[Silent Hill Discussion]

Warning: Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3 & Silent Hill Spoilers

I'm currently having a discussion with a friend regarding links between the movie and the games and the continiuum of the game's plots in general. It's weird stuff. Any insights on these questions?

Sure, I love questions about Silent Hill.

Is Dark Alessa really Sammael?

No, Samael does not exist. Metraton is also an improper name to use for the god that resides in Alessa from the games. It's simply know as the god or "God?", sometimes as the Devil; it really has no name.

Anyway, Alessa in the film universe is never clearly shown as having any sort of "special power" as she is in the games. Although it is not completely clear whether Alessa Gillespie's (Age 14) powers were derived from the god inside her, Alessa (Age 10) gained the power to change the world from an otherworldly being, manifeasted as Dark Alessa. The being has powers and an agenda of its own, but for Alessa (Age 40) all that she wants is revenge. The being (Dark Alessa) combined with Alessa to create the otherworld of Silent Hill (both the Smokey and Alternate worlds). Also as a by-product, by combining together, Alessa gave birth to Sharon. Dark Alessa (also known as the "Dark One") sent this incarnation of Alessa into the "real world" to spare her from the terror that they would enact upon the "church of Silent Hill."

In the film, the cult has grown beyond a few individuals and actually has a church available to them. The first game had the cult performing their ceremonies in basements of buildings and in secret places beyond the view of the public. The film cult seems to actually practice out in public, thus, I label them the "church." Because most of the "church" was sent to the otherworld in the last burning, I don't know what has happened to church in the present-day, real world. (I suspect that because of Officer Thomas Gucci, all, if any, would be driven underground.)

It could be argued that the manifeastation of Dark Alessa is the god, because it refers to itself as having many names and coming upon hearing Alessa's cries. However, that is never really made clear or even present. You can decide.

What are Alessa's final motives post-SH1 in the games?

Alessa (in the Incubator's form) dies at the end of SH1, she reincarnates herself (Alessa and Cheryl) as a baby, which she places in the care of Harry Mason. Harry then returns to his life in Portland to begin with Cheryl again. Because of an attack on him in his home several years later by a "religious fanatic," he entered into hiding by moving to another city and changing his name. And in the process, he changes his daughter's name as well. It seems that Heather whole-heartedly accepted Harry's decision at the time.

So, Heather/Cheryl/Alessa continues to live a (somewhat) normal existence, living at home, going to the mall, doing chores around the house for some extra money from her father, etc. She has forgotten about her past and chooses not to think about it. Despite her previous incarnations and the presence of the god inside her, Heather has no manifeastation of "special powers." At least, until Claudia comes around.

I know that you might be thinking that this in no way answers your question, but that's because you're asking the wrong question. The power that Alessa has and the power that exists in the town are two different things. The power of the land on which the town was built has pre-existed long before Alessa was even born. Alessa's powers extend only to making manifeastations of her thoughts, using her "special power" or the god inside her as a source of that power, whichever you believe. The town is inhabited by a power inate to itself. The early native americans that resided in the area held the place as sacred, believing that spirits inhabited the land, which may be the origin of that power. Also, these were not simply spirits of dead people, but spirits of all things: rocks, trees, water, etc.

After the colonization of the area by Europeans, the land was built upon and this is the first appearance of the town. The town that was built was eventually lost (literally, "went missing") and a second town was built in its place many years later. The second town was named "Silent Hill" and was originally settled on the south side of the lake (where South Vale currently resides). South Vale's history then centers around the events of the Civil War era, being that Brookhaven was the prominent hospital and that the Tocula Prison Camp was used for P.O.W.s of the Civil War.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, the mines were openned on the north side of the lake and as jobs were available, most of the residents moved to the north, closer to the mountains. This is where "Old Silent Hill" is located. This area became a prominent location and where most of the town settled. After the mines closed, however, the residents turned toward tourism for economic growth and began building a resort area near the north shore of the lake. The resort area was named "Paleville" and the stretch of town that connects Old Silent Hill to the resort is called "New Silent Hill" (includes Central Silent Hill), which will be featured in greater detail in the upcoming "Silent Hill 0rigins."

So, from north to south, here's the geography of Silent Hill:

Wiltse Mines -------------> X

Old Silent Hill --------> X

New Silent Hill ----> X

Paleville ---> X

X <----------Brahams

Lake Toluca ----------> X

South Vale ------> X

Observation Deck -----------------------> X

Pleasant River -----------------------------------------------> X

North Ashefield and South Ashfield ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> X

Okay, so the power that inhabits the land includes the area around Lake Toluca, between the mountains on the north and the swamps on the south. The power of the town itself is what causes events that occur in later chronological games. However, I must mention that the power of the town has become greatly distorted from what it originally was.

Why does she seem to be spending her time helping out dudes like James?

Because of the answer I made above, I'll assume that your question is then, "why does the town seem to be spending time helping out dudes like James?" People like James, Michael and Travis are attracted to the town because it draws upon people who have a great guilt upon their conscience. The town draws out that guilt to "feed upon" (Note: this is not the correct term to use, but is closest in concept). Whether having that guilt brought up to the surface of the individual is benefitial for them is irrelevant to the town or the story in general. The idea is that the town uses its power to intice individuals to venerate the spirits that inhabit the land. (i.e. James sees manifeastations of his inner desires and experiences shifts in time and space to relive a traumatic event that then encourages him to perform the Crimson Ceremony.)

The town sends out its power to call people in the surrounding area and has to an extent called people from other states, as people have been called to Silent Hill from as far as Ashfield. Please note that this does not imply that the town is conscious of this or that the land itself has a will of its own. The will of the town is determined by the people and spirits on the land. The greater the desire, the more strongly the town reacts to the individual or wish.

Is Rose dead or is she currently conscripted into servitude under what her daughter has become? It could lead into the SH1 cult, or something.

Rose is simply acting as Sharon's mother. She loves her child and will protect her from any harm. Rose has not left the Misty world of Silent Hill, because the "Dark One" hasn't opened the door to allow her through. Whether this means that Rose is simply in another dimension than the real world waiting for the "door" to be opened for her to pass or that she has died and is stuck in some sort of limbo is not for sure. Whether Sharon, now posessed by the being of Dark Alessa, can perform the same powers as Alessa (Age 40) is not known either.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

hmm...that didn't make it seem more buyable...

Granted, if a new version isn't released by like...christmas, I'll probably buy the crappy one...

A lot of forum speculation exists that a "special version" of the home video release will appear at a later date this year. Many people even suspect that the release will contain special features that were seemingly left out of this release on purpose. While the prospects of this are viable in concept, especially IF said "special version" is released on a two-disc set, I have a greater suspicion that the release will not be in Region 1 (North America).

Christophe Gans and his production company Davis Films are based in France. The lengths that he went through to obtain the rights, funding and freedom to create the film were very difficult and I'm sure tiring, considering how seriously he took fan and public critism. The hour-long documentary that was added to the home video release feels like it took as much effort to create as one could expect. My general impression is that he has filled any preceived obligation to an American audience, especially when you consider that his original intention was to create a film version of the second game as it was released in Europe. The project greatly expanded beyond it's original intention, making it a world-wide box office release.

When you deal with numbers that range into the millions, it becomes difficult to satisfy the entire market at once. So, it becomes much easier to satisfy a single market of preferance, allowing the other markets to receive the trickle-effect. In Gans' case, that market happens to be France (Region 2). (You may not realize it, but Gans had previously released a director's two-disc cut for Le Pacte des Loups, aka Brotherhood of the Wolf, exclusively in France. So, it's not unlikely that he will do the same for Silent Hill.) It's not that Gans has anything against the North American market, especially seeing how the US was the first country to premiere the film, but it's just a case where Gans has a greater affinity for his homeland.

In addition to this, you also have to consider the added factor of the Blu-Ray and UMD formats. If Sony were to release a "special version" of Silent Hill for DVD, it would also feel an obligation to release said "special version" on Blu-Ray and UMD as well, which is quite costly considering the slow pace that both formats are currently moving. This would mean a greater loss in revenue than gain from re-releasing a film simply to include MORE special features. Plus, you'd have to deal with a public that would critize a decision to re-release the film simply to include said features. ("I just saw/bought that film a few months ago on DVD! Why would I want to see/buy it again for just a few extra features?!") This could further diminish the prospect of sales for Sony/TriStar. If one were to simply consider this case in the absence of Blu-Ray and UMD from the market, I would be inclined to think differently, but seeing as how Sony is trying to push Blu-Ray as a new media format, I really don't see a prospect of having a "special version" of Silent Hill in the next six months.

In short, I suspect this is probably the best that the US is going to get in terms of a home video release. If a "special version" of Silent Hill is going to appear anywhere it will most likely be in France or, to a greater extent, Europe.

EDIT:

Silent Hill 0rigins Update:

Second Official Trailer, Gameplay Videos Released Online:

Konami released the second trailer for "Silent Hill 0rigins" yesterday, August 23, 2006 during this year's Games Conference held in Leipzig, Germany. In addition, Konami held a simultaneous press-event in San Fransico, CA hosted by William Oertel. The twin events displayed the new trailer which featured a new vocal track for the game (YEA!!), as well as gameplay videos of the game itself in both an indoor and outdoor setting. At the Konami-sponsored San Fransico event, William Oertel was on-hand to address questions about the game with much more information about the progress of the game from the technical aspect and about the specifics of the gameplay itself.

The trailer is the first video to show exactly how the game uses the first-person view as well as how the over-the-shoulder third-person view works. While the trailer uses more special effects, filters and atmosphere to express the specifics of the game, the gameplay videos give you a much more accurate picture of the current gameplay progress. Personal opinions aside, the game is following suit with the tradition of atmosphere and detailed environments, which are apparent from the video. Please note that there is a clear lack of "atmospheric effects" in the gameplay. The reason behind this is that the game takes place before the events in SH1, meaning that the fog that has previously encompassed the town has not taken over yet. (Although I realize this logically, a part of me is still urging for some type of atmospheric weather, being that the previous graphics engines for this were the best ever for weather effects. I'm hoping that an artistic direction will compensate for the lack of fog.)

I must also point out that before you make complaints and remarks about the current gameplay of SH0, I ask that you view the interview with William Oertel conducted by GameSpot. The interview explains, in its own words, the amount of technical work needed to complete the game. Because this game is still a work-in-progress, there are issues that must be addressed. Yet, hearing from the producer himself that he plans to address all of these issues before game's release helps to subdue the initial frustration of the game's appearance. Also, Mr. Oertel has finalized the soundtrack to "Silent Hill 0rigins," being that it contains 14 individual tracks, four of which are vocal tracks and of which one is featured in this new trailer.

You can currently download both the trailer and the gameplay videos from either IGN or GameSpot. Public downloads are available for low resolution videos of the trailer and gameplay videos, but membership registration is required to download the high quality videos and GameSpot's exclusive interview with William Oertel. Video files from IGN are available in both Windows Media Video (.wmv) and Quicktime's Movie (.mov) formats, while GameSpot only offers Windows Media Video.

Konami Digital Entertainment of America - News

IGN.com - Silent Hill 0rigins Preview / Videos

GameSpot.com - Silent Hill 0rigins Hands-on / Media / Interviews

PlaystationPortable.de - GC06: Erste Bilder zu Silent Hill Origins

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Silent Hill Film Update:

Silent Hill Released for Home Entertainment (DVD / Blu-Ray / UMD):

I pretty much don't have to tell you guys that the North American (Region 1) version of Silent Hill has been released for home video on August 22, 2006 in DVD (Fullscreen & Widescreen), Blu-Ray (Widescreen only) and UMD (Widescreen only) formats. Although, many of the people who have viewed the film in theaters don't feel that the film is worth owning at the moment, I urge everyone to at least check it out again. (Granted many people disargree about the quality of the film, I find that it was just as exciting and fun as the first time I saw it.)

