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Silent Hill Film Update: Official Silent Hill Trailer Confirmed?: According to rumors on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), the official trailer for Silent Hill will be featured along with Underworld: Evolution. Understandably, I'm sure people are skeptical about this rumor after the last time this rumor floated around the internet (i.e. The Fog, Saw 2). However, this time there seems to be some credibility behind the rumor since there have been confirmations reported from email replies from Sony Pictures, mentions from theater employees who have received the schedule of trailers to be shown with its respective film and a scanned copy of the Trailer Attachment Report which shows Silent Hill to be featured as the primary trailer with Underworld: Evolution. Feel free to believe the rumor or not, but something tells me that this time it is true. So, with unofficial confirmation on the first trailer, I'm sure that next weekend will be a good time to go to the theaters and watch U:E, even if you didn't like the first film. Anyway, if you don't feel like spending $8 - $10 on a movie ticket, it seems likely that the trailer will also be released on the internet at the same time. Underworld: Evolution opens in theaters on January 20, 2006. Silent Hill Forum - "Silent Hill trailer to show with Underworld: Evolution" Thread Unofficial - "Trailer Attachment Report" Scanned Image (featuring Silent Hill) Poster Contest Problems: Since the poster contest ended the submission phase, the site has been having some porblems with the voting phase in terms of programming. Originally, the site featured a page which contained a scrolling page of randomly placed posters (in order to prevent script-kiddies from creating mass votes for a single poster). This page was originally listed as http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/silenthill/postercontest/vote/vote.php? Yet, due to problems with the randomization and the obvious poster submission violations, the webmasters had to redesign the pages a little (possibly having to reset the vote count, but unlikely since the pages that the posters are featured on have remained the same). Also, the site has also fitlered out some of the posters that are disqualified, meaning that some posters will not show up when accessed. So, in order to vote for a poster, you must know the specific name (url) of the poster in order to vote for it. (Not a problem for Global-Trance since he's already posted his url, but for people just beginning to vote for a poster, this process will be difficult to navigate and will likely need to rely on suggestions and plugs to cast their votes [especially since there are over 2000 poster entries]). So, if you have any recommendations for voting, please post your suggestions/plugs (& please be serious and suggest the great and awesome posters, or we'll have to wade through a sea of submissions until Jan. 17th). With that said, you might want to check out the suggestions made by Bogus from the Silent Hill Forum.

I'm glad to see some people here throwing their hat into the ring, especially since the prize for winning is pretty nice. ($2,500 + 25 free tickets to the premiere + limited edition poster with your design + Silent Hill merchandise package & bragging rights on having made the official poster for the film.) As a service to Global-Trance and any other people who have submitted a poster for the contest, the voting process will begin tomorrow. Voting can be completed online (through the website) or by text messaging on your cell phone (provided you signed up to receive information when registsering). You can make 1 vote per day from Jan. 4 until 12:00pm (noon) on Jan. 17, 2006. That's a total of 14 possible votes that you can make for your favorite poster. (So, if you guys want to see Global-Trance move on to the second round, send in those votes! Maybe GT will share his tickets with us if he wins. ) After the first round of voting is completed, the top 50 posters will be sent to the TriStar Marketing Team and they will narrow the choices down to 5 contestants. They will have the results posted by Jan. 20th, 2006. Afterwards, you can vote (again 1 vote per day) for your top pick until 12:00pm (noon) on Feb. 17, 2006. That's a total of 30 votes that you can cast for the winner. So, everyone, get those mice ready to cast those votes!

Silent Hill Film Update: Improved Teaser: Since the release of the official website, which released a film teaser as the site's flash introduction, the site now offers visitors the option to view the teaser in .mov format (Quicktime). (For those who can access the flash intro, simply click to view again and the Quicktime intro will play instead.) Also, the site has been cleaned up slightly to provide optimal window size and clearity, which includes the teaser. For those with keen senses, you'll notice that the trailer has some slight editting changes since it was first offered. Most noticable of the changes is the picture and sound quality, but you'll also notice some slight cue and directional changes as well. One benefit to having the improved picture quality is that now you can see some items that were not quite as noticeable the first time around. Enjoy. Official Silent Hill Film Site - Quicktime Teaser (Direct access for those who can't get the flash intro to work.) Silent Hill Film - Quicktime Teaser [MegaUpload Mirror] Morbid Obsession's Journey to Silent Hill: The editors from Morbid Obsession took a trip to the film set and took some photos of the modified streets of Brantford, Ontario (old news, but bare with me for a moment). Yet, they managed to record some places and images that were not shown in any of the official or unofficial film set photos. Their description of the filming process doesn't reveal too much, but still makes me feel excited by reading it. Anyway, the reason why I am posting this now, is for two reasons: 1) for completion of documentation of the film's progress and 2) to let you guys knows that an exclusive interview with Jeff Danna will be posted there shortly (presumably before the end of December). So, keep your eyes out for that. Morbid Obsession - Journey to Silent Hill Film Set Rule of Rose: I'm not sure if anyone has already seen this, but Sony Computer Entertainment is developing a horror game called "Rule of Rose." The only real information I have to go on this are that it will be on the Playstation 2 (released January 19, 2006) and that the two trailers were released in Japan, which suggests a Japan only release, but still worth viewing. Actually, this trailer is a must see for fans of horror-gaming, since it captures so much of the demensia of creepy characters and situations. Details make the man. I suspect that the game will follow the older, blonde woman who appears to be either a caretaker or teacher to the group of young girls. She appears to be plagued by continuous threats in a surreal setting of 1930's Europe. Based on the appearance and actions of this presumable main character, I think the gameplay will be similar to that of Clock Tower 3, where the character cannot actively fight against her attackers and must resort to hide-and-evade tactics (not my favorite style of gameplay, but not unbareable). However, what makes me most excited are the FMVs of the supporting characters who are as disfunctional and disturbing as they are realistic-looking. Rule of Rose - Official Playstation Website GameSpy.com - Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #2 (Stream, Option to Download) GameTrailer.com - Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #2 (Stream, Option to Download) GamesRadar.com - Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #2 (Download Only) GameSpot.com - Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #1 & #2 (Stream, Option to Download with Free Registration) Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #1 [MegaUpload Mirror] (.zip / .wmv / 6.55MB) Rule of Rose - Japanese Trailer #2 [MegaUpload Mirror] (.zip / .wmv / 19.19MB)

It's not very surprising about this since Franco-Canadian Productions also produced Resident Evil and RE2: Apocalyse with the same producer as the SH film, Sam Hadida, who by the way is producing the next RE film, After Life. (*Jibblies*) This is one of the darker secrets about the SH film that I haven't brought light to earlier since I knew that it would not only bring up the whole Resident Evil vs Silent Hill argument, which is ridiculus to begin with, and because without a teaser/trailer/visual proof, people would begin doubting the capabilities of Franco-Canadian Productions to make a proper film adaptation of a game series. Hopefully, people will just see that it was improper writer/director selection that made fans so angry. My worst fear about this film is that Gans tries to make this too literal an adaptation of the first game and actually calls for the exact music from the first game to be mixed for film score. It would seem like huge waste not use Aquila Jama O'ka's talents in the film for a custom soundtrack.

