash site with downloadable media of the exclusive images posted on many online magazines and publications. The media includes posters, PSP wallpapers, PC wallpapers, IPod Skins, and AIM icons of the monsters and characters from the film. The list includes "The Miners," "The Red Pyramid," "The Nurses" (who premiered on MTV.com a few weeks ago), "The Grey Child" aka (Mumblers), Dahlia, and two variations of "The Janitor" (a monster adaptation of the body strung up throughout the first game). Check out the page to download all the media.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill - Character Downloads (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/characters/)

In addition to the new downloads, a new entry has been added to the filmmaker's blog. The blog reiterates what Gans has said before, that the official theatrical release of the film will be the director's cut of the film and that the DVD will be produced at a later time. As said earlier, the film will run at 125 minutes in length, much longer than was the expected 90-100 minutes. So, "put here to feel joy" over knowing that you'll be able to enjoy the film as it was intended to be shown on opening night.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill - Filmmaker's Blog (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/productiondiary/index.php)

Promoting the Crap Out of the Film:
In addition to the new television spots, internet banners, ads, pop-ups, website, online word-of-mouth and comic-book convention appearances, producers for the film have also created some unusual items to help promote the film. First of course is the newspaper, which, yes, was made available online after their distribution as items at the Wondercon event, Fangoria Convention and the recent Big Apple Convention in New York. While I wouldn't pay money for one at a comic-book store, might be willing to spend a few dollars for some autographed editions (that was their main purpose) from the actors and executive producers. But, please make sure to check their authenticity before haggling, because nothing sucks like finding out something is a fake.

Second, Sony Studios in Culver City, California have erected a billboard in front of their filming lots for the film. This billboard helps to welcome people to that special place where you can "relax to get away from it all." You can read more about it on joystiq.com (http://www.joystiq.com)

JoyStiq - Silent Hill billboard welcomes you to... Culver City (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/04/silent-hill-billboard-welcomes-you-to-culver-city/)

Third, in case anyone was interested in seeing what was available at the comic cons over the last couple of months, check out this post (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=350733&postcount=80) by Amazonagent (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk/forum/member.php?u=233) from the Silent Hill Forum (http://www.silenthillforum.co.uk), who took a photo of the awesome stuff that he got while at the Big Apple Convention.

Lastly, even other films have begun adding promotions in for Silent Hill (at least the series anyway), as was recently seen in the film Stay Alive (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441796/) (according to many, it was very poor, at best). This clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otC-XkL-0M) shows a discussion between two of the main characters talking about the glitch used to kill the final boss in Silent Hill (SH1), while throwing in a gab about Silent Hill 4: The Room. (Spoiler for those who may not know: If you enter the last boss battle without any ammunition, then the boss will die on its own. However, this glitch does not work when you have unlocked the hyper blaster [which the two guys in Stay Alive refer to] as it has unlimited ammunition and cannot be dropped.) Some people get lost during that conversation, so unless you're a hardcore fan, this reference will likely just go over your head. (Take that, n00bs!)

The Silent Hill Experience Update:
SHE Released! and New Silent Hill Website on Konami Digital Entertainment of America:
Konami Digitial Entertainment of America (KDEA; formerly Konami Computer Entertainment of America) has launched a new website for the Silent Hill series featuring a new site for the upcoming PSP UMD title "The Silent Hill Experience." The site functions as the official site for the title revealing new details about the interactive media disc as well as a link to purchase the item, which was official released today! So go out and purchase your copy today.

In addition to the already mentioned interactive comics, music, trailers, film interviews and images, the UMD will include a new chapter of the Silent Hill: Dying Inside series called "The Hunger." I can't say how it will fit into the series, but like the other comics featured on the disc, it will be interactive. In the meantime, feel free to check out the screenshots and wallpapers available on the site's media page.

Konami Digital Entertainment of America - Silent Hill - Main Page (http://www.konami.com/silenthill/[/url)
Konami Digital Entertainment of America - The Silent Hill Experience - Official Flash Site (http://www.konami.com/silenthill/she/)
Konami Digital Entertainment of America - The Silent Hill Experience - Game Information Page (http://www.konami.com/gs/gameinfo.php?id=177&pid=12)

As a secret for those who visited the page while it was under construction, the original page featured FMV sequences from the first game, remastered and edited with better flow, on a broken television with the traditional derelict background hiding some words and numbers. As the construction was continuing, the television featured the next game in the series with remastered FMVs looped from the game. A real treat for the fans, that without the hardcores would have been fated to become another lost memory. (Yea! for the hardcores!) Now the real task for the hardcores will be to find copies of the remastered videos for the n00bs to download. I'd offer the .swf files, but Phthisis put me in a bad mood.

[Aetherius]

Aww, no special doohickeys for me.

Hmm, These new trailers have caused me some distress.

"I am the reaper" huh?

What does this portend?!

Edit: Just in case anyone hasn't realized this yet, reading the plot outline given on iMDB shows that this movie has very little, if anything to do with the original Silent Hill Game, so far as plot is concerned.
I don't consider this to be a bad thing.

[The Joker]

... No special PM for me either. Ah well, I came into this late. But yeah, I finally saw the "I am the reaper" spot. Seemed kinda... cheesy. I bet it got cut from the movie though, unless, like someone else mentioned, it's part of longer statement.

[UnforgivingEdges]

So, if Gans is one of those people who makes the details of the games his life, is it completely unreasonable to expect the film to contain some merit of faithfulness to the series?

No, of course not. It just won't contain ALL merit of faithfulness to the series.

Gans has stated numerous times that he understands the intrecacies of the Silent Hill series and had worked over the last five years to develop a tightly constructed adaptation to the original game.

Just because he says it doesn't mean it will be, or if it is, will be to your (and people like you) liking.

Anyway, as a thank you to all of those who worked to continue the discussion on the subject, I'm PM-ing them a copy to an exclusive "Making Of" video for the film, something I'm sure "hardcore gamers" would appreciate. I'll also direct them to a contest where they can win a free official limited-edition T-shirt from the film. (It's good to be hardcore.)

Way to go out of your way to be an immature and self-righteous prick about the discussion. I know you take pride in your deep knowledge about the games, but acting like you're some sort of benevolent god?

Get over yourself :roll:

but Phthisis put me in a bad mood.