The film itself has a little problem with the CG when on the small screen. Some of the monster scenes look clearly computer animated, almost "Clash of the Titans" animated. I'm not exactly sure why this is, because in the theater, everything looked very polished. Also, it is almost recommended that you view the film with surround-sound, since when played on a normal television set-up (2.1 stereo), the sound is dampened a little. Other than the craptastic job on the film's home video cover, any other complaints I have would be entirely subjective. However, one could complain about the number of previews for other films available on the disc.

The extra "behind-the-scenes" documentary on the film, titled Path of Darkness and directed by Chris Sikorowski, is actually something worth viewing as well, because unlike the STARZ or BET featurettes, this documentary gives you a much more intimate and technical look at the making of the film. You'll clearly see where all $50 million of the budget went: the scenery, monster and costume design. As you may know the documentary includes the parts: "Silent Hill Origins"; "Casting Silent Hill"; "Building Silent Hill"; "Stars and Stunts"; "Creatures Unleased"; "Creature Choreography" I found "Stars and Stunts," "Building Silent Hill" and "Creature Choreography" to be the most illuminating parts of the documentary and really give you a sense of the scale of production involved to get this to the big screen. The run-time for Path of Darkness is 59 minutes.

If you'd like to view clips from the documentary sections of Path of Darkness, particularly "Stars and Stunts" and "Creature Choreography," you can view them legally on MTV Overdrive. Click on Channels --> Movies --> "DVD of the Week: Silent Hill" to bring up the list of videos from the film.

SonyStyle.com - Silent Hill (DVD / Widescreen)

SonyStyle.com - Silent Hill (DVD / Fullscreen)

SonyStyle.com - Silent Hill (Blu-Ray Disc)

SonyStyle.com - Silent Hill (UMD Disc)

imdb.com - "Path of Darkness: Making 'Silent Hill'"

New Website for Silent Hill Launched:

In addition to the release of the film for home video, a corresponding website has been launched as well. Although the site contains much of the same information as the official theatrical site, with the addition of information about and the ability to purchase the film for home video, the site does contain a page on the synopsis of the film (as printed on the home video case), a set of film stills (some previously released, some not) and a section of preview clips (Now Available), as well as a new game called "Control Your Fear."

The flash-based game is a very simple maze puzzle that you navigate with the directional keys, cleverly based on the scene where Rose must travel to the Brookhaven Hospital basement. As you traverse the maze, you'll be treated to a set of clips from the film (Warning: Clips Contain Film Spoilers).

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill

Silent Hill Nominated for a Teen's Choice Award (Catagory: Thriller):

Yes, this is the worst award ever. Yes, it did not win. Yes, the film is rated R. Yes, my heart has been ripped out of my chest. I just thought you'd want to know.

Fox Broadcasting Company: TEEN CHOICE 2006 - TCA 2006 Nominees

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I hate double posts, but this is exciting enough to break that restriction.

Silent Hill 4: The Room / DanceDanceRevolution Extreme Update:

Cynthia Music Video from DDR Extreme:

The music video from DDR Extreme featuring Cynthia's character model singing Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's (aka Melissa Williamson) and Akira Yamaoka's remix of "Your Rain," "Your Rain (RAGE MIX)." The song was featured on the limitedly released North American version of the Silent Hill 4: The Room soundtrack, available only by pre-ordering the game. The video itself was released on DDRX well before the game, but few people knew what they were watching.

Fortunately for us, a fan has uploaded the music video and offered it for viewing on YouTube. The video begins very much in the traditional Silent Hill manner with Cynthia singing in an alley from Building World from SH4. This is followed by a short montage of footage from the game itself shown in black & white. However, what proceeds that is somthing completely unexpected and will probably catch you off-guard. I won't spoil it here, but it's well worth checking out. Enjoy.

YouTube.com - Akira Yamaoka feat. Elizabeth McGlynn - Your Rain (RAGE MIX)

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I might as well throw in some more information, then.

Silent Hill Film Update - Japan:

For those who may not have been keeping score, the japanese release of Silent Hill was set on July 8th, with the premiere on July 2nd. And, since the film opening occured further away than the US release, Japan got to see a few more promotions than us.

"Shocking House" Set-up in Japan to Promote Film:

In Kabuki-cho Shinjuku, located in Tokyo, Japan, Konami (in conjunction with Davis Films) opened up the Silent Hill Shocking House on June 22, 2006. At the opening of Shocking House, which was a single room haunted house in which you could find actors dressed in familiar Silent Hill monster costumes (notably the "Red Pyramid" and the "Nurses"), Akira Yamaoka lead a procession of Japanese actresses dressed in caps and (provacatively short) nurse's gowns to a stage where they assembled for an audience. The opening marked the beginning of promotion for the film and followed very shortly after Akira Yamaoka's appearance at PLAY! and between sessions of recording music AND dialogue for the upcoming Silent Hill 0rigins.

Silent Hill Shocking House was available for free public viewing from 11am to 6pm (UTC) running from June 22 to July 2 (the premiere of Silent Hill in Japan). Photos of the event abound on the internet (Warning: Panty-shots). And you can read more about it from a number of articles released online. However, to read about the event in full detail, including the other two female hosts for the event, you'll have to refer the Japanese article on Dengeki.

Dengeki - News: 歌舞伎町に磯山さやかさんの悲鳴が響く！「サイレントヒル ショッキングハウス」開設

Famitsu.com - 映画『サイレントヒル』の恐怖をイチ早く体験！　"サイレントヒルショッキングハウス"が期間限定オープン！

QJ.net - Tokyo's Silent Hill Shocking House

Kotaku - Silent Hill Promotion in Japan: Crazy, Sexy Scary!

Horror.com Media - Silent Hill Special Event Held In Tokyo, Japan

DemoNews.de - Silent Hill Shocking House: Der Albtraum in der realen Welt!

Silent Hill at The Japanese Maid Cafe:

As part of the promotion for the film that Konami and Davis Films were supporting, the Amusement Cafe Maid in Japan held a special luncheon featuring the Silent Hill theme. (For those who may not be aware, japanese maid cafes are restuarants and cafes that have waitresses, or waiters [called "butler cafes"], who dress in frilled, often skimpy, maid uniforms. Most are centrally located in the Akihabara district.) The luncheon which ran from June 26th to July 9th, feautured a special "Red Pyramid Curry" (curried chicken skewers served on a bed of white rice and curry sause on triangular-shaped plates, served with tomato juice and a skinless tomato). The waitresses dressed in short nurses' cap and gowns (again shortened for viewing pleasure). The walls were decorated with posters and banners from the film, while special coasters were used to serve drinks on (viewable in the photo above).

Akira Yamaoka appeared in person on July 7, 2006 at the Amusement Cafe to promote the film. As a treat to diners and wayward guests, a special sneak-screening of the film was shown. Details of what exactly was shown are not available for the moment. However, hopefully, Akira tried the "Red Pyramid Curry." The original link to the flyer and article on the Amusement Cafe's website has been taken down, but I'll post the link for posterity.

Amusement Cafe Maid in Japan - Silent Hill (Link No Longer Available)

Dengeki - News: 『サイレントヒル』の山岡氏による映画公開記念トークライブ

AkibaBlog.net - 映画「サイレントヒル」のサイレントヒル ナース喫茶が始まる

Kotaku - Silent Hill: The Japanese Maid Cafe

Volunteers Sought to Play Nurses at Silent Hill Opening:

In addition, it seems that Konami/Davis Films held an open casting call for actresses who would cosplay as nurses for the japanese opening of the film. According to the article, the "volunteers," as none who participated would be financially compensated, would be asked to dress as nurses, march down the street to the Marion theater complex in Tokyo, and pass out flyers to incite streetwalkers to view the film. The volunteers would be able to keep their costume after the event and would also receive Silent Hill merchandise.

Unfortunately, no news of this event having ever taken placed has appeared. Either the promotional event didn't gather enough volunteers to gain attention or that there was a problem with having people carry rusty scapels in an open street. If anyone knows what happened to this event, feel free to post it here.

GameSpot - Scary Nurses Sought for Japanese Silent Hill Premiere

ITmedia +D Games - KONAMI、映画「サイレントヒル」特設サイトで携帯アプリなどを配信

Silent Hill DX - Mobile Gaming:

Konami Digitial Entertainment of Japan is set to release (if it hasn't already) a revised version of the "Silent Hill Play Novel" for cellular gaming devices, particularly cell phones. Not much information is available in English and it would be complete unlikely that it will release in the US, but if anyone in Japan would like to share some info, please do.

All I can gather from links and other internet sources are that this game offers a card system similar to the original Silent Hill Play Novel for the GameBoy Advance, yet the cards are newly created/revised. The image of the title card with the words "Silent Hill Cage of Cradle" interest me most since it may be the official title of the game. Although links from the movie site direct you to the game page (and movie images are clearly present in the game page), I'm still not sure what the connection is between this version of the Play Novel and the official film. However, I figured that I might as well inform you guys of it. Also, the site http://573.jp was used to host some further information on the game and may still be used in some function on the cellular devices.

Konami Digital Entertainment - Silent Hill

GameWatch - ＫＯＮＡＭＩ、コナミネットDX「SILENT HILL 特設コーナー」設置 FOMA90Xシリーズ対応ゲームアプリ「SILENT HILL」も登場

GPara - コナミネットDXに映画「SILENT HILL特設コーナー」OPEN

EDIT:

Silent Hill 0rigins Update:

Video Interview with Producer William Oertel:

A new interview with producer William Oertel is available for viewing on GameTrailers.com. As previously known, William Oertel is producing the newest chapter in the Silent Hill saga with the help Akira Yamaoka and Team Silent. However, what you may not know is that William Oertel is the producer not for Konami Digital Entertainment of America, but for Climax Studios. The interview (taken from this year's "Comic-Con International" at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA) discusses most of the same details already posted in the last interview just after E3, however, they come directly from the producer's mouth. This gives one a sense that the creator has a very good grasp on the series and understands more than the average fan (and even the average hardcore fan, in my opinion), not simply in terms of story, but in the experience as well. Such sense comes from the way he discusses controls and camera angles, from level design to overcoming technical challenges for the PSP. He understands the technology and in traditional SH fashion is using the PSP to it's full advantages. This is a very critical interview to watch for those who may still not be convinced that this chapter should be made.

In addition, it seems that many other gaming magazines have picked up the story as well and decided to conduct their own interviews. Luckily, William Oertel has not turned them down and is working to get out as much press on the game as possible. I'm sure there are those who are a little skeptical about such shameless propaganda, but there are a few things that one should understand about Oertel and Climax Studios.

Climax Studios is a company that has been around since the Amiga and Commodore 64 days, however, most of the games that they have created since then have been licensed products, such as movie-to-game titles and sports titles (most notably, ATV OffRoad Fury 3 and ATV Quad Power Racing 2). This suggests that until recently, the studio has been struggling to obtain noterity in the gaming world, and with the recent string of original titles appearing in their development list, it seems that Climax is trying hard to break out of it's mold and become recognized as a serious game developer. Being such, Silent Hill 0rigins will be their first test to prove their ability to produce top-selling games. So, suffice it to say, they don't want to screw this up. ('Cause no one here wants to see this screwed up either.)