I thought it said 4/21/06 Yes, the film officially releases in the US on April 21, 2006.

Please use smaller pictures next time and don't direct link them from the website; it wastes bandwidth and slows down people with 56k connections.Anyways, if looked through all the photos, you'll see that is not the only time those suits appear. It appears that they have significance to the story, but it is not revealed what. Besides, they're just protective rubber suits, though rather anique'd, used to protect the wearers from chemicals or other biohazardous materials (no, this is not an RE reference) that they are using, which doesn't seem out of place, as you are implying, since the build looks rather run-down anyway. I already referenced that photo before and nobody said anything about. Who knows how this is going to play out, but I can't forsee it going well. ("Stay by me, Rose. I'm so scared I can't stand it. Please.")Besides, Eccles will probably be pissed that Thesaly Lerner's tender, dramatic voice won't be used for Lisa. Though I get the feeling he'll chuck it in given the pile of story notes I sent him yesterday Reading through your story wasn't hard, I finished it and the poem in a rather short amount of time. What I find over-whelming, is the amount of crap I have to write to fix all your inconsistencies, misconceptions, and the rest of the junk that doesn't adhere to the Silent Hill series. I've already written three pages on the matter and I haven't even gotten to Gabrielle yet! (You know if I'm spending a lot of time on this, that there is something worth writing about.)I think I'm just going to chunk it and send you a section back at a time, since it's taking way too long to get all my thoughts written at once. There is a difference between the "concept" of the games, as you put it, and the visual appearance of the games. Thus far, the film has been very faithful to the visual appearance of the games, most particularly, the trailers used for the games and the featured shorts (Fukuro, Ki-no-ko, et. al.). The concept of the games are the plotlines and characters in the games. Without proper attention to these two things, you get things like Dying Inside, which is very faithful the visual appearance of the games, but is greatly lacking in capturing the "concept" of Silent Hill.In addition, the visual concept is not what is at the core of the Silent Hill series, but is what is so characteristic about it. The real "core" of Silent Hill is the concept of human interaction in the context of love and desire, which results in the raise of dark images and visuals when there are things that complicate our reception of love and our fulfilment of desire.