Internet= serious business

[ifirit]

Gans has stated numerous times that he understands the intrecacies of the Silent Hill series and had worked over the last five years to develop a tightly constructed adaptation to the original game.
Just because he says it doesn't mean it will be, or if it is, will be to your (and people like you) liking.
I've made theories about how I view things and why certain events are pausible or not, but I don't determine my overall opinion based on whether or not a certain thing exactly follows logic or not. I'm not one of those people who criticize a work just for critism's sake. If I point certain inconsistencies out, it's because I have reason to believe that it will effect the logic raised by the work. The resulting discussion will hopefully bring other people to look at the issue in a different light or to help them look closer at something that might be overlooked.

I definitely allow more in my train of thought for poetic license on the creators' part and don't let little things like the fact that the Red Pyramid is shown holding two Great Knives in certain scenes or the fact that Cybil's hair is matted down in the game as opposed to the film. Debating, or even commenting, on such trivial matters is ignorant, beyond the focus of what's important and just plain pointless, especially when the work is a reprise of an already established publication. However, if the role of a certain character becomes fundementally compremised than the role that is presented in the original piece, I don't feel that it is completely beyond reason to open up discussion as to why such a change was included, do you?

Anyway, as a thank you to all of those who worked to continue the discussion on the subject, I'm PM-ing them a copy to an exclusive "Making Of" video for the film, something I'm sure "hardcore gamers" would appreciate. I'll also direct them to a contest where they can win a free official limited-edition T-shirt from the film. (It's good to be hardcore.)
Way to go out of your way to be an immature and self-righteous prick about the discussion. I know you take pride in your deep knowledge about the games, but acting like you're some sort of benevolent god?

Get over yourself :roll:
Nah, I prefer the term guru. Of course, that name was not self-annointed.

but Phthisis put me in a bad mood.

Internet= serious business
$40 billion industries tend to be. Now, enjoy this little piece of non-sequitorism (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdawb_x-Zps).

EDIT: I completely forgot to mention this, but I just bought myself a ticket to go see PLAY! A Video Game Symphony (http://www.play-symphony.com/news.php?full=7). I know that one or two other people have done the same, so in case anyone wants to do an OCR/SH meetup in Chicago before the show, I'd be happy to help set things up. I'll try to see if Peacer (of Silent Hill: No Escape (http://www.noescape.rateofinjury.com)) wants to hook-up too, since he lives in a suburb of Chicago. Also, if anyone wants to me to ask Akira Yamaoka anything during the meet-and-greet, make your suggestions.

[Nulion]

Ah, good to hear you'll be going to that, ifirit...Will be strange to know that a bunch of people I barely know will be at a concert I'll be at :)

...Of course, I'll be on the top balcony in row G o.o Guess all that counts is we all get to hear the music, right? Hehe.

Maybe if you wear a nametag that says "ifirit", I'll spot you down there with my binoculars..or something.

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

I have to third the opinion on the whole, "I am the reaper" line. What the hell's up with that? That is so unlike Alessa... oh well, maybe it's from a bad dream Rose has?

Also (hope no one's mentioned this yet): I think Sean Bean's character is totally stupid/unnecessary and breaks away from too much from the Silent Hill world. Gans himself stated, "He didn't want to do a movie full of women." Whatever that's all about.

[Aetherius]

I'm pretty sure he DID want to make a movie full of women, but Tristar was all "what? no."

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

I'm pretty sure he DID want to make a movie full of women, but Tristar was all "what? no."

Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. That was just something I read on Wikipedia. When will big movie production companies realize that the public doesn't want a typical American-ified horror movie? Jiminey!

Secondly: ooooh, it's Aetherius.

[Kiyosuki]

Well without Sean Bean's character, really the only...other male character is maybe Pyramid Head. lol

I think its better left in his hands than a lot of Hollywood "opportunists" as he put it really, but since this is his personal interpretation of the game itself that could still be awkward. Remember that while this is inspired by the first game its not the first game. Alessa isn't quite Alessa, its just an interpretation. Hell if you want to get nerdy you could even call it an AU.

I'm not gonna guess too much until I see it though. It has just enough potential to warrent suspencding suspicion.

[Manic Cinq]

"I am the reaper" is out of context, but still just doesn't seem right at all... but that shouldn't be a surprise. When stories switch media (game->movie) they tend to be set in alternate universes. I believe this is usually because different people get involved in the creative process when someone new is paying the bills.

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

Well, even if the movie sucks ass, the games will always be there to "brighten" our lives.

Speaking of the games... I've heard talk of a fifth installment for the next gen. Anyone else know anything? (sorry if it's already been discussed on this thread)

[StarZander]

I just finished something that I wanted to show you all. It's just some photomanipulation, and it features Pyramid Head, but I like it, and the feelings it emanates. Enjoy.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/31467708/

[UnforgivingEdges]

I just finished something that I wanted to show you all. It's just some photomanipulation, and it features Pyramid Head, but I like it, and the feelings it emanates. Enjoy.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/31467708/

You mean feelings of dread and perturbation?

But seriously, that is flippin awesome. Hello new desktop :D

EDIT: After studying it further, it kind of looks like PH just relieved himself.

[RazorOutlaw]

So, it's official. PH is no longer tied exclusively to James, at least not in the way some of us felt the character was. As seen on the Director's blog...

Spoilers, I guess.
Mr. Gans: A lot of people feel that it doesn't make sense for the Red Pyramid to be in the film because he was a delusion specifically for James. While I think it makes perfect sense, can you shed some light on the subject so that peace may finally be restored to all the Silent Hill forums of the world?

- Jared S

Akira Yamaoka and I agree that Red P is not just a creation of James. Saying that Red Pyramid was solely conceived by James in Silent Hill 2 is just one of the explanations for his existence. James is just one point of view. Another perspective is to remember that Silent Hill existed before James and that Red P was one of the executioners in the original history of the town. So clearly, there is not one particular or exclusive manifestation of him as an entity.

My version of the Red P was adapted from the perspective of the female characters. I felt it important that their psyche influence his shape, dress and physicality.

And of course a statement displaying my outright confusion:

I'm just curious as to how in the hell the Book of Lost Memories can say that PH was incarnated from James's mind.

Doesn't that express exclusivity right there? The BoLM even says that PH was only a representation of his guilt...so...am I just being a stickler over semantics?