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Origins - GT Interview (.wmv file / 18.7 MB)

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Origins - GT Interview (.mov file / 18.3 MB)

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Origins - GT Interview (.mp4 file / 10.5 MB)

Game Informer Online - Silent Hill Origins - The William Oertel Interview

ShackNews.com - Silent Hill Origins Interview

Dread Central - Oertel, William (Silent Hill Origins)

SH0 Newsletter, Concept Art and New Screenshots from Silent Hill US Official Site:

For those who registered onto Konami Digital Entertainment of America's Official Silent Hill site, you were given a newsletter last month that revealed exclusive new information about the game as well as new images. The newsletter, which has been archived by SilentHillOrigins.com, is somewhat more personal that the average newsletter that one receives from most official sites. It discusses in brief the current status of the game and it's music, which has since been completed, as well as giving an open invitation to fans to submit their comments, suggestions and ideas to the developers themselves. (An incredibly generous thing to occur in these days.) In addition to this, the newsletter is looking for a new name, to coincide with the more intimate feel of the letter than its current "Silent Hill 0rigins Newsletter." To do so, please send your emails to travis.grady@konami.com and title your email "Answer My Question!"

The new images that also appeared in the newsletter are currently available on the Official US Silent Hill site. To view them, you must be a registered member to the site (free to those over 18 years of age); click on Media, followed by Miscellaneous, then SH0. The images include some original concept paintings of two environments (one featuring a girl in a white dress, hmmm...), two images from PLAY! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago, two images from the recording session for SH0 with Akira Yamaoka and two new images from one of the game's settings, "Silent Hill Fresh Meats" (one of the stores from Silent Hill, viewed from the pre-production photographs).

Images from the official site have also appeared in some forums. I'll post the links for those who cannot register on the site and for those who wish to download the images.

Konami Digital Entertainment of America - Silent Hill

SilentHillOrigins.com - Silent Hill 0rigins Update (Archived Newsletter)

SH Lost Memories - Silent Hill 0rigins Concept Art'al (Archived Images) / Akira Yamaoka 01 / Akira Yamaoka 02

Japanese Text from "Silent Hill NEXT" Transcribed, Partially Translated:

A fan of Silent Hill has managed to transcribe the Japanese text from the promotional video for Silent Hill 0rigins called Silent Hill NEXT. The author has choosen to remain ananymous, but it's not entirely important. The text appears in the comments section of an article featured on GamersReports.com on the same subject. I'll repost what was written for archiving purposes.

人間はったものを水めき

時には白分のむのむの中で

時にはとてもパーンナルで

そんな白分の水のとなり

それを見つけたとさ

その火が入らないかもしれない

人間はーーったものを水めき

時には白分のむのむの中で

時にはとてもパーンナルで

そんな白分のーー水のーーとなり

それを見つけたとさ

そのーー火がーー入らないかもしれない

Ignore the first half of the japanese. something screwed up. overall i couldnt really make out most of the kanji because of how blury the picture was and just guessed what i thought it looked like and even so most of it makes no sense.

Heres a bable fish translation ommitting those kanji i absolutely coulnt recognize:

As for the human - - the っ it is the thing the water め coming Time in む of む of white amount The time very being the pirn null Such a white amount - - the water - - with it becomes, That you found that, Perhaps that - - the fire does not enter - -,

PS: you need the japanese lagnuage pack to see it.

The full article, as well as the comments can be viewed in the site below.

GamersReports.com - Silent Hill NEXT Video Footage

[CD DJ Needed for Wedding in Lexington, KY (With Pay!)]

I'm looking someone to DJ a wedding in Lexington, KY. The event will be held in mid-September and the hosts have asked me to help them find a DJ for the event. I know that some of the members here are budding and well-established DJs and there might be someone who would be willing to help us out.

The event will cover the reception. I'm looking for someone who can work with a pre-selected list of CD music and who can make general announcements during the reception. Equipment will be provided, but if you prefer to work with your own equipment, accommodations can be made. Amatuers are welcome.

The reception will last about five hours, free meal included. The hosts will pay $250 for services for the evening, negotiable based on experience. If anyone in the Lexington area is looking to earn a little extra cash, please PM me.

Thanks guys and gals. If anyone would like more information, please feel free to ask.

ifirit

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I know that it's been a while and that this is probably really not the best update, but I figured I do it anyway to keep interest up. (Seeing as how Silent Hill 0rigins is still at least 6 months away with no updates yet and the Silent Hill DVD/Blu-Ray hasn't sparked much conversation. I still think that the film has more to it that what most people do.) Anyway, here's another...

Silent Hill Weekly(?) Update:

Video Footage of "Theme of Laura" from PLAY! A Video Game Symphony:

I've kinda had this on my plate of things to post for a couple of weeks. I was kinda of looking around for a downloadable version of this file before posting it, but since I figured that it has already been more than a month and a half, a downloadable file would have already been available.

Anyway, this is the video footage of Akira Yamaoka's performance with the Chicago Popland Orchestra conducted by Arnie Roth at the Chicago premiere. The performance on film is just as exciting as I remember it and have grown to love this performance of "Theme of Laura" much more that the original. It's just so very vibrant and organic when it's played live, especially by the composer. As far as the video quality goes, I would have perferred better, but considering the circumstances, this is as good as anyone would hope. The camera shakes a lot and goes in and out of focus on a number of occassions, but still it manages to capture the overall performance and highlights. Please note that the beginning of the performance was cut off. I'm not sure as to why this was. (Possibly due to the fact the camera operator is a known Final Fantasy fan and was simply waiting for the performance of "One Winged Angel" before realizing that this performance was worth capturing. Or simply due to the possibility that they didn't get the camera started in time, or even more possibly due to file size and quality constraints.)

The file is hosted on YouTube, posted by imnickjamesbitch. (I know a lot of you hate YouTube, but if you only run a minimum of applets while surfing and wait for the entire file to load before playing it, you can minimize any complications that may arise.) Additional photos of the performance and the rest of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony can be found off Nick James' gallery page. Additional photos of Akira Yamaoka's performance can be found here, providing graciously by the.miker. I hope you guys enjoy it.

EDIT: There is also a small video clip of the performance from the Stockholm concert available. However, it does not include Akira Yamaoka and is simply the orchestral version with an additional guitar player. Honestly, the performance Akira Yamaoka gave was much better. Anyway, enjoy.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Hopefully a soundtrack will be coming for this movie. I've got all SH soundtracks but a movie soundtrack would top off my SH CD collection

Any news on this?

I wouldn't recommend buying it.

It'd be like buying a 'the worst of silent hill, in 5 different versions each, plus You're not here' album.

Or rather...you've already got the soundtrack, it's just spread across your 4 game OSTs. Don't waste your money.

That seems kinda harsh. I know that the selection may not have been the best in the world, but speaking for myself, found the remastered versions of the music to be refreshing, exciting and heartfelt. I know a number of people who would love to own a copy of the revised "Dance With Night Wind," "I'll Kill You" or "Magdalene."

Besides, who knows what's going to be included in the soundtrack itself. Are there going to be full versions of the revised tracks, or will they be editted to flow together, like the first OST. (Which by the way isn't really an original soundtrack, but is actually an arranged album, since direct comparisons with the ripped soundtrack, will show unnoticed variations and additional accompaniments. Hell, it even says that it's an arranged album in the linear notes themselves.) Will there be bonus tracks on the disc? Unreleased tunes? Live performances? Audio commentary? DVD-Rom extras? Music Videos? CD-only web-access to additional bonuses on the website? The number of possibilities and benefits to owning the CD are astounding and heart-provoking. Just thinking about it makes me excited.

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers

Also, they skipped Samael (EDIT: Incubus) completely, and set Alessa as the "God" instead of the mother of God. They should have kept the original story on that part.

That part got to me as well after first viewing the film, but it was intended to be different from the original story. There are speculations as to why this aspect of the story was changed, but when one thinks about the change itself, it inspires one to think in about the cult in a different manner.

One theory suggests that the cult is actually still based on the original cult from the game and that they do seek to bring "god" into the world, but through different means than the cult from the game. The theory states that rather than drawing "god" (or the "devil," whichever you want) into the world, "evil" must be driven out in order to make room for "god." Burning evil is the most common way of accomplishing this. Meaning that burning people is still a purification ceremony, but purifying to drive out evil rather than purifying to cleanse the spirit. (A subtle difference, I know, but still an important one.) However, what the cult views as evil is not truly what is evil and the cult is only able to drive away negative emotions, particularly sadness and revenge. Their prayers do not bring purity or goodness, but solely numb and disassociate one's negative emotions, such is a cult's nature. As such, this is how the cult is able to subdue the darkness that covers Smokey Silent Hill (a variation on the Misty Silent Hill since the movie makes the fog smoke and ash). They do not drive away Dark Alessa's power, but subdue it by numbing Alessa's anger and sadness.

Dark Alessa thus needs Rose's help to pass through this numbing agent created by the cult in order to let Alessa's feelings of pain, sorrow and revenge penetrate the cult's prayers. Rose's feelings of duty and patronage cover over Alessa's feelings and allow her to be unaffected by the cult's numbing agent. (I'm not entirely sure if this is refering to the cult's faith or to themselves personally, or because of something else entirely. But something about the cult is making Alessa's feelings numbed.) The symbiote relationship that Dark Alessa creates with Rose thus penetrates through to Sharon's personality. The invasion of the church is a metaphor for the invasion of Sharon's soul. So, it isn't until the end of the movie that Alessa's soul is made whole. Which brings up some even deeper questions about what Dark Alessa's power actually is and why Sharon is sought out, because to me, it seems that Dark Alessa doesn't really need Sharon at all, but Rose, as indicated by the line, "Why me?" "Because you chose her, you chose Sharon." If Sharon was simply bait for Rose, why would Dark Alessa want Sharon back? (The only thing that comes to mind is that Dark Alessa simply was retrieving what was her's. It seems too simple an answer though.)

All in all, evertime I start thinking about the film, the more I uncover and the more obvious it becomes that the film is hiding a deeper, fully conceptualize narrative made for fans to enjoy. Something I find great for fans, but bad for the general audience, since the experience isn't as well executed narratively as it could have been. A fault that I believe lies in the flow of the story. Still, let's see what other people think.

Thread Weekly Update:

Anyway, for today's weekly update, it's another Choose-Your-Own-Direction post. That means you guys choose what I post. But, to make things interesting, you guys choose a theme and I'll post based on the theme. So, choose one of the below, but choose carefully:

1) Leave (Traditional, Warm)

2) In Water (Sad, Thought-Inspiring)

3) Maria (Deceptive, Inticing)

4) Rebirth (Untraditional, Revealing)

5) Dog (Humorous, Irrelevent)

6) UFO (Unknown, ???)

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I was wondering about something, ifirit. Have you ever found any conceptual art from the Silent Hill movie?

Unfortunately, at the moment there is no official pre-production work available, which includes concept art and designs. According to my information, gathered from interviews, articles, journals and other sources, it seems that Gans conceptualized the entire visual aspect of the film solely from memory and his vision. This means that he gathered all the necessary team members, artists and staff based on their ability to follow his direction, meaning that he had no visual aids to guide his vision or to use as a basis for the other artists to follow. Even some of the artists themselves were at times confused about what to create due to the lack of references, as one member of the CG team sought out help from fans to provide visual references to create what Gans kept refusing as an incorrect design.

However, I did say "at the moment." Although Gans himself did not create any visual references or aids for the film, the artisans underneath him did. Patrick Tatopoulos created many concept designs to verify with Gans on the look of the monsters, which he often does for many of his films and projects. Wendy Partirdge also has designs created before the final look of Rose's clothing was set. Of course as you remember, Rose had over 100 costume changes throughout the entire film.

Patrick Tatopoulos currently maintains two websites for his projects and his company. He uses the company website to display finalized versions of his work as his portfolio and as a measure of what his team is capable of. His personal site displays all of his work, not just from his company, which includes concept art, progression reports and other pre-production materials. He has only recently gotten around to posting his work from Underworld: Evolution (his previous film), so it may take some time before he posts anything from Silent Hill. Check out the sites periodically to see when Patrick Tatopoulos posts his concepts.