Warning: Possible Film Spoilers & Silent Hill 1, 2, 3 Spoilers The biggest misconceptions about the Red Pyramid Thing are that it is 1) a solitary being, 2) unique in its appearance and 3) that it is simply manifeasted through the imagination of whoever perceives it. So, to help clear these misconceptions, let's take a look at each one. First, let's look at the misconception that the Red Pyramid Thing is a solitary being. First off, there are two of them in the latter portion of the Lakeview Hotel. Second, the Red Pyramid Thing is a manifeasted being, such that it depends partly upon who calls the creature forth. Therefore, it, like all the other monsters, can appear multiple times or in groups. The thing you have to understand is that the creature is not a character or a person with a sense of individuality, so each time the monster appears (focusing right now solely within the context of the second game), it may actually be a different monster, but have the same form. However, that is simply through the perception of the individual that helps manifeast the creature. But, then it raises a few other questions, such as the question of how then does Maria see the Red Pyramid Thing, whose perspective is unique and is it possible to transpose a perspective, thus transposing the perception? Truthfully, those questions are the ones you have to ask yourself, becasuse depending on what you believe, you would be inclined to suggest that what one sees it the way that it appears to all others. So, if you believed that since Maria could see the monster (operating under the one theory that Maria is a real person), you'd likely to believe that the form of the Red Pyramid Thing would appear as so to others, even those without the same perspective as James. However, if you were to say that what Maria saw was simply a monster and that it's form appeared differently than the form James saw, you'd probably say that the form of the Red Pyramid Thing was unique to the perspective of the viewer. But then, what would be the true form of the creature, if the monster could be perceived by others, but without consistent appearance? The answer seems to lie in your philosophy of perception. Second, we'll consider the misconception that the creature's appearance is unique. As is stated both by the second game, the Ushinawareta Kioku (Book of Lost Memories) and the creators, the appearance of the Red Pyramid Thing is derivative of the clothing worn by the executioners of the old Toluca Prison. And, since the form is derivative of a common subject of the town's history, it is not only possible, but likely that the form will manifeast itself into other people's subconcious. However, in order for the person to create the exact mental image of the Red Pyramid Thing, they would need to be in the exact same mind set as James. Thus, it becomes a question of whether or not it is possible to form the same mind set as another. Most philosophies suggest that this is not possible, but considering that the power of the town not only has the power to manifeast one's mind's inner workings, but that occassionally it can also allow people to experience the same type of situations as another, clearly shown in the scene with Angela and James in the stairwell of the Lakeview Hotel (i.e. "You see it too?"). James experiences the heat and visual torture of having the surroundings engulfed in flames. Granted this just goes back to the previous question of is the way one person sees something they way all people see it, since the way the room looks to him may not be exactly what Angela sees, though possibly similar. Thus, perceptions and experiences can be shared by other people in Silent Hill. It's simply a matter of putting together the right circumstances for such to occur. In otherwords, a person in almost exactly the same situation as James could most likely see a Red Pyramid Thing. Simply put, when one's mental images are placed in world before you, the nature of the world around you changes. The third and last misconception is that the manifeastations that appear in the town of Silent Hill are simply influenced by a person's mental state and images. This is a huge misconception, because it would suggest that the power of calling forth manifeastations lies within the person solely, which it is not. The power to call forth the manifeastations, whether it be a monster, environment, or even other people, belongs principly to the power of the town. However, in a few rare cases, there are people who can bring forth manifeastations without the power of the town, but that's another discussion entirely. As is somewhat implied by the Ushinawareta Kioku, the power of the town draws people with guilt and pain in their hearts to Silent Hill in order to sustain its power, in return, it uses its power to bring the manifeastations to life in order to expose the person further to their guilt. In the case of Silent Hill 2, Vatiel is called upon to act as the channel in which the manifeastations for James appear. Vatiel responds to James' wish to be punished for his crime and assumes the role of the punisher, which is combined with James' perception and the town's power to create the form of the Red Pyramid Thing. But, it's really not that simple, since there are multiple factors involved in why the Red Pyramid Thing appears the way it does, each depending on the philosphy of whoever is considering the subject. Though, there is one thing that is certain, Vatiel is connected to the appearance of the Red Pyramid Thing. His level of contribution to the form and its actions is yours to decide. The truth is that they were both right and both wrong. The Red Pyramid Thing is not intrinsic to the town, but that the image of the executioners is deeply engrained in the town's history and the presense of Vatiel is a part to the power of the town. So, the appearance of the Red Pyramid Thing could be manifeasted by others, fit the conditions are meet for its appearance. If Avary & Gans had considered the elements that make up the Red Pyramid Thing's appearance and adhered to those elements, I can't really object to the presense of it in the film, but if it's simply being used as an iconic figure in the series, then I highly question their understanding of the series. In any case, I try not to argue about it too much, because I know that a large portion of Silent Hill's fanbase is centered around the Red Pyramid Thing's presence in the second game and that they would all burst into tears or flames if poor ol' PH didn't make it into the movie. You were fairly close in your thinking, you just need to include the power of the town and Vatiel into your idea. But, most importantly, you need to remember the question of perception, since the games leave so much ambiguity around when concerning the subject. Your community seems to be fairly set in their thinking and unwilling to think for themselves. Besides, if they can't realize that art is not what one creates with one's tools, but that it's how one creates with one's tools, and that looking into how much work it is for a single person to churn out such well-thought-out pieces of art, you'd be a fool to disregard it simply on aesthetic qualities. (Although, I did have a couple of "Peacer, you copycat" moments in the series since they seemed more than just obvious homages. Putting my reactions aside, I can understand his justification for including them the way he did, since they also apply to Michael's story.) Anyways, if you want to read a little of my thoughts on the subject, go to the No Escape forums and read what I've posted, though it's not as much as I would like. Furthermore, make sure to check out the boards after Part 6 (Side is released because I'll be posting more theories and opinions there when I have the whole picture. I have only taken one English class in my four years of college and am actually better oriented towards math and science than I am writing. I consider writing (or creative writing) as just a hobby of mine. Yes, it's true that the film will act as a form of interpretation of the game (I am really pleasantly surprised at Gans' insites on the Rose/Harry character relationship and in a small way feel that that is the right direction to go), but there is a difference between using poetic license and just providing fan-service. Avary's responses seem to be oriented towards "because it operates under a certain logic, it can apply to my logic." Being that just because it could appear in another situation, it is completely up to poetic license to use it for one's own purposes. But, I can't speculate entirely on the reason's for Avary's defence since I don't know the context in which the Red Pyramid Thing appears, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. EDIT: By the way, I found the old Silent Hill 3 website (www.sh2003.com) still online. It seems that despite abandoning the old url, Konami did not put the entire site to waste. Check it out again, or if not, for the first time. You'll notice that the outside links in the Flash are outdated and that some new content has been added since it's launch. (Now if only if could find the old Flash version of Silent Hill 4's website [www.sh2004.com].) Silent Hill 3 - The Official Website [New Location]

Could someone send me this pic somehow? I can't access SHResort for some reason, and it's driving me crazy. Okay, I've downloaded, zipped and uploaded all the image files from the website introduction (courtesy of Silent Hill Resorts). I'll post the mirrors below as well as links to the complete breakdown of the introduction as dissected by the staff at Silent Hill Resorts. Silent Hill Resorts - Monster Images (.zip) [Megaupload Mirror] Silent Hill Resorts - Red Pyramid Thing Images (.zip) [Megaupload Mirror] Silent Hill Resorts - Additional Film Production Images (.zip) [Megaupload Mirror] Silent Hill Resorts - Additional Film Stills (.zip) [Megaupload Mirror] Please note that I kept the original file names for the stills of the Red Pyramid Thing, but that they are labeled inappropriately. In addition, the images labeled as the patient demon, also mislabeled (should be Lying Figure), might not actually be the Lying Figure, because it could be the Manniquin. Anyway, I made a mistake though, since I forgot to include two photos in the additional production images zip file. I'll just post them on my site in the images section. (EDIT: Actually, I'm too lazy to do it, so I'm just going to point you to the source for those two images. Thanks to Chud.com.) The staff at SHR also slowed down and broke up each part of the trailer, so that you could clearly see what each section was displaying. (Personally, with exception to the Red Pyramid Thing video, I really didn't need to have it all broken down.) Silent Hill Resorts - Complete Breakdown Videos Silent Hill Resorts - Complete Breakdown Videos (.wmv/.zip) [Megaupload Mirror] Silent Hill Resorts - Complete Breakdown Videos (.mp4/.zip) [Mageupload Mirror] If you all are still having problems with the files, either update your viewers and/or complete a Windows or Macintosh update. Otherwise, I can't help you. If you haven't been paying attention, please read very carefully: Akira Yamaoka is confirmed as the musical director for the film and is going to compose all new music to fit this media. Yes, that means you won't have to wait until Silent Hill 5 to hear more of Akira Yamaoka's work. The music you heard in the introduction was simply a montage of Yamaoka's works that were simply substitutes until the first real trailer, which will more likely contain the new, original music. No information has been posted so far about the film's official soundtrack, but I suspect, like many film soundtracks, you will be able to purchase it at any major music store after its release. EDIT2: Dude, did you guys know that there is a Robbie costume available in OZ? I just saw it in the "tentou tr" trailer, appears at 8'37" (complete with rusty, steel pipe in hand). Man, I wish Konami would release that game in the US, because it looks like an awesome game anyway.

Ah, what better way to do that than with a Silent Hill 3 Animated GIF.

I still don't think the Red Pyramid Thing should be represented in this film, but it's presentation justifies it somewhat to myself. Also, because I don't think it will make another big-screen appearance. (Is it slinging a body around?) Anyway, I suspect, based on the interviews with Sean Bean, that Christopher is suppose to incorporate James' story, while Rose incorporates Harry's. Who knows? Besides, check out their gallery with lots and lots of new photos. EDIT: Is that (Dun, dun duuuuuun) Lisa?