I mean, yes, I can and have been a stickler regarding PH here. When I read the word "only" I take that to mean that the creature is really only an incarnation of James's mind and not some part of the town. But now, I guess it isn't. Implied by ifirit a few pages ago (lol) PH is apparently a divine creature of some sort. Akira and Gans confirm this basically. If by saying that James's perspective was merely a unique way of seeing PH then PH must really be an intrinsic part of the town unlike the way all of those lesser monsters are.

I'm really curious as to how in the hell the internet kiddies ended up being right. They never bothered to cite the Book of Lost Memories for evidence, a lot of them just seemed to have this idea that anybody could see PH should their mental state allow it.

HOLY CRAP I'M HAVING A NERD MELTDOWN. :wink:

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

My guess is that they just wanted to throw Pyramid Head into the film because he's bad ass. I'm sure that that's their only reasoning. Weeeell, maybe it's because they wanted to have some sort of "bad guy" from one of the games, as a little insentive for the gamers, and I don't think Claudia or Walter would make much sense so, meh, they just threw in the creepy thing with the big knife.

[The Joker]

I was right! Well, in that it was Akira's final say, & I guess he decided PH was a higher up in the SH universe. I wonder if Valtiel is a version of Pyramid head?

[Aetherius]

I got the impression that the book of lost memories was written by a third party, since it has little quotes from the creators as though they'd been interviewed, but not entirely integrated in its creation. Also, Akira Yamaoka may be the official word on this movie, but he's really only the sound and musical guy. He probably has some say in the creative process, but I'm pretty sure that the characters and meanings behind them belong more to the other creators.

[RazorOutlaw]

Either PH is a version of Valtiel or PH is actually another "angel" in the cult's mythos that took the form of an executioner in SH2. And if that is the case then I was misinterpreting the line "the incarnation of James's need for guilt" as merely applying to its form and origin, not what the creature actually is (an angel, in this case).

Bear in mind that both PH and Valtiel wear the same religious clothing that the priests do (or rather, the priests derived their clothing from those two creatures.)

God, how a few days can make me sing a different tune.

[Nulion]

Razor, I'm just tossing out ideas here...But James in SH2 does have an awful lot of delusions. Maybe the parts you mentioned in the Book of Lost Memories are actually James-specific? As in he would see what he wants to see, in order to understand what is going on around him. Maybe even that book would have different text depending on the person who reads it. Makes about as much sense as a lot of other things in SH2, actually...Since you are playing the game from his perspective, you see what he wants to see; everything you see in that game is a mix of what James THINKS he sees, and what is actually there.

Spoiler..I think :)
One thing that points that out, I think, is how the letter he recieves in the beginning of the game starts to fade out, until it disappears by the time you fight the Mary\Maria demon. That letter was all in his head, right? I could be getting something wrong in there somewhere, hehe. At the very least, it does show that he can make things up and fool the gamer into believing it's real. Who's to say he didn't do that with the Book of Lost Memories?

EDIT: This post was me not thinking straight. Apologies, I didn't realize Razor was talking about the actual (In Print) copy of Book of Lost Memories...as opposed to the one you find in the actual SH2 game. (Which still makes little sense, because the in-game one doesn't mention any of this >.< I need to get more sleep before I post something)

[Manic Cinq]

Nulion, do you understand that the Book of Lost Memories is an actual book?
http://www.translatedmemories.com/

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

Hey, it can still be made up, can't it? I mean fictional books are written everyday. I'm not saying I agree with Nulion or anything; I just think your point is irrelevant.

[RazorOutlaw]

Mmm, there would be little reason for supplemental material about the game to be false. Wrong interpretations even with that material can still happen, if the James/PH fiasco (a fiasco for me, mentally) can still happen.

[Nulion]

Oh man, I am such an idiot >.< Here I am thinking the Book of Lost Memories you were talking about was the one in SH2 that you actually have to find in order to get the Rebirth ending. o.o

So there's actually TWO Books of Lost Memories...the one in the game, and the real one. I got 'em confused :oops:

Even so, I should've researched that a little and I'd have kept myself from getting confused. Ugh, sorry about that one guys.

Going to go and bash my head against a concrete wall and refrain from posting theories ever again :)

Whatever the case, I guess the best explaination about how PH is now not a James-specific monster\entity thing is that Team Silent is making this stuff up as they go. Maybe they just thought (Or Akira\Gans just thought) it would be better to have it this way, as opposed to what they were thinking around the time they actually designed SH2. They're only human, right?

[Manic Cinq]

Too bad you can't read the one in the game. :(

[Nulion]

You can't? Been awhile since I checked. I'd imagine it's mostly lots of cultish stuff that'd be cryptic and way outta my league.

[The Joker]

I'm pretty sure Akira is one of the Producers of the Silent Hill series.

[DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff]

I'm pretty sure Akira is one of the Producers of the Silent Hill series.

Yeah, as far as I know, he is. That would explain why the music is more than just fitting.

[RazorOutlaw]

I'm pretty sure Akira is one of the Producers of the Silent Hill series.
Yes, Akira actually has his hand in the movie. Infact, Team Silent worked pretty closely with Gans and Avery. It's only a bonus that the two of them were such fans of the Silent Hill series.

[Aetherius]

I'm pretty sure Akira is one of the Producers of the Silent Hill series.

I didn't mean to imply that he isn't, but simply that the creatures and plot in the game were probably created by the others.

[StarZander]

Some info about the movie, but I don't know if it's been posted before or not. Maybe spoiler though.

*SPOILER*
According to the cast list on imdb, both Henry Townshend and Eddie Dombrowski will appear in the film. I have no idea what they will be doing there. Eddie might be running around again killing people, and Henry might run around being boring. Who knows. Interesting though.

[Nulion]

That messup over at IMDb is a complete fake :) Note how the same actor is cited for several different characters which (If you're not talking about Alessa), makes no sense.

I'm not sure how information gets submitted to IMDb, but it's all user-submitted. And sometimes...the users are even bigger idiots than I can be at times. It's still a really good resource, but you can't be 100% sure everything you see there is accurate or true.

Hopefully someone fixes those false names that were inserted in there. I'd do it, but I have no idea how. Maybe you need an IMDb premium (Paid) account?