Unfortunately, I cannot find a personal website for Wendy Partridge, so I cannot determine whether or not she has posted her concepts from the film. If I do find anything, I will inform you guys. In the meantime, feel free to check out this interview (Warning: Link contains Film Spoilers) with Evan Jacobs, visual effects supervisor for Silent Hill and supervisor for Mr. X Inc. visual effects studio. These sites are also behind on posting their latest works on their sites, so don't expect anything soon on Silent Hill. The interview, however, shows some behind the scenes material of the film before and after CG effects and visuals. The interview, posted on Deathfall talks about the process that went into the development of the atmosphere and background design from the technical end. What's most interesting about the article is that it shows a side-by-side comparison of before and after CG effects footage of the film.

You can also check on the other two visual effects production companies that worked on Silent Hill (C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures in Canada and BUF visual studios in France) in the future to see production material from the film, but I wouldn't expect to see anything in the near future. Don't worry, I'll keep you guys posted if anything comes up.

Until then you guys can check out from fan-created pre-production materials, courtesy of the members of the Silent Hill Forum.

Silent Hill Fan-created Storyboards

Silent Hill Fan-created DVD cover

Silent Hill Fan-created Red Pyramid Statuette

Silent Hill Fan-created Grey Child Statuette

Silent Hill Fan-created Red Pyramid PEZ dispensers (Okay, this one has nothing to do with the actual film, but it was made in response to the idea of marketing schemes for the film.)

Silent Hill Film Update:

Silent Hill DVD Announced + Cover and Details:

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally announced the release date for the DVD, August 22, 2006. The film will be released in both wide-screen and full-screen formats both with 5.1 surround-sound audio. The DVDs will include a variety of special features, but no extended version. Retail price is expected to be $28.95. Blu-ray and UMD versions are also expected to be released. Check the thread linked below for additional details.

Silent Hill Forum - Official DVD Release! - Details + Cover Art

EDIT: The article originally appeared on DVDActive.com and has included all the details including news about the Blu-ray version, which is also set to be released on August 22, 2006 for $38.95. (A little high for a movie disc, if you ask me, but I suppose not terrible considering that the technology is still in its infancy.) The official special features to be added to the DVD and Blu-ray versions include:

- Audio Director Commentary

- English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround-Sound Audio

- Deleted & Extended Scenes

- Featurettes: 6 Part Production Diary

• ++ Silent Hill Origins
  ++ Casting Silent Hill
  ++ Building Silent Hill
  ++ Stars and Stunts
  ++ Constructing the Creepy Creatures from the Film
  ++ Creature Choreography

Please note that these are the initial reports, although many fans are expecting much more out of the special DVD release, there's only so much room that can fit onto a DVD and the film itself is going to take up a lot of room on it's own. If Sony truly plans to give fans everything that they ask for, I'll suggest that they release the film on a two-disc set (one for the feature and the other for the special features).

Still, the biggest change fans want right now is on the DVD cover art, which, by-the-way, has revived the Silent Hill poster contest among the fans for the DVD cover. So, if you feel that you've got a better idea for the DVD cover, feel free to post it here, or email it to Sony Pictures directly.

DVDActive.com - News - Releases - Silent Hill (US DVD R1 | BR R1)

Official Film Soundtrack Confirmed:

Despite the fact that Jeff Danna had previously announced that he was unsure about releasing an official soundtrack from the film, this month he has now confirmed that he will be releasing the official soundtrack later this year. Specific details about the soundtrack are unknown at this moment, but Jeff Danna has said that he will not be including all the tracks from the film, but only the most prominent ones. I'll have to retrace my sources, as I've lost them for the moment. But, we can all finally breathe easier knowning that there will be an official film soundtrack.

Silent Hill Premiere Report and Footage:

The premiere was quite a long time ago, but I finally found footage from that event. This video has been provided by GameTrailers.com hosted on YouTube.com. Enjoy.

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Premiere (.wmv file / 32.3 MB)

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Premiere (.mov file / 30.8 MB)

GameTrailers.com - Silent Hill Premiere (.mp4 file / 18.4 MB)

YouTube - Silent Hill Premiere

EDIT 2:

Horror.com - Exclusive Footage:

This article which was post on Horror.com on May 1, 2006 has somehow slipped out of the mainstream for a while. I'm surprised at this since the article includes video footage from the film's premiere along with a cast interview and 3 raw files of behind-the-scenes footage. Truly something that should have been on everyone's list of must-see events. (And, yes, I am aware that they caption Kim Coates' character as "Henry Townsend." It's a mistake on the production staff part, likely due to a misguided team member going off a rumor.) Anyway, enjoy this one, too.

Horror.com - Silent Hill - Exclusive Footage

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Just wanted to make a quick update before heading off to PLAY! A Video Game Symphony in Chicago. I'm getting the opportunity to meet Akira Yamaoka and there are countless questions that I've been wanting to ask him. (I'll post my questions and his responses here after I get back.)

Anyway, ...

Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread Update:

Site Update and Additional Pages Posted:

I just wanted to let you guys know that new pages have been added to the fan-fic comic based on the Silent Hill series. The comic stars David Garrett who becomes lost in Old Silent Hill after an evening out with his boyfriend that goes terribly wrong. Lead by his memories and by a drive to find his friend, David searches the abandoned town for answers that can heal his pain.

The highlight on this topic is that it uses computer animation and drawing to create the comic, which gives it a much closer feel to the game series, while still giving the appearance of a comic. There are lots of things that give this comic appeal, all of which make it definitely something you should check out.

Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread - Main Page

Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread - Archives Page

There's a couple of other things that I wanted to post, including some additional information and details about the upcoming Silent Hill 0rigins, but maybe I'll let Razumen tell you about that. (For those who watched the trailer, this marks the first official reprise of "Not Tomorrow" in an official Konami work, which is also the first game trailer to not feature original music for the game. Hmmm...)

Oh, before I forget, Konamistyle of America has re-released certain T-shirt designs from Silent Hill 3 available for the first time in the US. Order one before supplies run out.

EDIT:

Akira Yamaoka/Silent Hill Live Performance Update:

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony Concludes Premiere Performance and Interview with Akira Yamaoka:

Well, having returned from PLAY! this weekend, I have to say that that was an experience to be had and as Mary once said, "We had [a] wonderful [time] together and I wouldn't trade it for the world." The concert was terrific and the meet-&-greet, though incredibly long waited for, was the most exciting part for me for reasons I will explain below. You can read up on the event in a post in the PLAY! Thread made by SleazyC, who put everything in a good context. (If I had known I was going to be seated so close to so many people, I would have made an effort to meet more of them. Also, StarZander is going to hate me forever, but I sat directly behind Koji Kondo and spoke with him briefly, congradulating him on his performance and giving him additional words of praise and fandom.)

So, let's focus on the parts that are revelent for this thread: Akira Yamaoka. First off, the performance he gave was exceptional. As expected, the Chicago Poplands Orchestra performed accompaniment to Akira Yamaoka has he performed "Theme of Laura" from Silent Hill 2. The piece was rearranged for orchestra and Akira performed all the lead guitar parts with an additional guitar accompanist. Above the stage were three monitors which showed FMVs from Silent Hill 2 during the performance (with no credit to Takayoshi Sato or SatoWorks, thank you very much). In general, the performance was simply driving, expressive and much more of a rock performance than an orchestral one. The entire audience, especially myself, exploded in cheering and clapping as Yamaoka-san picked up the main melody. It appears that all the rumors about Akira Yamaoka having a rock-star mentality were true as he broke out into the first solo and then enticing the audience to cheer and "make some noise" has he continued to play. The biggest surprise of the performance was that he also played a section of the "lost solo" from "Theme of Laura" that appeared in the first Tokyo Game Show trailer for SH2, yet did not appear on the Original Soundtrack. I cheered extra hard at that. All in all, the performance was astounding and noone in the audience did not feel the excitement. Although, the concert as a whole was very exciting and memorable as well as skillfully performed and executed, I feel that that performance was one of the greatest highlights of the concert.

Second, as part of the show, a full color booklet was available for $20 acting as the program for the symphony. The booklet contained information on each composer present at the concert with additional information on the game and musical selection for the concert. The section on Akira Yamaoka was to two-page spread showing images from Silent Hill 2 (all previously released) which talked about his compositional history at Konami and a small bit about the Silent Hill series. (The entire biography was about a paragraph long.) Although, I didn't purchase a program, as I had quite conveniently forgotten to bring cash or my ATM card with me, I did borrow my neighbor's for a short time. (A very nice guy for doing that for me.) The images that are most prominent are: James looking at the mirror at the Rest Stop, Angela from the opening FMV, Brookhaven Nurse (aka Bubblehead Nurse) concept CG image, Creeper (SH2 version) concept drawing, the Red Pyramid Thing concept CG image, and the FMV image from the prison cell between James and Maria. (If I can come across an image of the program, I post it here for archiving.

Lastly and most importantly, the meet-&-greet session with Akira Yamaoka. Unfortunately, I was towards the end of the line (about 50 people from the end), so by the time I reached the table to meet the composers, it was well after 1am, so both parties involved were very tired and eager to get some rest. As such, the questions were limited to only recent works and the responses were very brief. My apologies to you and to myself for not showing enough tenacity to ask everything that I wanted to. However, despite that, I still feel the interview was enjoyable, because, I made Akira Yamaoka smile and draw attention to me simply by wearing my Silent Hill (film) T-shirt.

At first glance, though I had been watching him the whole time as I was progressing down the line, he notices my T-shirt and begins pointing and smiling at it as though that were the first time he has seen a fan wear one. He begins speaking in Japanese and even nudges over to Yasunori Mitsuda to look, who does in interest. Needless to say, I was completely enamored. He begins:

Akira Yamaoka: Ahh, Silent Hill! You like [that] movie?

ifirit: Yes, I absolutely loved the movie. I loved what Gans had done to the original story.

Did you really like what he did with the film as you've said in interviews?

Akira Yamaoka: Uh-huh.

ifirit: The film featured some really great adaptations of the music, if you had the chance would you be willing to work on a sequel?

Akira Yamaoka: No, I wouldn't want to work on it.

ifirit: Really?!

Akira Yamaoka: Yeah.

ifirit: You had a really great performance on stage, do you like doing that type of performance?

Akira Yamaoka: Yeah, I do.

ifirit: Are you going to be doing anything else like that soon?

Akira Yamaoka: No, I don't intend to.

ifirit: Lastly, are you currently working on Silent Hill 0rigins?

Akira Yamaoka: Yes, I am.

ifirit: Could you give me a sample?

Akira Yamaoka: No, I'm sorry I can't.

ifirit: Well, thank you anyway. And thank you for taking the time to speak with me and to meet with everyone.

Akira Yamaoka: You're welcome.

Short and bitter-sweet. Still, I am completely excited that I had the chance to meet and speak with the composer and (present) executive producer of the Silent Hill series. I'm even glad that he shook my hand, something I was not expecting him to do at all. Just the fact that I was able to make Akira Yamaoka smile and get Yasunori Mitsuda to take notice of me makes my head spin.

In addition, Michael Salvatori also commented on my shirt and talked to me about how he had seen the film, never played the series, but still enjoyed the movie despite. He asked me to explain a little bit, but I was so nervous that the co-composer for Halo was asking ME about it that I stuttered and stumbled my way through my thoughts, leaving what I'm sure was a rather poor impression. (*sigh*)

I'll post some pictures and other stuff soon, but you can go ahead and see some of them in the PLAY! Thread. (Too bad I couldn't find Nulion at the concert.)