I tried to access the site today, but for some reason, I couldn't get anything to appear, except for a little button for the volume (and a secret button for registering on the website). Possibly something to do with the requirement for Flashplayer 8. I'll try to figure it out later. However, Silent Hill Resorts (remember them?) has recorded the flash introduction from the site and placed it on their website for downloading. Although not an official trailer as, I suspect, many people wanted, but it does make a nice teaser for the film. Anyway, to read more, check out their page and forums. Silent Hill Resorts - "Silent Hill Movie 'Trailer'" Silent Hill Film - "Teaser" (.mp4 file) [Megauploads Mirror] Silent Hill Film - "Teaser" (.wmv file) [Megauploads Mirror] Make sure that your players are as up too date as possible, because I've been having trouble viewing the teasers on older versions of Quicktime and Windows Media Player. If you guys have any other questions, let me know. Also, I've been reading some of the non-Silent Hill-related forums about their thoughts on the upcoming film and of what I hear, many people (and gamers) have heard of the Silent Hill series, never played them, and are boardering on whether or not to go see it. This isn't simply isolated cases, this has occurred at 95+% of the forums I visited that had mentions of the Silent Hill film. So, make sure this film becomes successful by encouraging as many people to go see the film as possible. (But, be warned that by doing so, you will be aiding in creating masses of n00bs to the Silent Hill communities. So, my suggestion would be to follow Saotome's advise [Yea, Boogiepop Phantom!]: "Don't tell everyone at first, tell only those who can keep a secret, those people who hold darkness in their heart.") Seriously though, tell anyone you think would appreciate the film and encourage anyone who is "sitting on the fence" to go see it. EDIT: I was going to suggest that you take that route in creating a script, but it's important to remember a few things. Try to simplify items that need extensive amounts of explanation. Make sure to add descriptions of scenes and settings that can be used to voice things the characters would not say in context, but are things that the characters are aware of. (i.e. The imagery of the Red Pyramid Thing and it actions, along with the painting "Misty Day: remains of the Judgement," etc., which are used to convey James' sense of want for self-punishment, though he doesn't say as much.) To put it in other words, metaphors, man, metaphors. Establish personal relationships between your characters through repeated encounters, excluding parents and married people, for which readers can make the assumption that a relationship has already been established. (Although, this hardly need be said). Even if a previous relationship has been establish before the story takes place, don't just state that X person knows Y person and then, attempt to explain the relationship or state it in the dialogue, i.e. "You know, ever since we met in the army two years ago, while I was drafted and you weren't, I knew we'd become friends" (Ugh). Leave the encounter for the audience to decifer for themselves whether or not the two know each other. And in doing so, let the characters act naturally, say if a confrontation is occuring, skip formalities and go straight into the argument, i.e. Douglas and Claudia's conversation in the amusement park - "What is it now?" "You lied to me...." Please note that there is a slight exception in my example, because the dialogue was simply reaffirming an statement that Douglas made earlier, which the player may have forgotten or doubted, "I was just hired to find you, that's all" & "I hired you to find the girl." The relationships that you establish should be dependent on the previous encounters, i.e. James' shock, concern and hasitation toward Angela when meeting her in the Blue Creek apartments since she acted differently in the cemetary & his resulting attempts to sway her away from suicide, none of which he was not entirely serious about anyway, since he was more afraid than concerned. The feelings and perspections that the characters' have toward each other should carry over to the next conversation. And, first impressions are lasting impressions, meaning that what you say about a person when they are first introduced are often the things that will stay with the audience throughout the story. Most importantly, a script is not a game. So, think differently about spacing, timing and obstacles. A transition in media means a transition in presentation. So, you wouldn't need to say, Simply because, it's time-consuming, mis-representative of the series, and ultimately a waste of the readers' time. Instead focus on the goal or end result you want to accomplish. Notice how it continually re-establish the mood and atmosphere of the game, while furthering the plot. Also, notice that I made sure to keep the character's mind focused on what he is seeking. Desires are huge factors in what motivates a character to do or not do something. Always keep in mind what a character wants, both the ultimate desires and the immediate ones.And pretty much if you do that, the stories should be easier to write, require great amount of audience participation and, most importantly, remain loyal to the series. Good luck. Oh, by the way, here's a couple of Silent Hill fan fictions that I particularly liked. FanFiction.Net - "again" by Riona FanFiction.Net - "Room 302 of the Past" by innocent passerby

Mirrors uploaded, links fixed. You're welcome. EDIT: Part 6 (A Side) of Silent Hill: No Escape is online. I'll post about it later.