[Eccles]

It's a trap!

They set it up so it's all wrong so that hardcore fans like yourself pay them to let you put it right.

[Nulion]

^ Now that's just plain evil!

Oh, and just in case anybody wanted to know...On the FX channel, Tuesday the 11th at 7:30 pm (EDT) they'll be showing "Don't Say a Word" (With Sean Bean in it), and more than likely with each commercial break, they'll be showing some Silent Hill movie stuff in there.

Also, I hear that BET (Yes, Black Entertainment Television) will be showing a thing on Silent Hill Tuesday the 17th at 7:30 PM EDT.

While on that subject, did anybody see the recent Starz behind the scenes thing for the SH Movie?

If not, here's a high-quality version of the thing..

On The Set: Silent Hill (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UZZSRMG5) (Friendly warning, it's a 190 MB file)

[Aetherius]

just so anybody knows, That Starz thing doesn't reveal much in terms of plot, but it shows a lot of visuals and things that you might not want to see if you'd rather be awed by the movie in its entirety.

[FriedRice]

I thought it revealed a decent bit of the plot.

[Monobrow]

Hey guys, did you maybe think that:

James and Mary may have visited the Historical Society during their stay in Silent Hill, and may have come across that painting (or a normal variation of) and may have also read about some of the history of the town there?

James' psyche produces Pyramid Head, but maybe this is only because his psyche needs SOMETHING to represent his guilt for what he did, and the violence of Mary's murder, and the emotions raging within his head. And considering what many consider the closest to "official" ending being the In Water ending, Pyramid's chasing of James, and constant threat may also represent his hidden desire to end his own life.

I personally always thought that Pyramid Head isn't exclusive to just James, but that he was just produced as a representation of what James was trying to supress. In that, Maria is similar to Pyramid Head, as she represents his hidden desires, etc. etc. IN SH2, Pyramid Head and Maria are ALIKE, in that they are both born from a wish, so to speak.

Not to mention that the Valtiel sect is said to wear pyramid hoods, similar to what the executioners wore during the Toluca Prison/Civil War era, etc. So it is perfectly feasable that many variations, based on these executioners, can be tied easily to the cult, and what people "sucked in" to a cult member's world, or whatever they are doing in the movie, will see.

[ifirit]

WARNING: Silent Hill 1 & 2 Spoilers and Possible Silent Hill Spoilers
I'm pretty sure he DID want to make a movie full of women, but Tristar was all "what? no."

Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. That was just something I read on Wikipedia. When will big movie production companies realize that the public doesn't want a typical American-ified horror movie? Jiminey!
I think that you are confusing the information given by Roger Avary in an interview with IGN with the idea that TriStar was responsible for executive decisions like that. Avary was the writer who included the character Christopher DeSilva (played by Sean Bean) as a way to relieve the burden of explaining the history of Silent Hill (as presented in the film) from Rose's character, who's main objective is to find Sharon. In other words, Avary split up Harry's character into two personas, one as Christopher (who will retain Harry's inquisitive and pensive characteristics [as well as his masculinity]), while the other as Rose (who will embody Harry's emotive and emotional characteristics ). By adding this change, he was able to retain Gans' original vision while allowing the audience to follow the film a little better from a cognitive standpoint. Avary felt that this was the only major aspect of the story that needed to be revised. Also, according to people who were able to obtain copies of the script beforehand (no thanks to Don Carmody, producer for Silent Hill and Davis Films, who blabbed to everyone about the film's script), Christopher DeSilva is a very close embodiment of Harry Mason.

"I am the reaper" is out of context, but still just doesn't seem right at all... but that shouldn't be a surprise.
That part of the film appears to be occuring in the section that takes place in Nowhere (in the game), this could imply a variety of explanations, one of which could involve the mysterious fourth persona of the Alessa character. Gans has alluded to it in a few interviews, but has not revealed much information other than that one of Alessa's persona's is evil, suggesting a demonic presense. The quote might not be coming from Sharon or Alessa or even Sharon/Alessa, but from the awakened incubus within Sharon/Alessa. Another theory might be that it is a memory of Alessa arguing with a person from the same memory much like those from the game, where Harry sees the memories of the past replayed as ghostly images. Granted that this is not likely the case since there is a distortion in the audio and that Sharon/Alessa does not have a ghostly appearance. Still, it's not beyond plausibility.

So, it's official. PH is no longer tied exclusively to James, at least not in the way some of us felt the character was. As seen on the Director's blog...

Spoilers, I guess.
[i]Mr. Gans: A lot of people feel that it doesn't make sense for the Red Pyramid to be in the film because he was a delusion specifically for James. While I think it makes perfect sense, can you shed some light on the subject so that peace may finally be restored to all the Silent Hill forums of the world?

- Jared S

Akira Yamaoka and I agree that Red P is not just a creation of James. Saying that Red Pyramid was solely conceived by James in Silent Hill 2 is just one of the explanations for his existence. James is just one point of view. Another perspective is to remember that Silent Hill existed before James and that Red P was one of the executioners in the original history of the town. So clearly, there is not one particular or exclusive manifestation of him as an entity.

My version of the Red P was adapted from the perspective of the female characters. I felt it important that their psyche influence his shape, dress and physicality.

And of course a statement displaying my outright confusion:

I'm just curious as to how in the hell the Book of Lost Memories can say that PH was incarnated from James's mind.

Doesn't that express exclusivity right there? The BoLM even says that PH was only a representation of his guilt...so...am I just being a stickler over semantics?

I mean, yes, I can and have been a stickler regarding PH here. When I read the word "only" I take that to mean that the creature is really only an incarnation of James's mind and not some part of the town. But now, I guess it isn't. Implied by ifirit a few pages ago (lol) PH is apparently a divine creature of some sort. Akira and Gans confirm this basically. If by saying that James's perspective was merely a unique way of seeing PH then PH must really be an intrinsic part of the town unlike the way all of those lesser monsters are.