EDIT 2:

Silent Hill 0rigins Update:

Meristation Interview with William Oertel, Producer for Silent Hill 0rigins (Translated):

An interview conducted by an online Spanish gaming magazine, Meristation, at the past E3 convention with William Oertel was posted on Friday, May 12, 2006. The interview was available only in Spanish and has not appeared in any other publications to date (likely because MGS is stealing all of the thunder away from Konami). Anyway, I've translated the article for you guys, as best I could.

Meristation.com - [E3] Entrevista a William Oertel, productor de SH: Origins

[E3] Interview with William Oertel, Producer for Silent Hill 0rigins

The terror will take us back to the evil town. We spoke with William Oertel, producer for the new arrival on the PSP from Silent Hill, who revealed to us lots of things that as of now are unreleased. [The game] uncovers all the origins about Silent Hill...

-----------------------------------

By: Albert Gil Morera

During the current E3, we were given the opportunity to interview William Oertel, producer for Silent Hill 0rigins, who has given us the initial information referring to the premiere [title] in the saga on the Sony portable.

Meristation: Is Team Silent behind this Silent Hill 0rigins?

William Oertel: The game is not directly being developed by Team Silent, since it is being developed in Los Angeles, but I can assure you Akira Yamaoka's team is supervising the evolution of the game.

Meristation: And how is the music? Is Akira Yamaoka the composer for the soundtrack?

William Oertel: Yes, in fact, Akira has actually already composed themes for the game.

Meristation: The first rumors aimed at Silent Hill for the PSP were of a remake of the first game, for the PSone. Why did you finally opt for a prequel for the series?

William Oertel: While the intention was to transfer the first game to the PSP, we saw that we had to change many things: controls, cameras, graphics... the result that we wanted barely seemed anything like what we left with. Besides, it made no sense to tell a history that the whole world already knew, so this motivated our decision to create a prequel to the series, to understand more details that happened in Silent Hill.

Meristation: Does it have any relationship to the film?

William Oertel: Not directly. The game will be a prequel to "Silent Hill [1]," so a large part of the winks* will be from the first title. Nevertheless, we will also include references to the other three titles in the series.

Meristation: How is the playability? What changes were made to make the gameplay separate from the previous games?

William Oertel: Silent Hill 0rigins will be quite different from the other games, although always respecting the basic pilliars [of gameplay] from the series. The control, that has been obsolete from the previous titles, has experienced a complete make-over, being a lot more intuitive and simple. The camera is placed just behind the person, in a way very similar to Resident Evil 4. Otherwise, as the player will see, despite the changes it will be an authentic Silent Hill.

Meristation: Will we visit familiar places in Silent Hill?

William Oertel: Yes, in fact we have sufficiently advanced the designs for the hospital and other sites that have already appeared in the previous Silent Hill [games].

Meristation: When will the game arrive?

William Oertel: At the beginning of the next year, if no last minute delays arise.

Meristation: Is there a possibility that we will see the game converted for the PS2 or another platform in the furture?

Wiliiam Oertel: Hmmm... the truth is that I had not planned it, but if the game succeeds well financially, it's not a possibility to rule out. Anything's possible.

Meristation: Finally, can you tell us anything about Silent Hill 5?

William Oertel: Haha, would you believe that you are the first one to ask me that? I'm very sorry, I'm not permitted to say anything at the moment, although I can confirm that this Silent Hill 0rigins is the first of many other news that have been prepared for the future. (*laughs*)

Meristation: I understand... Well, that is all for the moment, thank you very much for assisting us, and [good] luck with the development of the game!

William Oertel: Many thanks to you, and I hope to see you again soon!

Apparently, SH0 is being produced independently from Team Silent and will not include any active development role other than supervising the direction that the American team takes it. This can be either good or bad news depending on those involved, particularly Scott Ciencin, writer for the Silent Hill comic series, known for descimating the series' reputation by reducing it to simple elements of gore and foul language.

As previously confirmed by other gaming news networks, Akira Yamaoka is working on the musical soundtrack for the game, however no indication was given on sound effects, voice-over sessions or ambient music. I expect that Konami Digital Entertainment of America's team will be handling these seemingly minor affairs. No indication if Zero Limit Productions will be providing voice talent for this game either. (I really hope that they can bring back Liz Mamorsky and Jarion Monroe for this game.)

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Ifrit....you can't expect everyone who reads this forum to have the time to read through 100 page long threads...especially if its a thread full of in depth information, thats just absurd. I try to keep up as much as I can but I just can't know absolutely every little detail.

I'm well aware a lot of this stuff has been posted already but that doesn't mean I can't jump in late and still at least get some opinions. I'm not trying to be special by posting something first.

The thread's more than 100 pages long now, people are going to come in to this late...or miss a few things and come in later like I have. Its inevitable. If I were blatantly being a troll I'd understand but all I've done is repost some links and ask what people think. I guess I'll stop posting things I want opinions on...but I'd be careful not to start alienating posters who haven't been on 100% of a thread thats been around for almost 3 years. Its just not very considerate and its honestly a little elitist.

Your posts, and the posts of many others in this thread are great. I love reading them but I certainly hope you all don't start getting a bit..expectant of people.

I understand your objections and the situation. But, it's important to make sure you provide a context when you post and/or repost an item. My problem wasn't in posting something you thought was cool and asking for feedback, but in the lack of an explanation of what it was, why it should be relevant or details of it's origins. Without a context or history to accompany the selected item posted, a level of quality cannot be determined, without actually opening up the item and judging for oneself. (This opens up a way for trolls to simply post poor quality, irrelevant or aggravating items.) The importance of this is to provide ALL surfers (dial-up & broadband) the ability to obtain the media based on an informed decision, not simply because it has a familiar name or subject matter. (A lot of great Silent Hill media has large file sizes or long connection times, so it helps people to understand this when they download beforehand. In addition, since many fans use freesites to post their works, the risk of contraction of viruses, parasites and other dangerous items is possible; so a little information and assurance makes good prevention.)

I know that it can be hard to find the information that you wish on such a large thread, but I have constructed my posts (and in turn encouraged others to post in the same manner) on such items to be easy to find by adding headers and isolating the links on separate lines. I knew that the reappearance of posts and links would occur then and took measures to reduce the injury caused by the thread's size to help readers. Still, it seems that these efforts have not proven affective as many people still do not wish to search the thread, so I will have to construct an essential links list to help readers find out about the wealth of information on Silent Hill, forgoing all previous efforts to inform and persuade readers of context, history and details.

In the meantime, please visit these sites for a wealth of information:

Silent Hill Media (A site containing a HUGE collection of media directly from and connected to the games. Great collection of affliates.)

Silent Hill - Lost Memories (An Eastern European site constructed in the same vein as "Silent Hill Heaven" containing information on the games as well as a great databased of fan-created projects and music.) Non-English site (Note: Silent Hill Heaven is still currently unavailable.)

Silent Hill Fever (An index/ring of sites and other pages on the subject of Silent Hill.)

Silent Hill Forum (A forum that specializes in all topics Silent Hill, well organized with a preview option that allows readers to preview a topic before reading. Any new or interesting information can be obtained from there first. Fan-projects also have a dominating force there.)

And as always, my PM button is at the bottom of the post.

As for the Mary in the trunk thing...I thought about it a bit and it does make a lot of sense. What comes to mind for me is that if he killed her three days ago...unless he's really good with covering up his tracks wouldn't the doctors and maybe further investigation be able to tell that she was killed with the pillow..in other words by means not related to her illness? That would make it tough to...give the body to authorities.

Mary's condition, while left as almost a complete mystery, does have two noticable symptoms: a disfiguring skin condition and a whooping cough. (When Mary dies in the In Water ending, she coughs quite a bit and then stops breathing. Also, when Maria starts getting sick, she also develops a cough.) Because of these two dominant symptoms, it's likely to assume that Mary would have died because of resperatory failure. You can then assume that the doctors would have been aware of this. So by smuthering Mary with a pillow, without careful examination, most of the authorities would have concluded that she dies naturally from her disease which caused the resperatory failure.

I don't think James had that planned out, but it does seem coincidental. Personally, I want to think that his method helped him to disassociate from the action, because he didn't have to look at her face or hear her cries clearly. His method appears to be more connected to how he felt about Mary (still in love, but wanting to be free of his burden), rather than what he believed would deter the police.

If Escape were to be the canon ending there'd only be three possible things that could of happened to Mary's body and James himself.

You mean the Leave ending. The Escape Ending is from SH4.

----

As much as I want James to have escaped and...lived with Laura. Truly learning from his ordeal...I still can't help but feel that maybe In Water really is the most plausable ending it seems...

The In Water ending is the only ending, omitting joke endings like the Dog and UFO endings, that doesn't end with the suggestion of a loop. Although some endings have the suggestion made apparent, others are not completely clear to the majority of fans. Obviously, the Maria Ending makes the suggestion by the cough Maria makes at the end. This suggesting that although James decides to move on with a different Mary, she still succumbs to illness like the first one. The Rebirth ending makes the suggestion that by bringing Mary back from the dead, doesn't mean that she won't still be ill. But, also more by the idea that the risen dead are almost never like they were before death. What if Mary remembered what James did? What if she disapproves of James' actions to bring her back and thus, loathes herself again because of her new condition, projecting her anger on again James in the process? It's incredibly likely that James would then kill her again possibly repeating his actions and thus repeating the game.

The Leave ending might be somewhat less obvious to determine why it could loop. Yet, it still doesn't mean that it's not plausible. Laura mentioned that she had met Mary in the hospital where she was being treated, yet never said why. It's likely that Laura was sick as well and required daily or weekly attention, based on the assumption that she was an orphan and spent so much time in the hospital. If Laura was sick (yet her condition was maintained by her constant care, such as diabetes, leukemia, aids or a non-viral infection), then without James' awareness of such a disease and immediate treatment, she could take a turn for the worse and become no better than when Mary was ill. If this was to happen, James' may either attempt to kill her to stop his pain or deny Laura's condition to save himself from shouldering the responsibility of caring for her. This would then lead to his guilt and back to Silent Hill. Of course, there may be nothing wrong with her and everything could work out fine, but you can't ignore this possibility.

As such, the In Water is the only ending that doesn't suggest that the story leads to a loop, just as in SH1 where the Good Ending doesn't lead to a loop either.

----

Got me thinking too....a lot of people I noticed like the idea of the 21 Sacraments ending being the most plausable ending to the fourth game. I don't agree though...its too possibly apocalyptic. I personally think the best ending (escape) is the most fitting. Eileen and Henry are innocent really...they have no tie to anything having to do with SH or the cult. Plus aesthetically its the most sensible. I always though the room was an allegory for Henry's difficulty with opening up to people...like Eileen. Ironically he's trapped in the room and denied contact. Through his journey he gets to know Eileen and in the end...as the room is finally opens up he himself finally opens up...kinda symbolized by him going to see Eileen. Maybe they'd help eachother find a new place.

I've convinced myself that the true ending to Silent Hill 4: The Room is the Mother ending, especially if the purpose of the game is to fulfill the Ceremony of the Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother (i.e. 21 Sacraments). The reasoning is that in the main story arc of the previous games the Holy Mother was always birthed (or prophesied to be born), and in previous titles, a woman always birthed her. Based on the 21 Sacraments ending, we learn that with all 21 victims killed, Room 302 and subsequently, all of South Ashfield Heights become "possessed" (for lack of a better word) and share similar events as were reported in Silent Hill many years ago, which suggest the reasons to its current state. The state of the Room and the news report in this ending provide evidence to this. However, in the Mother ending, we are given a last look at Henry's apartment after his visit to the hospital, where we see room 302 in the same condition as in the 21 Sacraments ending. If Walter had failed to kill all 21 of his victims, wouldn't the room have not been affected, just as it appears in the Eileen's Death ending? Wouldn't the entirty of Walter's world have collapsed only with him? This last shot suggests that this is not the case and that Walter (or at least his actions) continue to be in motion.