Silent Hill Remix: The Lesser Fan Remixes: Well, I checked around again to see if I could find any good mixes around, and the result? No. But, I did find some interesting ones to consider. Take a listen. You'll at least get a small kick out of the way people have been attempting a rearrangement of Yamaoka's works. cj. Rynio Well, surprise, surprise, I found another dnb remix created by a Russian fan. This mix was created by cj. Rynio (weird name) who seems to have just started getting into the remixing scene, but does have a good grasp on the basics (and even a few tricks). Needless to say, his mix titled simply Silent Hill 4 remix remixes the main theme "Room of Angel" and turns it into a very unusual up-tempo, high-pitched DnB mix that might work better as the beat for a hip-hop piece than a DnB one. However, in it's defense, the way that the piece develops is fun and ultimately pays off in the end, making you wish the overall piece was better elaborated upon than it is. You'll notice that the lead doesn't have the same timbre as Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Melissa Williamson), and I find that the person who is singing in this piece to have a very lovely voice, making me wish I could hear the undistorted version. cj. Rynio - Silent Hill 4 Remix (DnB remix of Room of Angel) Talan & slipper: This one really caught my ear after listening to it, because 1) it's a rap mix (gangsta rap to be exact) of Sickness Unto Foolish Death (and some Lost Carol) from Silent Hill 3 and 2) because I love the timbre of a deep, male Russian accent ("In Russia, song remixes you!"). Talan & slipper have really brought the flow and flava to the Silent Hill remixes in the same way DJ Crono did for his ReMixes. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll develop an overwhelming sense of love/hate for Europeans who rap. Talan & slipper - Крик души (silent hill mix) (Recommended for fun) Pronounced "krik dushi (silent hill mix)" Mythril Nazgul: WH-UT?! How did this one slip through the cracks? By request, Mythril Nazgul created a faux ReMix of Lost Carol in the style of an FFmusic Dj trance piece. I wouldn't call it a joke mix exactly, because it was trying to experiment with the timbre, style and harmony of the original piece, but none-the-less it still isn't anything to write home about. "Lost Carol" - Silent Hill 3 trance request (Thread where song was requested) Mythril Nazgul - Lost Carol (I made a mix Mix) Soviet: I'm not sure what to write here, because I basically came across only the link to the song with no description or information that explains anything behind the work. Well, the only things I can say about these two derivative works are that they take a very interesting idea and totally screw it up. These songs remix the Theme of Laura in acoustic rock with original vocals and melody. What really breaks this mix is the sound quality and lack of proper editing/mixing. (Be careful as if you listen to this too loudly, it clips like crazy.) Had the group taken the time to sit down with a sound editor and give the tracks the attention they deserved, this could have been incredibly awesome. So, with that said, enjoy the bastardization. Soviet - The Silent Hill (featuring Charlene O Donnel) Soviet - The Silent Hill (featuring Charlene O Donnel) [Megaupload Mirror] Soviet - The Silent Hill (featuring Steph Kewell) (Steph Kewell is the vocalist for Twilight's Kiss) Soviet - The Silent Hill (featuring Steph Kewell) [Megaupload Mirror] mono lo-fi minimal: mono lo-fi minimal, aka johnno k, hails from eastern Malaysia an is working on a tribute to Silent Hill in the form of remixing its works in an experimental rock/ambient hybrid. He has only released three tracks so far (and made only one downloadable), so there isn't a whole lot to listen to. The concept is nice, but again, this fails to really show anything of real value in terms of arrangement. Still cool to check out. mono lo-fi minimal - A Silent Tribute (W.I.P) (scroll down some to view the Silent Hill material) The Shade: Last up is a remix of the original Silent Hill theme Silent Hill, inappropriately mislabeled as Hometown (yeah!). The Shade offers us a solo, heavy-metal guitar version of the theme with back-up by minimalistic drums. Had K.Praz not released his White Claudia Rock a very long time ago, which I believe is much better, I'd be more inclined to give this better spotlight. But, anyway...check out his Hitman 2: Silent Assassin arrangement if you'd like to hear a heavy-metal guitar mix of that game's music. The Shade - Hometown (Solo Electric Guitar) I hope you've enjoyed seeing the weaker side of the Silent Hill remixing community. Let's hope these guys work on their mixes and try to improve them more. Later. EDIT: I know the music from Silent Hill 2 is way over used for remixes, but why not a few more, eh? Deek Beeker, et. al. & Case Closed: Primative Features, is joined by some friends, Deek Beeker, Los Tha Don, Death Threats and Forearm Fracture, for a little Silent Hill hip-hop action. They take the music from Theme of Laura (Reprise) and give it a little rap remix. Be prepared for mad rhymes and ill lyrics as they attempt to take Silent Hill to the streets. (Unfortunately, there is not an option to download this track.) Primative Features - Silent Hill - (Requires SoundClick Account) GeeVious: Electronica junkie, GeeVious, has been making music and video game remixes for quite some time and has developed a very unique style of his own. He takes us on a very strange electronic journey through the inner workings of True. I was almost not going to put this in the Lesser Fan Remixes section, because of the amount of arrangement that this piece utilizes, but it's sound production is not the best that it could be, which gives me greater doubts than reassurances. Still cool to listen to. (I love how it transforms the main melody into the "dial-tone" motif from the telephone call scene in SH1 that so many fans include in their works. Tres cool.) GeeVious - "Silent Hill 2 - True (GVS's Nintindud RmX)" - (Requires SoundClick Account) If you guys find any cool mixes, or want to plug your own, please do. I love to hear arrangements from the Silent Hill series.

Christabella is a 7-year-old girl that has black hair, wears a white dress (much like the ones worn during the Catholic ritual of First Communion), and swears way too much. That screenshot is clearly not a seven-year-old girl, so when you implied that, I said, "what the hell!?" (You can clearly see the insult to my intellect.) Besides, the story around Christabella and Dying Inside is not very closely related to the main story of Silent Hill. I'm very disappointed in the Dying Inside series, partly by fault of Scott Ciencin, who seems to understand very little about the mythos of Silent Hill (at least anything related outside of SH2), and partly on Konami, who used programmers as the consultants for IDW rather than the producers, directors, or script writers (if you're gonna write a Silent Hill story you need to consult with Hiroyuki Owaku first). Also, that series not only misunderstands the games, it even references them incorrectly. ("Cheryl is gun-toting survivalist/cheerleader," my ass. Midwich has a gymnasium? Since when? And since when do the monsters from The Suffering cross-over to Silent Hill? Whatley? Could it be that you just misspelled "Walter?") Great, now I'm in a bad mood. These have been posted here before and are still available on Silent Hill Media.

Silent Hill Film Update: As was reported by bloody-disgusting.com, the official website is having a contest for the best fan poster to promote the Silent Hill Film. Well, the contest has been extended to other sites by promoting some exclusivity. The Horror Channel has been given exclusive production photos for use in the Silent Hill film Poster Contest. Make sure to get these images, too. The Horror Channel - Exclusive Silent Hill Pics for the Poster! On a personal note, I was surprised that they made Dahlia more primal and savage in these pictures (which I assume is supposed to represent her image from the game, when Harry meets her), because Dahlia wasn't that unhygenic in the game. I feel like there is a lack of consistency in this, since Dahlia isn't actually crazy as people say she is (i.e. Lisa's mention of Dahlia [and even then raises doubts about the rumor, since the Lisa we see in SH1 isn't the real Lisa]); she's cryptic and that only gives the "perspection" of crazy to those you don't understand what that person is refering to. So, by showing Dahlia as an uncredible character in appearance, I feel like she is an uncredible person in the story, even though logically I know she isn't. That part really disappoints me. However, I like Dahlia's appearance in her funeral dress, because that is much closer to the way she would have dressed in the game and because it helps to make her character more acceptable as being in charge of the creation of Alessa, which according to Silent Hill 4: The Room suggests that she achieves high status within the cult of Silent Hill after Alessa's second birth, i.e. Cheryl. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the pictures and make sure to check out the official website on Monday.

I'm online right now.