I'm really curious as to how in the hell the internet kiddies ended up being right. They never bothered to cite the Book of Lost Memories for evidence, a lot of them just seemed to have this idea that anybody could see PH should their mental state allow it.
From reading the text of the Ushinawareta Kioku (Lost Memories) (I like to use this name to distinguish it from the book in the games), it implied that the Red Pyramid Thing was a being intrinsic to the religion of Silent Hill (not the town, though some people associate the two together). It seems that the text saying that the Red Pyramid Thing was "only" a manifeastation of James' delusion is only that the form seen by James is exclusive to him, not that the being was exclusive to James himself. You also have to consider that the context of the quote is within a question of what Walter Sullivan saw, not within the context of the entirety of the Silent Hill series.

Other parts of the Ushinawareta Kioku and the Silent Hill Fugue suggest that the Red Pyramid Thing is a being that was created as part of an invocation of Vatiel, the angel of god. The appearance of heavenly beings when another being is invoked is reminisant of the invocation of the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit from Christian beliefs, particularly Catholism. In some stories, God would send down the Holy Spirit (in an earthly form) to those who prayed to him in place of God himself and the Holy Spirit would act on behalf of God. In the context of the Silent Hill series, the guide book strongly implies that the same thing occurred with the Red Pyramid Thing, being that Vatiel was sent in the form of an executioner to act on god's behalf. However, it also implies that Vatiel is not the RPT and that they are separate entities. I cannot say with certainty which is correct, but it seems to me that the RPT is very closely connected to Vatiel as either a form of Vatiel or as an agent of Vatiel.

Anyway, as such, I have to ask myself now, why the Red Pyramid from the film, if a manifeastation of the female perspective, appears the way it does. But, I'll leave my thoughts on that subject for another day.

Hey guys, did you maybe think that:

James and Mary may have visited the Historical Society during their stay in Silent Hill, and may have come across that painting (or a normal variation of) and may have also read about some of the history of the town there?
It's widely considered that the couple did visit the Silent Hill Historical Society, but it is unknown as to whether or not James really absorbed anything from his visit. Some people, who consider the theory that everything James sees and experiences takes place within his mind, consider that the history that James learns while in Silent Hill the second time is just parts of what he heard and saw on the first visit emerged from his subconscious. This is fine to consider, but would put a strain on anyone's mind to have to recall that much information. It's likely that James did learn a little bit on his first visit and that the rest he genuinely picks up while exploring the town. However, in actuality, it cannot be stated with certainty what James knew about Silent Hill's past.

I personally always thought that Pyramid Head isn't exclusive to just James, but that he was just produced as a representation of what James was trying to supress. In that, Maria is similar to Pyramid Head, as she represents his hidden desires, etc. etc. IN SH2, Pyramid Head and Maria are ALIKE, in that they are both born from a wish, so to speak.
I'm glad someone else finally sees that observation. I've tried to make that point before, but many people rejected the notion because it made Maria's character appear diminished as a person; it made her appear as a monster and not a character, which she is for the most part. But, I believe Maria to be a manifeastation uniquely characteristic to Silent Hill, being that it is the place where people can see the spirits of the dead, as well as the living. (I'm using the word "spirits" very loosely since Native American beliefs don't view spirits the same way that people of Judeo-Christian faiths do.) But, Maria is always a touchy subject with a lot of people. Maria is a mysterious character who knows a lot more than she leads people to believe. Maria's discussion about fate with Ernest Baldwin plays a major role in my theory, but since so much has to be implied from that conversation that it makes the subject hard to explain to other people.

[RazorOutlaw]

Spoilers!
Mmm thanks for the response. I had a similar idea in my head that James was seeing Pyramid Head because that's what he wanted to see in Valtiel...not sure if I posted that already.

But this discussion jump started some else from my mind too. I found out about PH's lack of exclusiveness from the Myspace Silent Hill group I visit. In that topic one girl mentioned that Walter's ranting about the red devil coming to kill him meant that Walter was seeing pyramid head. She finished by saying "So obvious it hurts."

Lost Memories explicitly states that Walter did not see Pyramid Head. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but in the Sullivan Victim Files we later learn that Jimmy Stone had the nickname "Red Devil". He also had a right-hand man known as George Rosten, a man who had a hand in raising Walter and allowing Valtiel to enter his consciousness. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that Jimmy Stone also had a hand in this, being that George and he were close working partners.

So if what the Lost Memories says is true, and Walter did not see PH but bothers to mention that the "Red Devil" is coming to kill him and that "he made me do it!", and we only know of Jimmy Stone being known as the "Red Devil", wouldn't it be logical to conclude that the "red devil" Walter was ranting about was Jimmy Stone?

The girl only replied that she bad read "billions of theories regarding the Red Devil being Pyramid Head and that Jimmy Stone and George Rosten were actually the two Pyramid Heads at the end of SH2.[sic]"

She also said she was "really annoyed" and didn't want to argue over fictional characters. That was all she said in reply. I challenged her to answer my point (mentioned above) or concede, and she conceded. -_-

So while I certainly find it amusing that the leaders of two religious sects would take such an interest in old James Sunderland, I'm upset that she only put forth opposing theories, not bothering to attempt to correct my claims. And I know this would be another point to answer, but by the time of Silent Hill 2 Billy and Miriam Loccaine had already been killed. James had read about their death and Sullivan's suicide. Both George and Jimmy died long before Walter killed those twins. How could they be there with James if they were already dead?

Granted, Jimmy Stone's sect apparently puts him in role of being an executioner, being that they follow Valtiel and all...so her theory might work if their spirits were sent to judge James. But that just sounds like inventing reasons as opposed to looking at the facts (which are admittedly lacking if one wants to think both Jimmy and George took the form of Pyramid Heads to fight James).

[CheezSamich4Hire]

Okay, after playing Silent Hill 2, 3, 4 for a while, I must say that the series is god awful. You do nothing, and nothing happens. It's not scary, it's not fun, and it's boring. All you do is walk around, nothing comes out a jumps at you, the enemy variation is awful, nothing but all show. Just a bunch of blood stained walls and wheelchairs. *hides behind flame shield*

That is all.

[RazorOutlaw]

You're entitled to your wrong opinion. :P

[Monobrow]

In that topic one girl mentioned that Walter's ranting about the red devil coming to kill him meant that Walter was seeing pyramid head. She finished by saying "So obvious it hurts."

Lost Memories explicitly states that Walter did not see Pyramid Head. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but in the Sullivan Victim Files we later learn that Jimmy Stone had the nickname "Red Devil". He also had a right-hand man known as George Rosten, a man who had a hand in raising Walter and allowing Valtiel to enter his consciousness. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that Jimmy Stone also had a hand in this, being that George and he were close working partners.