In addition to this, I think that the true method to performing the 21 Sacraments is not by killing all the Signs, they are never refered to in the scriptures as "victims," but simply using their blood, maybe only small amounts the way witches use small amounts of their own blood in their spells. The presence of the revival of Atzec/Mayan blood-rites within the cult of Silent Hill may have lead to some distortion as to the proper method of performing the ceremony. As such, the Descent of the Holy Mother details the ceremony for bringing the Holy Mother into this world. However, if the Holy Mother is to descend on this world, it needs a vessel to contain it's soul (see the "Drawing Power Conversation" from SH1). Thus, the position of the Mother Reborn is used to house this vessel and that role in SH4 is filled by... (wait for it)... Eileen Galvin!

So in addition to Eileen's injuries, Eileen has been impregnated by the spirit of the "Devil" as the Crimson Tome states it. This means that another version of the god from the main story arc has been called to this world, suggesting that the main story arc has not completely ended. (The 21 Sacraments ending explains the after-effects of the Ceremony of the Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother on the "real world," but does not continur the arc since there is not vessel to contain the spirit of the "Devil." So, it should be assumed that the darkness "possessing" the Room is contained within the apartment complex.) While SH4 will always be considered a self-contained title, it will provide the background for any other sequel as to the presense of the god in the story.

As such, I believe the Mother ending to be the "true" ending of the game since it leads to continuing the main storyline.

----

Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America is having a sale on the PC version of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99

Bought it and MGS2 PC for the same price, but people should know the shipping is like $8 on that. Ouch.

-steve

That doesn't have the extra content like the Restless Dreams version does, does it? well for 4.99 it's a steal , so I think I'll get it regardless.

Yes, the PC version of Silent Hill 2 contains the material for Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, released for the X-Box and re-released for the PS2 on the Greatest Hits collection. However, the PC version sports two new features not found on the console versions: a save-anywhere feature and an FMV playback feature. Also, please remember to download the patches for the PC version to ensure correct loading for the program. And for additional fun, you can download the camera hack modification that allows you to completely control the camera, increasing your range of view and revealing previously unseen objects, like the dead man's face in the Woodside Apartment Complex, Marya's face at the top of the Alternate Lakeview Hotel, or Angela's fate at the top of the staircase in the Alternate Lakeview Hotel.

Broken Notes Productions Update:

Third Album, Sanatorium, Released (Chapter 1):

The staff at Broken Notes (creators of the Silent Hill Fan Soundtrack and Broken Notes: A Tribute to Akira Yamaoka) and Macrabre Productions (headed by John Anthony Mathewson; register on OCR as "parjay") has released the first of four chapters of their long-awaited third (main) album of music inspired by/arranged from/remixed from Akira Yamaoka's Silent Hill soundtracks, called Sanatorium. The 11 track soundtrack has focused on using symphonic elements to create their fanworks, featuring symphonic versions of Silent Hill, Tears of... and Overdose Delusion as well as a new symphonic tribute told in six movements. As a bonus, two extra tracks have been added remixing the (imo) awesome Robbie theme, acting as an extension for the Japan-only released remix album "Silent Hill 4: Robbie Tracks." Entitled "RUSSIAN" and "POLISH," these tracks take the popular electronica stylings from the referenced nation and reconstruct the Robbie Theme in said style.

The album, created by Jason Gervais, Christopher So, and Christophe Frutuoso and released on May 1, 2006, acts to create fitting tributes to an awesome composer (not simply for games), hoping to inspire others to create such outstanding and incredible arrangements as well as to provide fans and listeners with some great new music.

As a precaution, the site has reported that the .rar files have not been working properly due to a naming error of the file. (If the file you downloaded has numbers appearing in the title of the file, please delete the file and download it again.) The site has changed the files to appropriately host the uncorrupted files, but if you see this problem elsewhere please notify the staff immediately. Also, One of the servers has been hacked into and files have been added on to it, so please use caution when downloading. If you see a hacking message appear, disconnect your download immediately and try again at later time. Currently, the site seems to not be having this problem, but in any case, be careful.

Tracks can be downloaded individually (from one server) or as a package (from another server). Remember to please not hot link any of the tracks on the forums.

Broken Notes Productions - Sanatorium (Chapter 1) 11-9-12-12-13-5 [.rar file / containing .mp3 files / 69.0 MB]

Silent Hill Rumor Control:

Silent Hill Next?:

A video has appeared on YouTube on April 25, 2006 featuring an video that appears to contain a preview shot of a new Silent Hill videogame. The video was posted by "selfservice" and claims that it is exclusive footage for a new Silent Hill game called, "Silent Hill Next." The video itself shows small FMV clips from previous games, followed by some Japanese text (possibly about each title), then opens up to pan shot of a derelict kitchen until it faces a male character standing over a sink looking at a mirror. The video, running at 1:51, has a low-grade quality to it that suggests that it is not real, but a number of other details suggest that this is only an early build. The camera shaking is a very difficult techinique to do with a computer, yet feels smooth; the grain filter is the same one used for SH4, but has not been ripped from the game, because it was hand made during each scene. In addition, the video appears to be shown in a theater on a large screen. Although many people are claiming that this is for the next generation of consoles, the most likely case is that this is going to be a PSP release, if true.

Currently, I can find no other information about this video, which suggests to it not being official, but I can't help feel that it could be. The only location where I can find this is from YouTube, although reports on the subject have appeared on [http://www.gamersreports.com]GamersReports.com, which also features some insight on the Japanese text in the video. (A Russian magazine, GameMag, has also posted an article on the subject, but I am unable to determine what it says.)

GamersReports - Silent Hill NeXT Video Footage

GameMag - Silent Hill 5?

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Mmmm...I guess I can kind of see where its coming from. It makes the In Water ending feel so much more right...even though a part of me prefers James getting outta there. Guess its all part of the tragedy.

Yeah...I've been on youtube a bit more than usual past few days. I just saw this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwiZR8YvoU

Its a music video called the Photograph is Proof. I know a lot of you have probably seen it as usual, but I haven't seen it yet. Just incase it hasn't...it'd be a shame if it were never mentioned.

Its sort of funny how Henry seems to be yearning...for Heather. Really nice use of the character models though. It reminds me of the music video of You're not Here with Heather singing...(now I know you guys have seen that so I won't bother posting that one.)

The way Henry looks and how his mannerisms are in this video remind me a lot of myself..

Please, Kiyosuki, I understand if you feel that there is a lot of awesome and cool stuff out on the internet with items featuring Silent Hill, but this is getting ridiculous. If you spent the amount of time reading through this thread as you do researching those meaterials on your own, you'd probably be caught up on current events. It doesn't really take that long. I went through the entire thread already on Friday.

This applies to all new people as well. Please, please, please read through the thread on your own. Many people spent a lot of time to construct this thread to contain a great collection of information. Yet, by continually re-posting these pieces of information, you make the thread disposable. Ignoring past remarks and posts out of apathy is not the way a thread should exist, and neither is it the way to conduct conversations. It goes against the entire site's mission statement.

I know it's a lot of work (I blame it partly on the lack of a search page function on the boards), but this information was posted with great care for a reason. If I or anyone else were to just post a link without any context, much of the relevent and important information that we have now would not exist. So, please, Kiyosuki and everyone else on here, read through the thread, make searches on the boards, PM each other, just do something to form a dialogue with each other to better inform yourselves, before we lose the entire spirit of our work.

Thank you.

Warning: Silent Hill 2 Spoilers

Like for instance...this particular theory that Mary is in the trunk of James' car in the second game. I've been hearing about this more and more...and I guess it kinda makes sense but I'm genuinly curious. Whats the evidence to support this? There's little to no hint whatsoever over it.

Really, where'd this come from?

Although there is no hard evidence to support this theory, there is a number of suggestions to make the player suspect that Mary is in the trunk of James' car. Consider the endings. First in the In Water Ending, what is the last thing that James does before reading Mary's letter? He picks Mary up and takes here out of the room. In the Rebirth Ending, James says what at the end? He remarks about the way that Mary appears as if he where looking directly at her body. You have to ask yourself, "If Mary is actually there; where did she come from?" She wasn't in Silent Hill of her own accord (unlike her letter suggested). She didn't get there on her own. She wasn't living there, as some theories claim. The most logical option then is that someone brought her there. Thinking that, all fingers point to James. Still, the only thing James brought with him was his car and you can't see anyone in the passenger side (a quick check on the passenger side will verify that). So, the only place left to check is in the backseat or the trunk. But, James doesn't want to open his trunk, which raises my suspicions even more. (Also, I want to believe that if Mary were in the backseat, he'd notice it. James may appear dense, but not that dense.)

However, I have to state my assupmtion that in order for this theory to work, it has to adhere to the theory that what James experiences in Silent Hill is real (or at least somewhat real) and not constructions of his psyche. In addition to this, I know that this theory could still waiver on the assumption that Maria could be in Mary's guise during the endings, as she does in the Maria ending. But, you then have to ask yourself questions such as, "Is Maria actually Mary?", "Is it a dream or daydream in James's mind?" or "Did Mary return from the dead, or did the Crimson Ceremony create Mary out of nothing?" Why would Maria pretend to be Mary if her fate is to make James suffer? Do we truly understand Maria's intentions in the "Letter from Silent Heaven" scenario? Is Maria so desperate to seek out a life outside of Silent Hill that she'd be the vessel from which James rebirthes his wife? Is it even real? This topic raises a lot of questions that extend beyond the scope of the game, so the theory that Mary's body is in James' car helps to circumvent these more difficult and speculative questions.

In addition, you have to consider what Henry says about the Sunderlands from his examination of the photo of the South Ashfield Heights apartment complex. He states that both the superintendent's son AND daughter-in-law went missing in Silent Hill. If James had only killed Mary and left her in their home (as it appears so in the endings where James speaks to Mary after killing Marya), wouldn't Frank have known his daughter-in-law to be dead and only stated that his son went missing? If her body had been found, wouldn't someone have notified the next of kin? The most logical conclusion is that Mary's body was never recovered, indicating that she was either buried by James somewhere before his trip to South Vale, or that he took the body with him. (Morbid, I know, but not beyond James' actions, in my opinion.)

As for hints in the game that Mary's body is with James, there are some subtle and subconscious hints. In the title FMV montage, we see a silohette of James carrying a human-shaped object up and carrying it toward the screen. The scene is suggestive to the idea that James is carrying Mary someplace. It could be symbolic of his carrying Mary when he killed her. Or of carrying the burden of her death. But, what's interesting is that the orientation of the direction that he moves, is the same orientation as if he were to pick something out of his trunk and carry it toward the staircase to the cemetary and the town. You can decide for yourself what that scene means, but it doesn't point against this theory.

All-in-all, the theory is a partical solution to a difficult and lingering question, while not breaching the scope of the game. It is both poetic and thought-provoking, but not infallible, so it can go either way. Believe it or not, it's entirely up to you.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I don't know if its been posted here before, but I found a making of Silent Hill 3 video on youtube. Its the first I had seen of it, it offers some interesting insight to the development's ideas.

Umm... Haven't I posted links to this a few times already? It wasn't even that long ago. (I remember discussing it with parjay on here.) Oh, well, I guess that's another reason for me to compose an essential links list.