I've added a couple of mirrors up in my previous post, just in case any of the main links don't work. Enjoy.

I wanted to take the opportunity right now to let you guys know that some major changes have occurred at Konami's headquarters that will affect every aspect of the company including items involved with Silent Hill. Konami Corporation Restructures it's Subsidiaries: Over the last two years, Konami has been merging all of it subsidiaries together to form the Konami Group of Companies. It's goal was to help synchronize the corporation in order to allow it to expand in the global market. Thus, the Konami branches for gaming, toys, books, online materials, and other media will now be solely produced by a single company. This means that Konami Computer Entertainment of Tokyo, Inc. (KCET), Konami Computer Entertainment of Japan, Inc., (KCEJ) and Konami Computer Entertainment Studios, Inc. (KCES) have all combined into a single company operating under the Konami Corporation. The subsidiary company will now be called Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. (KDE). Also, Konami Computer Entertainment of America, Inc., Konami Computer Entertainment of Europe, Inc. and Konami Computer Entertainment of Asia, Inc. have all merged together under a single subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Each division will retain its location, but will now operate in synch with Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Inc. Also, and most importantly, the headquarters for Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Inc. are now based in Los Angeles, California, USA. KDE also recently completed building a manufacturing facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA which will significantly improved Konami's production and distribution capabilities. This is very exciting news to fans in the United States of America, because the US will now be the focus of Konami's game development and distribution. So, when it comes to information on new releases, fans in the US will be able to receive it first. This is very exciting news indeed! In addition, all news released about Konami and it's products will now be released in English, no translation needed. (Woo-hoo!) You see, Konami is looking to increase it's brand awareness not only in the US, but globally. So, Konami wants to try to establish the kind of market that encourages consumption of its products the way it is able to in Japan. Considering the gaming world, this is a huge step into bringing the gaming world into the mainstream. Konami hopes to make gaming as universal as watching television or going to the movies. It is looking to not only remove the stigma of gaming, but to make every age group as excited about its products as the younger generation. What this translates to, for Silent Hill fans, is a more direct access to future Silent Hill products and merchandise in the US. (The resulting trickle-effect will allow fans in other regions access to these products as well.) That means the US will now have access to some of the really cool and rare items that have previously been exclusive to Japan. Therefore, I cannot stress the importance of next year's Konami Gamer's Day (2006). Usually held in January in San Fransico, California (last year at the Sony Metreon entertainment complex), this event is used to inform the public of any and all games Konami plans to release for that year. Therefore, if we're going to hear any new information about Silent Hill 5, you will definitely want to be at that event. And since Konami's gaming division is now headquartered in Los Angeles, chances are that it will be held there. Besides, with so many new games and sequels coming out for the next generation of consoles, you'll want to be there anyway, i.e. Metal Gear Solid 4, Rumble Roses XX, DanceDanceRevolution, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc. Also, since Konami has also bought out Hudson Soft Co., Ltd., new titles and sequels from their lineup of games could be expected as well. SO GO TO KONAMI'S GAMER'S DAY 2006 TO GET COOL FREE STUFF! (In case you do plan to go to KGD2006, make sure to stop by San Bruno located directly across from the San Fransico International Airport [seriously, as soon as you get out of the airport parking lot, you're in San Bruno]. Try to see if you can get a coffee at Never Too Latte.) Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Main Website Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. - Corporate History Konami's Regional Corporate Structure Konami Press Releases - Konami to Merge with Subsidiaries Konami Press Releases - Announcement of Group Restructuring Konami Press Releases - Konami Opens New Gaming Production Facility in Las Vegas Konami Press Releases - Konami will accept a third party allotment of new shares of Hudson Konami Press Releases - Konami Establishes New Computer & Video Games Operation Based in Los Angeles, California Konami News Release - Konami's Silent Hill 4: The Room Ships Nationwide (Not really anything new, but I like the way it states the Series Information at the bottom.) Silent Hill 4 Kyodan - "Impenetrable Rain of Yoshiwara (Special Chapter)": We recently talked about the special drama (kyodan) disc that came with the Silent Hill 4: The Room soundtrack. As you know, it's a ghost story told by Teisui Ichiryusai, but released only in Japan was a special chapter of the kyodan. Bundled with the game and soundtrack, the Silent Hill 4: The Room Bundled Edition featured additional promotional items such as an exclusive poster and additonal disc containing the kyodan "Special Chapter." I had been looking for a copy for almost a year now, and stumbled across it on a Russian website, Hometown. I don't know if the "Special Chapter" is an epilogue or additional story from the original 12 track story, or if it is merely a promotional item taking selections from the kyodan to promote the soundtrack, but it is something that is not featured on either parts of the soundtrack. Get this rare item before it becomes another "lost memory." Hometown's Silent Hill 4 Music Page - Impenetrable Rain of Yoshiwara (Special Chapter) (Scroll down past the official soundtracks to access the "Special Chapter" mp3.) Impenetrable Rain of Yoshiwara (Special Chapter) - MegaUpload Mirror (I provided a temporary mirror in case Hometown's site becomes unavailable.) Silent Hill Remixes - More Fan Remixes: I was looking into something different, but came across some really cool fan remixes of the music from the Silent Hill series. I couldn't believe how many good ones I found that people just don't know about. (Plus, I didn't realized how popular Silent Hill was in Russia.) So, rather than bore you with the details of how I discovered these, let's just get into the mixes, shall we? Tears of Mankind: This Russian-based, Gothic Metal band has officially released a few albums online. Their instrumentation is phenominal, although the vocals are somewhat irregular. (Think Cookie Monster singing in a Death Metal band. ) Don't let that mislead you since the vocals work, but at the same time sound odd. You just have to listen to it to understand what I mean. (Personally, I would have preferred a better singer, but it doesn't really detract from the music overall.) Over the last few years, they've released several Gothic Metal remixes from Silent Hill, some good, some okay and some very good. Tears of Mankind - Tender Sugar (Gothic Metal) Tears of Mankind - Theme of Laura (Gothic Metal) (Recommended) Tears of Mankind - Please Love Me (Gothic Metal) (Highly Recommended) Tears of Mankind - Room of Angel (Gothic Metal) Tears of Mankind - Promise (Gothic Metal) Tears of Mankind - Way Through A Fog (The Ode to The Silent Hill) Silent Hill Underground: While looking for additional music created by Silent Hill fans, I came across another Russian website dedicated to Silent Hill. In the fanwork section titled Underground, the music section contains a 72-track album of Silent Hill inspired music created by Lukasz Brzostek, in the same vein as Broken Notes or the Silent Hill Fan Soundtrack. The music has the same dark ambient tones as most other original fanworks, but I somehow feel that this album is much closer to capturing the essence of Akira Yamaoka's works than anyone else has. Silent Hill Underground - Fan Soundtrack by Lukasz Brzostek DJ Sadan: From Siberia, Russia, DJ Sadan is a fairly newcomer to the Silent Hill scene and has not been known to visit the Silent Hill Forum on occasion, but is very much into the European Drum 'n Bass scene. This is one of his tributes to Akira Yamaoka. (You can also check out his music in the SH fan film The Peephole [based on SH4:TR], as he is confirmed to compose the score.) This song simply adds a drum loop and some additional synths/pads over the original melody of the Theme of Laura (Reprise), but what I find interesting is that it works really well. (Hey, if the Chrono Trigger Mixtape can be popular in its fanbase, this can, too.) DJ Sadan - Theme of Laura(Sadan dnb mix) Comatron: This Germany-based, DnB producer has actually been published on CD in the European DnB scene and carries a lot of credibility among DJ's in Europe, so I was surprised to see that he also created a few Silent Hill fan remixes. I wasn't a hardcore DnB listener before listening to this, so I was skeptical of this after listening to DJ Sadan's mix. However, once I finished listening to this track, I couldn't help but to try to find a download of his remix and his other releases. Comatron - Silent Hill (Remedy Recordings Mix) (Remix of True & Promise [Reprise]) Requires Real Player to Stream Comatron - Secret Place (Link posted once I find a site that actually works) bluetrain: Hailing from Victoria, Australia, bluetrain is a member of the Silent Hill Forum and new to the Silent Hill Remixing Community. However, he has definitely placed himself on my map with his mix, Promise [Absconder Mix], a trance remix of Promise from SH2. I recommend that you check this out at the very least. (I especially like the end, where Mary keeps repeating "You promised.") bluetrain - Promise [Absconder Mix] I'm very glad, and surprised, to have found these mixes and I hope you guys enjoy them as well. It's just too bad that there aren't any Americans on this list. I was listening over the complete soundtrack from Silent Hill, and the song I would love to hear performed live is the music from the sewer that connects the Resort Area to the Amusement Park (Listed as "Sinking Horses" on Dustfungus' Complete Soundtrack, "Flesh and Blood" on Koebi's Complete Soundtrack and "Permeable" on yours.) That song plays increasingly scarier and scarier as you listen to it. And, I think that a live performance would simply act to increase the tension and anxiety, especially if they added the sound effects of Clawfingers bursting through the metal grating in a 3-D sound system (or ideally, with live performers that would enter the hall during the performance to scare the audience). Fun times. EDIT: Silent Hill Film Update: Bloody-Disgusting.com has just posted some new production stills from the upcoming film and announced that the official film website www.welcometosilenthill.com will open on Monday, December 5, 2005. A contest is scheduled to be underway on Opening Day for the best poster to promote the Silent Hill film. So, get your photoshops ready and start making some posters. Bloody-Disgusting Article - Exclusive Pics from 'Silent Hill' + Make Your Own Poster Silent Hill Production Stills #3 - Livejournal Mirror (nekokikichan from the Silent Hill Forum has graciously provided a mirror for the new set of images from the upcoming film. Thank you.) I don't want to get your hopes up, but it's possible that a trailer (or teaser trailer) might be available for viewing once the site opens.