So if what the Lost Memories says is true, and Walter did not see PH but bothers to mention that the "Red Devil" is coming to kill him and that "he made me do it!", and we only know of Jimmy Stone being known as the "Red Devil", wouldn't it be logical to conclude that the "red devil" Walter was ranting about was Jimmy Stone?

The girl only replied that she bad read "billions of theories regarding the Red Devil being Pyramid Head and that Jimmy Stone and George Rosten were actually the two Pyramid Heads at the end of SH2.[sic]"

So while I certainly find it amusing that the leaders of two religious sects would take such an interest in old James Sunderland, I'm upset that she only put forth opposing theories, not bothering to attempt to correct my claims. And I know this would be another point to answer, but by the time of Silent Hill 2 Billy and Miriam Loccaine had already been killed. James had read about their death and Sullivan's suicide. Both George and Jimmy died long before Walter killed those twins. How could they be there with James if they were already dead?

Granted, Jimmy Stone's sect apparently puts him in role of being an executioner, being that they follow Valtiel and all...so her theory might work if their spirits were sent to judge James. But that just sounds like inventing reasons as opposed to looking at the facts (which are admittedly lacking if one wants to think both Jimmy and George took the form of Pyramid Heads to fight James).


This has a LOT of spoilers, from SH1-4...


Okay, I had this discussion with someone a long time ago. This is basically what we worked it up to, an incomplete theory, that almost makes sense so far:

Walter Sullivan was raised in the Wish House, around the same time that Alessa was. However, being that he was an orphan, he did not have the privelages that Alessa had, he was obviously abused. But I think he was a "special" child, not quite as "special" as Alessa, but that he was special enough to be a pawn of the cult, much like Claudia was at a later date. Claudia was special as well, obviously, from her (debated) ability to bring about the scenario in SH3. I think it was Claudia that was doing most of the work in SH3, and she was so caught up in the cult, in wanting Paradise, in Alessa's role, that she uh..."put" the god into Heather's womb, and everything Heather sees, is both Claudia's paradise, and a mix of her own, awakening from her lost memories... Anyway, back to SH4...When Walter was young, there was more than one sect at that time. At that time, Dahlia was obsessed in somehow bringing about "paradise", and she was trying to figure out how to birth god...In SH1, we see the conversation between Alessa and Dahlia, when Dahlia realizes that she can use Alessa for her purposes, and so Alessa, who was supposed to become a priestess, instead becomes "impregnated", and then burned, on the brink of death, and she splits in two...Into Cheryl, who I think contains the "real" Alessa's soul, and then leaves "Alessa" in the Alc hospital basement. who I think is actually just her body, containing the soul of the "god". But before all of this happened, Dahlia was looking for a way to birth god. She then met a REALLY young Walter, realized that he had potential to be manipulated, and told him about his "mother" in room 302...This caused Walter to become obsessed, and planted the seed for the events in SH4...And yet...I am sure she quickly forgot about it, or never got around to doing anything with it, and set her sights on her daughter...then the SH1 scenario happens, she fails, and dies, and cult is run by the likes of Jimmy Stone, and later, Vincent and Claudia...Anyway, the point is, Dahlia ultimately caused Walter to seek out "his mother", as she was the head of the Holy Mother sect. But Walter, later in life, upon growing up (and after the events of SH1) from his association with Jimmy Stone, was part of the Valtiel sect. I think that where the Holy Mother sect worships a "female" entity to birth god, the Valtiel sect worships Valtiel, the caretaker who turns the wheels between reality, etc...But I think that Valtiel's sect may also represent the "male's" role in the cult, as an impregnator, executioner, etc. so to speak. And I ALSO think that Walter Sullivan's being tormented by the "red devil" is something VERY similar to what happened to Alessa, having a "god" within her womb...To birth god, they have to do certain things, but they go about it differently, because of their gender.

Walter has to sacrifice victims, he had to also kill himself after the "ten hearts". But he was caught before he could do so...Instead, he ends up in a jail cell after killing the Locaine children. I think that here, he starts being tormented by a guilty conscience...And may not want to finish the ritual. In jail, he comments that he is being tormented by the "Red Devil"...Maybe Walter, the good part of him at this point, is being convinced to kill himself so that the ritual can continue, he's fighting a battle of the mind...MUCH like James did... similarly being chased around, maybe even by his "own" demons, heck, maybe even by beings similar to that of Pyamid Head, as PH is a Valtiel sect character by association...

Anyway maybe the "real" Walter loses this battle, maybe he was sitting in jail the entire time, experiencing a personal hell...And he loses, and kills himself (actually just splits his soul in two - much like what happened to Alessa and Cheryl, except this was bad for Walter, because the "dead" body would be the good Walter's vessel, and the free roaming body would be Valtiel's, which is the opposite of what happened with Alessa and Cheryl)

After the fake death, and the split, Valtiel/Possessed Walter went on with the rest of the ritual. Poor Walter Sullivan gives in, and stabs himself in the neck with a spoon. Everyone always wonders why we see Walter Sullivan's grave in SH2, along with Miriam K, Eddie's, James', and Angelas...Well, Walter's time in jail may explain why in SH2, we hear about Walter's crime, and then we see Walter's grave at the end of the labyrinth - we all know that Eddie, Angela ((most likely)) and James, if you get the In Water ending, are dead, in Silent Hill - this means they lost the battle with themselves - this explains the graves - and maybe Walter's grave too.

Anyway, Valtiel gets what he wants and as evil Walter - the Walter that chases you around with a gun later in SH4. He has gotten himself out of a jam because he has the ability to fake his death, so that he can get on with the ritual, and get out of a jail cell, because since he is split, he cannot really die until both halves are together.

So even though this confuses me somewhat, maybe the "dead" body that was dug up is just a vessel, similar to what happened to a young Alessa when her mother burned her. Alessa wanted to die, but instead, she was split. After the police think Walter is dead, Valtiel/Walter (the other half) is trapsing around, waiting for the opportunity to finish the 21 Sacraments. When the coast is clear, Walter/Valtiel digs up his own body, carries it to The Room, and then "merges" back with himself, so he can THEN kill himself for REAL, as the 11th victim, and do the assumption, which allows him to kill the rest of his victims much easier, and also, is just what the cult believes, so Walter HAS to do it that way. The way he kills his victims from here on, he "sucks" them into his world through holes, which is related to his psyche, and then offs them there, where they become ghosts, trapped forever there. Whether or not they are sleeping, etc...