*Ahem* The Making of Silent Hill 3 was released by PlayStation World magazine (a publication exclusive to the United Kingdom) on the bonus DVD in issue #37. I believe the magazine also featured information and a video as well for Metal Gear Solid 3, which makes it a highly popular item, thus very rare to find. (I've asked Eccles before if he had access to this magazine, but he claims to have never come across it.) Some fans have been kind enough to have ripped the video and hosted it on the internet, DUST (formerly Dustfungus) most prominently. The video itself was produced by WE Productions (a studio originally a part of FunTV France, later it's own production studio), the same company to have made the "Making of Silent Hill 2" documentary. However, the video was only released in PlayStation World as opposed to the Europe-wide release of "Silent Hill 2: Special Version."

Technically, the "Making of Silent Hill 3" documentary is about the same as the one for SH2, but for some reason, a large chunk of the video is untranslated (on the original print). It has been speculated that this was simply a production error on the fault of the translator/scripter, and not an intentional ommission due to permission issues. The untranslated section has been roughly translated on the forums, which explains that Masahiro Ito's monster designs were inspired by religious paintings, not so much by the subject matter, but for the depiction of suffering and disfigurement placed in the background, particularly the inspiration for the Insane Cancer.

I've been trying to change the topic for days.

- Born from a wish

There's a little bit of discussion on the bottom of my post here. Some discussion follows this post about the subject of Maria and her role in the "Born From A Wish" scenario. I highly suggest that you read through this thread to find out the information that you wish and to play the game for an upclose and personal experience.

Having said that, Konami Digital Entertainment of America is having a sale on the PC version of Silent Hill 2 for $4.99 and the PS2 Greatest Hits Version for $19.99! (The both versions include the "Letter From Silent Heaven" scenario, with all endings, and the "Born From A Wish" scenario. The PC version includes a save-anywhere feature and FMV playback options as a bonus.) If you don't already own this game, now is the best time to do so.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

F.Y.I.: Jodelle Ferland is appearing on Ellen today. Catch it if you can.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I will say though...that while its explainable why Pyramid Head is in there...thinking about it twice it really is probably a fanservice thing. It works...but it would of been far more effective if Gans or the design team had designed a primary monster especially for the story. Something that...represents something in this particular story like how Pyramid Head represents James' suppressed desire to punish himself.

They could have, but Masahiro Ito, monster designer for SH1, SH2 and SH3, already left Konami. (It's undetermined whether or not he was fired.) Masahiro Ito currently draws and animates from his home studio. You can visit his website for more artwork from Silent Hill and other series. (Warning: Link contains material that is NOT WORK APPROPRIATE)

Now that the film has been completed, I wonder who Konami has cut from Team Silent now. (It's part of the curse of Silent Hill for Konami to fire/let go of one of the primary creators for the series after the completion of a major project.) I wonder if it's affecting the series...?

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Blah blah blah they're all dead.

You fail at silent hill. If your theory's true, Gans didn't understand the game at all.

I'm going to have to back Kiyosuki on this one, because his understanding of both the film and the series is beyond accurate. However, you have to consider that the script and the resulting story was written by Roger Avary, a casual gamer introduced to Silent Hill by Gans. It may be that they did understand the series somewhat, but when they strayed outside the familiar, the story fell apart, because the original story of Silent Hill is so intricately interconnected. I do differ with Kiyosuki on some things about the ending, but for the most part I agree, which I guess would mean that Gans' grasp on the story was not conveyed on the screen, if he truly did grasp it.

With that said, Gans has stated that unless the film is huge success among its fans, he will not be returning for a second film. (Don't interpret that as being that a second film won't exist, but that Gans will not likely be attached.)

Spoilers, I guess:

Sony: "Hey, let's introduce the radio static plot device at the very beginning, then never mention it again, because building suspense would be a bad thing for a horror movie!"

Me: "Go fuck yourself, Sony."

Sony: "Also, we should subsitute buckets of blood for the creepy suspense that was used more effectively in the games."

Me: "Please die."

Sony: "Say, is your autistic cousin available to do some editing? We'd like to jump from scene to scene without making much sense or giving any explanation as to why the characters are acting the way they do."

Me: "Yeah, I noticed that discontinuity. Eat shit."

Make sure you replace Sony with Davis Films, since Tristar, followed by Sony, didn't pick up the film until the script was finalized and production had already begun.

Sony: "While we're at it, we're going to make some really stupid and arbitrary changes, like the little girl's name. Marketing indicates more little girls will identify with a 'Sharon' than they would with a 'Cheryl,' hence buying more Burger King Silent Hill collector's cups."

Me: "You suck."

Really?! They've got collector's cups at Burger King?! [/j/k]

Sharon was a directorial change made for the film, to not only differentiate the character from the game, but from what I have heard, be a reference to a famous french actress, much as Cheryl is a reference to Sheryl Lee, a well-known actress in North America. I've forgotten who the other actress was, but regardless, the change was not arbitrary. Still, why complain about the name "Sharon," when Rose's original concept name was "Harriet?"

Edit: In fact, the movie was so bad that now I have absolutely no desire to play SH1 or SH2.

The games are way better than the film, in my own opinion. The only person that you are cheating by avoiding them, is yourself. I say this especially after what you've written about the film bogarting suspense and tension for gore. The original Silent Hill was a masterpiece of terror. I still can't play that game at night, by myself, with the lights out. Though most people can't tolerate the last generation graphics, it's still worth playing, multiple times. The updated version is going to appear on the PSP this summer at E3. So, make sure to keep an eye on that.

The follow-up, Silent Hill 2, is a work of art, from it's story to the character interactions to the monster designs to atmosphere and music. It inspires a bevy of emotions: fear, love, hatred, compassion, regret, realization, and so much in between. There's a reason why this game is a fan favorite. Takayoshi Sato is true artisan. It's too bad that his lack of skills with money and budgets lead him to get fired. Hopefully, EA will treat him better. Check out GoldenEye: Rogue Agent for a sample of his subsequent work with EA, or visit his website.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

I should qualify: I never played Silent Hill.

Speaking of bad dialogue...

Warning: Silent Hill and Silent Hill Spoilers

(Also I'm as to why the alternate world of Silent Hill still exists at the end of the movie when the revenge is completed, can anyone explain for me?)

EasyP, nobody knows why the movie ended with the foggy dimension still existing. It's pretty ridiculous. The only explanation is that there were plans for a sequel, Roger Avery is dumb, and that they died in the car crash, making the whole movie a pointless venture.

The ending seems to be a culmination of both the Good and the Bad Ending from the original Silent Hill. As you may be aware, the Bad Ending occurs when you fail to save Cybil and Kaufman, who aid in helping Harry escape from Nowhere. In this Bad Ending, Harry feels that he has completely lost all hope of rescuing his daughter and gives up. The resulting scene is one where we see an unconscious Harry behind the wheel of his Jeep, bleeding from the forehead (presumably dead). This ending suggests many things, such as Harry's adventure was simply the dream before his death, exposing his inner fears; that Harry's inability to save Cheryl/Alessa (and as a result himself) caused him to die in the "real world;" or even that he gets sent back to the beginning of his adventure to try again, assuming that the crash didn't actually kill him. The Good Ending is the ending that occurs where Harry was able to save Kaufman, who, in turn, was able to release the Incubus from Alessa. Because Harry then killed the god, this allowed Alessa to escape from Dahlia's confinement spell in a new form as she and her world collapsed.

In the film, however, the construction of the worlds is somewhat different than in the game. While both the Misty and the Alternate worlds are considered creations by Alessa/Cheryl/Incubus in the games, it seems that only the Dark World was created by Alessa, while the Misty world is a separate entity that Alessa/Dark Alessa cannot control (which is why Dark Alessa has to hide within the body of Rose in order to enter the church). It seems that the cult of Silent Hill is able to repel the darkness created by Alessa with their prayers. So, Alessa/Dark Alessa/Sharon cannot control this world, which probably means that they cannot escape it (at least I think Dark Alessa is not able to entirely escape). Dark Alessa attempts to escape from Silent Hill after Alessa's revenge is completed by possessing Sharon. However, while it doesn't create the Dark World of Alessa's nightmares, Sharon is still unable to escape the Misty World.

From a personal interpretation, it appears to me that Rose realizing that she has become "damned" and unable to escape the Misty limbo that she and Sharon are in, begins to deny her fate and heads home, leaving Dahlia to regret her mistakes without the release of true death. Sharon, now possessed by a Dark Alessa, has lost her innocence and is no longer the cheerful, smiling girl that Rose once knew. Yet, Rose will continue to be her mother, as all mothers bear their young. Still, seeing as that she has lost all that she loved she returns to her home to see out the rest of her existance near her beloved as is interpretted from Rose's final action (sitting on the chair across from Christopher). Rose shares a fate similar to Dahlia and will not meet a true death, yet she can live with her guilt near those that she loved. A sad, but beautifully quiet ending.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

slight spoilers, nothing too important...

Anyone else notice at the beginning, when Rose's husband was looking at the websites, one of them mentioned a Harold? (Harry?) I noticed it for a brief moment, and was like "Hey wait, slow down so I can read that!" Guess I'll be pausing that scene when the DVD is released.

Ditto. I'm going to go back tonight to watch the film again. (I got my Silent Hill T-shirt last night, so I'll wear that today. w00t!)

Anyway, it seems a little odd to be doing this now that the film has been released, but let's do another...

Silent Hill Film Update:

Official Film Site Update & Downloadable Film Clips:

Now that the film has been released, the official website has updated it's page to include some more awesome stuff. Part of this is the new PSP page filled with material that you can download onto your PSP, including actual clips from the film. (Warning: Clips may contain spoilers) In addition to downloading them, you can preview them on the website. Very cool for fanatics.

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Official Film Website

Sony Pictures - Silent Hill Official Film Website - Video Clips Page

Film Memorabilia, Props and Costumes Up for Bids:

In addition to the new features on the film website, you can also follow a link to bid on items from the film itself. If you collect costumes, then you'll find costumes for Rahda Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Alice Krige, Jodelle Ferland and the extras (Cult Member and Miner costumes). If props are what you seek, then you can get items like Rahda Mitchell's pendant or lighter, Laurie Holden's badge or Alice Krige's silver goblet. You can even purchase a bent metal bar ( ). For the film set fans, you can purchase background items such as a rusted lamp post, the Silent Hill Beautification Association trash can or some red-colored emergency lights. Too bad the prices for such things are beyond my current financial means. Oh, well, maybe you guys can enjoy them.

Premiere Props - #1 Movie Props and Memorabilia - Silent Hill

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers

About PH being in the movie though I don't think its totally out of place and useless. If you really think about it PH is supposed to be an executioner of sorts in the general sense of the way in the game(hence the "executioner" type mask thing on his head) so it would be plausible to have him in the movie as Alessa's executioner of revenge. I don't think I'm too far off as this was a pretty large point in the game itself if I'm correct.

You might have been correct about that had you considered something in addition to this: The Red Pyramid is based on the beliefs of the religion of Silent Hill. In the context of the games, the religion and the history of the town are tied together by the events that occured at the Toluca Prison and Prison Camp. However, in the film, the religion of Silent Hill (or more accurately, the cult of Silent Hill) is not shown as having a connection to the history of the prison (it's not even mentioned), being that the cult of Silent Hill follows the Puritan religion in terms of conservatism and practices. They were witch hunters, not hybrid pagan-christian worshippers. This change in the presentation of the cult fundementally changes the foundation on which it was built. Therefore, we can no longer associate the executioners of the Toluca Prison and Prison Camp with the present day beliefs of the cult of Silent Hill from the film.