It sounds like fun, but they're either going to play Not Tomorrow, True or Promise (Reprise), the three most over-used tracks from the games. Also, the producers of PLAY! may probably pick them because they are the three easiest songs to transcribe to orchestra, which I feel would hardly lend to adding arrangement to the songs.

I really can't say whether or not the kyodan follows a pattern of verse such as haiku, but there is definite rhythm to the way that it is told. I've not looked too much into the topic for a while and very little about the traditions and characteristics of Japanese storytelling are available in English, but I'll try to find something for you. As far as being able to translate the Kyodan into English, the translator has been working dilligently to provide an accurate translation, but associates the process as if you were to take the works of Shakespear and put it into modern English and then translate that into another language. Here you try. "This is now the winter of our discontent."

Warning: Silent Hill 1 & 3 Spoilers Not many people did, since it was only released in Great Britain, again from Playstation World Magazine. What I think people should find most interesting about the documentary is that in the opening you hear a sound effect that was editted out of the final version of the game. This sound was the baby's cry as Heather leaves the area; it's what makes her turn around. Although, it doesn't explictly say why that sound was editted out of the game, I suspect that the creator's didn't want to leave the ending unresolved. I also suspect that they didn't want to have to create another sequel to explain what happens to the baby. However, I believe that the reason why it was included in the first place was that it followed logically from the first game, as being part of the cycle of reincarnation of the god and it's mother. I think I've already explained my theory on this before, but if need be I can discuss it further. If you've ever studied Japanese language and/or Japanese folklore, you'll know that the word "kyodan" translates into the word for "storytelling." And, that is exactly what the second disc in the soundtrack (Japanese) is, a story. From what I have gathered from rough translations and word of mouth, the story follows a man, Yoshiwara, who is haunted by the ghost (thus, the tie to Silent Hill 4) of his dead wife (thus, the tie to the Silent Hill series). Each chapter (track) follows one month (as the names of each track mean; they are also the names of the 12 notes used in traditional Buddist chants) of the life of Yoshiwara during a year. I don't know any more particulars, but after listening to it myself, I don't think the story as a happy ending. There are people from the Silent Hill Forum that are working on a translation, but the kyodan is spoken in an ancient dialect of Japanese, which only the older generations of Japanese people can speak. Teisui Ichiryusai is the only living master of the ancient art of Japanese storytelling today, which is only passed on orally, never written. He is considered to be living history and thus the nation has honored him by naming him a national treasure (every strange for a person to be named such). As such people must respect him as Americans would respect a national landmark or the Europeans a historical building. As far as his connection to Silent Hill, Akira Yamaoka wanted to create a ghost story to add to the soundtrack, told in the same manner as some series have, as a drama. Some anime series will create dramas written for live performance at parks or public shows to raise attention and awareness to the show or just to have fun. Akira Yamaoka though, doesn't just do things, he likes to do them big (characteristic of his ambition). So, he worked out a deal between Konami and Teisui Ichiryusai to perform his drama in the style of a kyodan. From what I have heard, apparently both sides were very eager to work with each other and the deal came together in a matter of weeks. Having a master of storytelling read the tale, you can only imagine how great the ghost story was to hear for the Japanese people. Thus, once you realize the backstory and intentions in the kyodan, you realize that there really couldn't have been anyone better for the project. Wow, it's Parjay! Let me be the first to welcome you to OCR. I have to tell you how much I appreciate your work on so much of the audio rips and fan soundtracks that you've put together over the years. The Broken Notes and Intermission albums are phenomenal. (For those who may not know, Parjay is the forum name of John Anthony Mathewson, co-creator and musician for the Broken Notes and Intermission albums.) Anyway, as far as the Siren album is concerned, I wanted to be careful of what I posted, because some webmasters don't like having unlinked items from their websites posted on forums or chatrooms. Although, I had suspected that it was released or soon to be released at the time I posted it. But, I appreciate your generousity in allowing us to hear the music. By the way, what's new in you neighborhood? Working on any new projects that you might like to share with the community? I know you're still working on Broken Notes: Sanatorium, but how's that project coming along?