Anyway, when I said that Valtiel represented the male way to go about birthing a god, I meant that he has to impregnate someone. Somehow, Dahlia impregnated her daughter with a god...But what Walter is trying to do has a twist. He wants the god, the paradise, to be the Room. He is channeling all of the energy from his sacrifices to the Room, which is the "womb" of the mother. This is why we see the umbilical cord looking monster everywhere, the "Greedy Worm"...(I'm not going into that too much right now though, that's a whole nother discussion) But the difference between the Paradise of Walter, and the Paradise of everyone else seems to be that Walter yearns to go "back" into a cult/paradise version of his "mother's" womb, as opposed to spreading "paradise" to others.

At this point, I'm a bit too tired to go into the rest, because I haven't figured it all out yet, but it involves Eileen being the "mother" victim in the ritual, sacrificing herself...I still haven't figured out this part of it, but I think that Eileen's role may be similar to Alessa's or Walter's, and that she may be impregnated, like Alessa, or just possessed, much like Walter (from Jimmy Stone's work) and Walter needs her to sacrifice herself, as he did himself, so that the Room will awaken, in his paradise.

[The Instrument of GAWD]

You're entitled to your wrong opinion. :P

Please do not feed the trolls.

Anyway, two weeks ago I went to an Anime Convention near Pittsburgh. I was quite surprised when I found these two in the Vendor's area.

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/101/f/9/Tekkoshocon__Vince_and_Heather_by_Twardz.png

I was not expecting that there.

[CIaude]

Okay, after playing Silent Hill 2, 3, 4 for a while, I must say that the series is god awful. You do nothing, and nothing happens. It's not scary, it's not fun, and it's boring. All you do is walk around, nothing comes out a jumps at you, the enemy variation is awful, nothing but all show. Just a bunch of blood stained walls and wheelchairs. *hides behind flame shield*

That is all.

Says the guy with the Breath of Fire signature... :roll:
Go through this entire thread I challenge you to find a single post commending this game for it's gameplay. Silent Hill isn't about action or fighting; this isn't Contra. Silent Hill's about playing with lights out, the volume cranked, the brightness on your TV turned way down at 3 in the morning. You gotta be in the mood to get scared. You're not gonna enjoy something like "The Grudge" when all you plan on doing is throwing popcorn at the screen. That's like copping out of Fight Club or Memento halfway through the movie.

I also notice you said you played them all, but didn't finish any of them. You gotta finish it you silly bastard. I recommend finishing 2 first, or looking for a copy of 1. But that's just me.

Edit: Fuck, I just broke the comma key on my keyboard.

[CheezSamich4Hire]

I am quite open minded about video games, trust me. I've been playing them since I was 3 years old, and I'm almost 18 now. I'm all up for story, which is the main reason why I like Breath of Fire III so much.

However, the story of SH3 went straight to hell when it was shown that Claudia is yet another whiny villian who had a bad childhood and has to ruin the world for everyone just because of it. I don't like my villians whiny and having no coping skills.

As for the scares, I understand the game isn't action based, but the scares were just plain lame. They were just THERE. They didn't do anything. All you could do was look at them. Nothing jumped out of nowhere and tried to rape you. Everything is pretty much expected halfway through the game. A few cheap scares here and there, that don't even harm your player.

All that walking around looking at a few wheelchairs, dismembered bodies, and blood-stained walls gets old fast.

Either that, or I'm not scared easily.

[UnforgivingEdges]

I am quite open minded about video games, trust me. I've been playing them since I was 3 years old, and I'm almost 18 now. I'm all up for story, which is the main reason why I like Breath of Fire III so much.

However, the story of SH3 went straight to hell when it was shown that Claudia is yet another whiny villian who had a bad childhood and has to ruin the world for everyone just because of it. I don't like my villians whiny and having no coping skills.

As for the scares, I understand the game isn't action based, but the scares were just plain lame. They were just THERE. They didn't do anything. All you could do was look at them. Nothing jumped out of nowhere and tried to rape you. Everything is pretty much expected halfway through the game. A few cheap scares here and there, that don't even harm your player.

All that walking around looking at a few wheelchairs, dismembered bodies, and blood-stained walls gets old fast.

Either that, or I'm not scared easily.

You're looking for scares in the wrong way. The games aren't Resident Evil clones, which is how you're approaching them.

The Silent Hill games are not meant to give you that sudden horror feeling; they're meant to give you a slowly growing sense of perturbation and creeped out-ness.

[Aetherius]

Just to throw a bit of theory out there:

Horror: The physical/visual manifestation of a threatening or disgusting thing.

Terror: the knowledge of a threatening or disgusting thing (A horrifying thing, even), but the fear is based on what one doesn't see rather than what one does see.

Silent Hill is primarily terror-based. The 'bosses' tend to be horrifying, while the gameplay is moreso a mystery/terror game. There is less suspsense than a desire to know 'what the hell happened here?' and when there are enemies involved, it tends to be the fear that there will be enemies, rather than the enemies themselves which are frightening.

While there are plenty of disturbing creatures and images in Silent Hill, it's the atmosphere and buildup which puts so much weight on them. Rather than being mindless zombies, the enemies are representative of something. It's not a gore-fest/blast-your-way-out kind of game. It's a 'solve the mystery, and hope you won't have to use that steel pipe' game. Heck, it's not even a game. It's an experience.

Resident Evil compared to Silent Hill is like comparing Dawn of the Dead with David Lynch's Lost Highway. They're completely different.

[BocoDragon]

This thread approaches 100 pages...

The movie approaches release...

It is appropriate to give a huge 'thank you' to Silent Hill fandom. You are one of the most intelligent fanbases for any medium, game or otherwise. This unique work has attracted a dedicated bunch!

It occured to me last night that I've been here from the beginning. In Spring 1999 I rented Silent Hill 1, expecting it to be a second rate RE knockoff. I remember beating it, and distinctly thinking "wow, that was different". I promptly beat it 4 other times, getting all the endings, before returning it.