Of course, we can make assumptions and other ties back to the history of Silent Hill and the cult during the U.S. Civil War, but such speculations could not be well supported since these ties were not made within the film itself. In other words, I'm not saying that it can't have the Red Pyramid because it is contradictive to the series; I'm saying that because they changed the nature of the cult, the resulting history from the games can no longer be applied. (Granted, had any one of the members of the cult who aided in the execution/purification of "witches" worn a triangle-shaped hood and robe at either of the burnings [Alessa's or Cybil's], I would have allowed for such an argument about the RP being an executioner fly.) Yet, as things are presented in the film, the Red Pyramid theory as an executioner cannot work in the context of the film. This is the primary reason why I wish to discuss the monsters from the film again now knowing the new context.

Consequently, I know that a lot of people may disagree about this, but Gans and company failed to make a strong connection between the history of Silent Hill from the games to the film. Therefore, I'm calling out for a discussion on the subject to keep this from becoming considered a continuity error.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers

Over all, I felt it started off very strong. I liked it but I didn't like it. I'll have to go see it again with someone else other than my friend's who are quick to put anything I like down.

I was a little luckier in terms of audience participation. As diverse as the group was (1:15pm showing, so mostly devote fans and interested viewers with an afternoon to spare ranging from 18 - 50 year-olds and various personas), they were well behaved and genuinely interested in seeing the film. The only laughter I heard was after the Dark World returned to Misty in Midwich and Cybil says, "What the f**k was that?" A chuckle was released among the crowd suggesting a shared sense of confusion and relief as did the characters. A few gasps were heard every now and again, but almost everyone stayed silent and focused on the screen the whole time. Well, expect once the credits began, everyone got up and left as soon as they played, almost like the nurses, which was quite freaky.

As for PH, I think MAYBE he was something that Allesia made up, just like she did with everything in the actual game.

The origins and influences for the monsters is something I'd like to discuss at some point. Though some monsters originate the same as in the games, such as the Mumblers and the Creepers (though the exact origin is not mentioned in the film; and which also have faces ???), others need to be re-evaluated considering the new context. I'd like to think about the Nurses, the Red Pyramid and the Janitor "Colin." Lisa was awesome avoiding looking directly at Rose and cowering from her touch, portraying a subordinate role; it added to the mood that Rose was still somewhat intimidating to Sharon/Alessa, even in the depths of the Dark World. Though I didn't like that she ended up as a Shibito (Yea! for Siren references), but considering that her death is unknown in the film it's understandable that she was bleeding from her eyes instead of her forehead.

EDIT: didn't realize Ifirit already posted. and LOL THE NURSES WERE DOING THRILLER!

Well' date=' at least there weren't any machine-gun-toting teenager girls with short shirts in the film. You know, 'cause they would never do that in a Silent Hill; it could never work. Still, I'd love for the DVD to have an alternate crazy fun ending, maybe a UFO Ending or a strange one like the DOG Ending. Bloopers and goof-ups would be cool as well.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

For pete's sake, white out your spoilers, jackhats.

I agree. Like or dislike the film, please be considerate enough to prevent spilling the beans on content or events from the film. (Just replace the TEXT with what you wish to say.)

Spoiler Tag:

[color=white] TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT [/color]

Alternatively,

[quote="Spoilers"] [color=white] TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT [/color] [/quote]

You may also wish to add a heading that informs other readers that spoilers lie ahead.

Spoiler Heading:

[color=red] [b] SPOILER HEADING [/b] [/color]

Anyway, with that out of the way...

Warning: Silent Hill Spoilers

Well, I just saw it, and it was pretty good..

I have to agree for the most part that this is both an incredible, outstanding film and a campy, hair-pulling movie both at the same time. There are times when I was on the edge of my seat thinking "OMG, OMG, OMG, OMFG...." or "That was so freakin' awesome!" However, there were also several times when I was so disappointed at the writing that it really drew my attention to the weaker aspects of the film. >.> <.< Such as... Alessa saying "Look, I'm burning." or the Bubble-Head Nurse Shuffle "Now, jazz-hands!!!" But, I digress.

I was a bit disappointed with the way that the audience is seemingly spoonfed the exlpanation. The explanation definitely did not need to be narrated

The end, though cool, was less cryptic than I'd expected.

Actually, that explanation part would have been great had the plot not been reiterated constantly thoughout the film, though without the cliche video-gamey "Congratulations, here's an explanation!" introduction. As much as the film explained certain aspects a little too thoroughly, it failed to mention other aspects of the film as well. The elimination of the god (or mention of) from the film raises the question of how a little girl gained the power to create the world (or the Dark World) on her own. It shows that Alessa was tormented and hated because they thought she was a witch, but it fails to justify the reason by informing the audience that she had a special power within her. So, it will be difficult for the general audience to understand how the world is created, and why Alessa has the power to do what she does.

In addition to this, the film doesn't make a point to explain that creation of the Misty World/Dark World was created by this power (be it that it comes from Alessa's power or from the power of the god). If the Dark Alessa is to be considered the source of her power and not simply a split-personality/manifeastation of her pain, then it appears such that she is actually a demon, which then leaves the question of where did such a demon come from, i.e. from what mythology did it appear? (I ask this because the religion of Silent Hill, as portrayed in the film, does not believe in such things. Yet, it acts to drive them out and destroyed, contradictive to the series, which makes the "demons" a part of the religious beliefs, as based on Native American mythologies.)

Oh, yeah, this movie is more like "Silent Hill Lite" than an addition to the series. It's more like an introduction to the series than an installment. (By series, I mean the games, obviously.)

Unfortunately, because of the way that Gans and company set up the story for the film, it eliminates the possibility for SH2 and SH3 to exist as sequels, in this universe. Having Silent Hill exist as a smoldren, toxic fume-spewing ghost town prevents it from existing as a peaceful, serene vacation spot used to establish the loving, emotive relationship between James and Mary, which without greatly hinders that story. (Sure, it could be set in South Vale, but Brookhaven and Pete's Bowl-O-Rama were placed in downtown Silent Hill, suggesting that Paleville and South Vale are non-existant in the Toluca Lake area.) Also, since the memebers of the cult all burned in the accident (except for Alessa) and were drawn into her world, it is unlikely that there is anyone left to seek out Alessa's reincarnation (if Sharon is even a reincarnation), or anyone who would be interested. SH4 could be used for material for a sequel film, but without the establishment of the religion of Silent Hill as seeking to bring God into the world, it wouldn't make much sense.

As such, the film will branch into its own universe and will exist from now on as its own entity, much like the comics. I was really hoping that the film would have coincided with the series, because I really, really, really, REALLY like the visual style of the film, but you can't always have your cake and eat it, too. (I plan on purchasing the film on DVD simply for the closing credits montage; dis-embodied lights rock!)

It's pretty scary, but if you've played the games, and if you're desensitized to violence, you'll be pretty 'meh' about it. The girl I was watching it with probably only saw a fraction of the movie I saw, what with her face being buried in my armpit (Which I can only hope smelled like sexy man).

For me, the scariest parts of the film weren't even the gory ones. The scariest parts were created by the fear of pain or death. Rose's close-call in the alley and with Cybil in Midwich, inspired greater fear within me than when the Red Pyramid tore Anna apart or when Alessa raped and subsequently killed Christabella with her barbed-wire tentacles. Sure, those aparts were hard to watch, but I wasn't afraid for the characters, for whom our concern was established (as opposed to what was mentioned by Eccles, that many people felt the characters deserving of their fate). Even in the basement of the Brookhaven Hospital, the nurse encounter was still terrifying because of the nature of the encounter, which was plagued with doubt as to whether she would survive it. It seems to me, that scenes where there exists doubt about whether the characters will survive such encounters much scarier, mostly because it adheres closer to gameplay where a person's ability to survive is their own. But, also, because the characters must have a certain degree of freedom involved that makes their responses and resulting actions harder to predict. [/non-sequitor]

I did not like the heavy emphasis on using Akira's original soundtrack throughout the movie.

I agree that I was hoping for an all new music composition for the film which could have been used seeing that Akira Yamaoka was officially tied to the production, but what are you gonna do? As such, I also agree that the cues were just too obvious and cut-&-dry, but the dynamics and expressions used to build up the tension within the music itself were phenomenal. Jeff Danna did a great job of re-orchestrating many of the different songs. Of course, Promise [Reprise] was used many times (acting as a sort of Theme of Alessa), but each time there were varied additions. Such as the additional strings and orchestral accompaniment during the latter stages of the film, when Rose catches up with Alessa, to the synthetic and pad accompaniments used during the chase to the bathroom in Midwich. The remastered version of Magdalene with it's changes in rhythm, really exposes the vulnerability of the piece. These changes helped to add a human touch to the mostly 4/4 time scales that Akira Yamaoka uses so often. I even enjoyed the way Danna mixed versions of the original music together in adding scale and tension during the dark world parts. I really hope an official motion picture soundtrack for Silent Hill is released at some point.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

If I recall correctly, there are almost NO locked doors in SH4 that don't have a key.

Yes, three. A side door near the Second Visit entrance in Subway World, the front door to Hospital World and the front door to Apartment World.

Anyway, what people are arguing about is an aspect of game creation which is typical of all adventure-horror games ("survival-horror" is an outdated term): maze design. Looking at Silent Hill in this aspect, you have to also consider the difference between a locked door and a jammed door. Locked doors are obstacles that act as part of the gameplay (being that overcoming obsticles are part of solving a maze), while jammed doors are a part of the ambience of the game, meant to affect the player psychologically. However, in most survival horror games, there is an additional element to the game design that effects the ambience that the player experiences: the map.

The map is an essential tool needed to navigate the world and to prevent players from becoming lost and frustrated. It helps to guide the players to their destination, to focus their attention on the goal and to help them think through the obsticles that obstruct their path. However, the map is the antithesis to the ambience created by the jammed door. A jammed door frustrates a player because it means that the most direct path to their destination is no feasible and/or because it hinders the experience of navigation. Being able to see a space that should be accessible, yet isn't becomes disappointing to a hasty player.

Yet, in the Silent Hill series, the maze design incorporates the ability to go around jammed doors and can at times allow players to enter a room from a secondary entrance. Also, for players who were truly inquizitive, they were able to discover that these jammed doors didn't always lead nowhere. A few rooms do exist behind the jammed doors in Midwich Elementary. (So, don't blame jammed doors on lazy game designers.)

Maze design is a dying art in the video game industry since most games use fully 3-D level design, but Silent Hill does a fairly good job of it, as I don't feel that any single "level" in Silent Hill is repetative.

In addition, the camera angles were part of the director's decisions on the presentation of the game and for the most part, they are great, although SH4 needed some fine tuning. (It took RE three sequels to add an adjustable camera.) If you are absolutely frustrated with the current set-up, just download the camera hack program and have free reign on the field of view. You can even use it to find out Angela's fate. (Apparently, she decides to take up yoga.)

[Silent Hill Discussion]

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' date=' but Tristar was all "what? no."[/quote']

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 [including those that drive his parental instincts]). 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.

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.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

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

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.

EDIT: I completely forgot to mention this, but I just bought myself a ticket to go see PLAY! A Video Game Symphony. 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) 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.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

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, member Kodaemon 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"

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] [.mov file / 3.41MB]

Silent Hill Television Spot #2 - [YouTube Stream] (Stream-only)

Silent Hill Television Spot #3 - [saveFile Mirror] [.mpg file / 22.2MB]

Silent Hill Television Spot #4 - [saveFile Mirror] [.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

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

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

JoyStiq - 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 by Amazonagent from the Silent Hill Forum, 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 (according to many, it was very poor, at best).

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

Konami Digital Entertainment of America - The Silent Hill Experience - Official Flash Site

Konami Digital Entertainment of America - The Silent Hill Experience - Game Information Page

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.

[Silent Hill Discussion]

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) 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!)