I didn't know just how different and loved it was until the sequels. Now Silent Hill is synonymous with so many things.... experimental white noise soundtracks, mysterious bass guitar, horror references, maturity, Melissa Williamson, Jacob's Ladder, Akira Yamaoka, fog, abandoned urban areas, Gans, Hip Hop beats, kooky townspeople, cults, radio static, lead pipes, Heather, Harry, James, Henry, Walter Sullivan.... and This Thread, which is the true epicenter of Silent Hill fandom on the net!

I'm glad to have SH 1-4 sitting on my shelf more than anything else in my game collection. It's a real pop culture icon at this point!

It's been great to be a part of this with you all!

/gush

[Eccles]

You make it sound like YOU won the various awards...

[CIaude]

I am quite open minded about video games, trust me. I've been playing them since I was 3 years old, and I'm almost 18 now. I'm all up for story, which is the main reason why I like Breath of Fire III so much.

However, the story of SH3 went straight to hell when it was shown that Claudia is yet another whiny villian who had a bad childhood and has to ruin the world for everyone just because of it. I don't like my villians whiny and having no coping skills.

No she isn't. She's fucking crazy.

As for the scares, I understand the game isn't action based, but the scares were just plain lame. They were just THERE. They didn't do anything. All you could do was look at them. Nothing jumped out of nowhere and tried to rape you. Everything is pretty much expected halfway through the game. A few cheap scares here and there, that don't even harm your player.

Movies don't do anything to the viewer. Why would the scares in Silent Hill do anything to the player?

All that walking around looking at a few wheelchairs, dismembered bodies, and blood-stained walls gets old fast.

Either that, or I'm not scared easily.

If it's such a simple concept, why didn't you bother finishing the game?

EDIT: Did you even GET to the hospital? That's the best part of the game.

[Aetherius]

Clearly, this person was looking for a game which had a much simpler story, and much simpler scares.

"OMG BOO!" scares are worthless.

edit: It's not supposed to be scary. It's supposed to be creepy. If you were tuned into the atmosphere the game creates, you'd be scared that after you turned the game off, one of those closers would eat your face.

[Nulion]

I guess some people just can't appreciate it, can they? "OMGZ BOO!" scares wear so thin, so fast...although, Silent Hill HAS had a few of them; but only the original PS1 game. Remember the body in the locker, or the cat in the school?

I nearly fell over laughing while I was playing SH1 and my best friend's girlfriend was watching, then that part happened. She ran out of the room screaming. ;)

I bet she would't be scared like that ever again though, hehe.

It's a good thing that the other 99% of scares from SH games are the "Get under your skin and NEVER leave" kind.

Oh yeah, another thing here;

Silent Hill: Original Sin (http://www.orangeloungeradio.com/phpnuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=557&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0)

They're remaking Silent Hill 1 for the PSP, and calling it "Silent Hill: Original Sin" It has a release date of October 18th, 2006. I'll be picking that one up for sure :)

[Aetherius]

Let's hope the money the creators make from that game as a result of the movie's hype will allow them to make Silent Hill 5 Flippin' amazing.

[StarZander]

Side note: This thread just reached 100 pages. A big "w00t" to all of us who have been with it from the beginning, and a nice "cool" to all of you who came here after a while. That is all.

[CheezSamich4Hire]

I made it halfway through the theme park in SH3, and just lost total interest.

Oh well. To each his own.

[Eccles]

y'know, I have to say I was disappointed with the theme park in SH3. You could see the edge of the boards...that reeks of laziness.

[Attim]

I was outright dissapointed in the story of SH3. The game only seemed to focus on gore. At times I thought the walls in the stages looked more like baked lasagna rather than something that was alive.
Mind you I did like the visuals, but it was just too bright.
I'm probably just so partial to the first two games. Great stories, dark colors, and the ambiance was perfect. But the camera angles sucked.

[NoWave]

I actually really loved the camera angle's in the first game. Particularly the bit in the intro where you're running down the alleyway past the wheelchair. the above angle that then shakily pans down. that was brilliant, so cinematic.

[RazorOutlaw]

Let's hope the money the creators make from that game as a result of the movie's hype will allow them to make Silent Hill 5 Flippin' amazing.
I have a pretty good feeling about SH5, because 3 and 4 were released rather quickly after 2 (a little over a year after 2, and a little less than year after 3 :O from what I can remember.

If anything, the development time and story that is currently underwraps hopefully means Konami is puting their magic to work again. This is overly optimistic though. I liked SH3, to me it was very creepy. The story was fairly hokey. SH4 was, in my opinion, a fountain of good ideas that was not put together very well. Both felt rushed in some ways, while in others they felt solid.

Being that SH4 was released in the U.S. late in 2004, and we're still in quarter 1 of 2006, I'm optimistically speculating that this development time is being put to good use. Plus, as Nulion mentioned, they're remaking SH1 for the PSP. Not quite what I was expecting (hoping for a PS3 remake, comeon Konami!) but then we haven't even gotten SH5 in ours laps yet.

Of course, blah blah blah.

[CheezSamich4Hire]

Sorry for the constant negativity, thought I'd bring up another factor of SH that really bugged me.

The fact that EVERY door is locked and/or broken really drove me insane. It not only got very annoying, but it showed how lazy the developers were too. Damn them and such.

Plus the camera in all the games suck.

HOWEVER, the series does have INCREDIBLE music.

"Your Rain" from SH4 being my personal favorite.

[RazorOutlaw]

The locked door idea was "alright" for the first two games, but short of making every room enterable (lol word?), the best way to focus the players attention without overwhelming him or her would be to lock most of the doors.

I'm sure with some thought they could think of a better system though.

[blueblazer1224]

sorry if this has been posted a few pages back.



Apparently MTV is going to be showing an inside look into the Silent Hill movie next Monday at 11pm. At least that's what the commercial said. Did anybody else see this commercial or hear about this?

[Aetherius]

The locked door idea was "alright" for the first two games, but short of making every room enterable (lol word?), the best way to focus the players attention without overwhelming him or her would be to lock most of the doors.

I'm sure with some thought they could think of a better system though.

I'm sorry, I couldn't follow this post at all.

[BocoDragon]

You make it sound like YOU won the various awards...

Because I thanked Silent Hill fandom for being so cool? That's pretty harsh actually.