Warning: Siren & Silent Hill 1 Spoilers Actually, if you played the game (to the full ending), you know that 1) Siren is the Japanese version of Silent Hill, 2) that siren appears very time you are near the "sea of red water" (the boarder to the two worlds) and 3) not only was the siren from the Silent Hill series reused, but the director (and a great deal of the production staff) for Siren was also involved with the production of the original Silent Hill game. For those who made these connections, you know that the Siren series is the "cousin that looks just like Laura Palmer" of the Silent Hill series. To those who only played the game casually, or only to the end of Kyoya's loop, you may not see the connection between Siren and Silent Hill. To sum up the entire game of Siren, it involves "a woman who is trying to resurrect an alien god through a religious ceremony using an adolecent girl who has strange powers. The ceremony, however, is interrupted and the town in which it takes place is thrust into an alternate dimension that looks exactly like the real world except decayed and ruined, but is inhabited by strange monsters. Eventually, the main character confronts the woman, who until the end you believed was helping you, only to have to kill the alien god which has been resurrected." EDIT: Weekly Update (Edit Style) Silent Hill - "Making of" Videos: In case you haven't checked recently, Dustfungus has uploaded the "Making of Silent Hill 2" and "Making of Silent Hill 3" videos on his website. These files are presented in .wmv format and have dimensions 320 x 240. The files are fairly large, being 123MB and 96MB respectively, so make sure to save them (and back them up on disk) so that you don't abuse his bandwidth. For those who may not know that these "Making of" videos are, they are documentaries of the production of the second and third games. The videos contain interviews and commentaries from the creators along with never-before-seen behind-the-scenes images and material. These are definite collection items to have for any Silent Hill fan. Despite what you may hear from other sources, these videos are not found on the "Art of Silent Hill" nor the "Lost Memories: Art and Music of Silent Hill" DVDs. The "Making of Silent Hill 2" video was originally on the bonus DVD included with the PAL (Europe and Austrailia) version of the game, entitled Silent Hill 2: Special Version. The bonus DVD also featured some additional publicity and prodcution materials exclusive at the time. On the other hand, the "Making of Silent Hill 3" video was only release on the additional DVD included in the British magazine "Playstation World" (Issue #43). The DVD includes other videos and demos for the magazine, but the documentary film was not released in any other format, making this video a very rare item. Although Dustfungus is not the only person to host these videos before, this is the first time a reliable website has hosted both files for public viewing. "Making of Silent Hill 2" - .WMV Video (Dustfungus Mirror) "Making of Silent Hill 2" - Transcript and FAQ (GameFAQs.com Mirror) "Making of Silent Hill 3" - .WMV Video (Dustfungus Mirror) "Making of Silent Hill 3" - Transcript and FAQ (GameFAQs.com Mirror) Silent Hill 4 - "Making of" Videos?: Another reason I wanted to bring up this topic was that I wanted to see if anyone knew about (or preferably recorded) the Silent Hill 4: The Room "Making of" videos. There were a total of 5 ~1-minute videos (scroll to bottom) that contained interviews and commentaries on the production of the game, its soundtrack and the bonus story "Impenetrible Rain of Yoshikawa." I had mentioned them before the release of Silent Hill 4: The Room in several updates, but the files were only streamed video from Konami's mainframe and were deleted after the game's release. I had linked up the streams on my website, and saved the .asx files (but that hardly does anyone any good). I'm just hoping that I made enough noise about them that someone else saw or recorded these videos for others to see. If not, we'll just have to add this to the other lost memories from Silent Hill. Let me know if you hear anything. Until I can find anymore information on the Making of Silent Hill 4: The Room Videos, I'll just provide links to official Konami Announcements and News on the game. Below are the still active links to the news reports featuring material from Silent Hill 4: The Room and its production. Please, please try to find a way to save them off the Konami server. Konami Announcement of SH4 OST & Kyodan + Interview with Teisui Ichiryusai - Broadband Konami Announcement of SH4 OST & Kyodan + Interview with Teisui Ichiryusai - 56k Konami at E3 2004 - Broadband Konami at E3 2004 - 56k Stage Performance of SH4 Kyodan with Teisui Ichiryusai - Broadband Stage Performance of SH4 Kyodan with Teisui Ichiryusai - 56k Silent Hill 4: The Room Hits Stores in Japan - Broadband Silent Hill 4: The Room Hits Stores in Japan - 56k Konami Interview with Executive Producer Akira Yamaoka - Broadband Konami Interview with Executive Producer Akira Yamaoka - 56k Akira Yamaoka Speaks Silent Hill at Game Developer's Conference - Broadband Akira Yamaoka Speaks Silent Hill at Game Developer's Conference - 56k Akira Yamaoka Branches Out - Broadband Akira Yamaoka Branches Out - 56k I personally like the first and third videos, because Teisui Ichiryusai is considered a national treasure in Japan, but mostly because I want to find a translation of the SH4 Kyodan "Impenetrable Rain of Yoshiwara" and the Special Chapter that came with the deluxe package in Japan. EDIT 2: How about some more SH goodness in EDIT form. Silent Hill Film Update: According to IMDb, a new synopsis has appeared on the internet about the upcoming film. Although seemingly derived from the initial film synopsis, it explains with greater detail the premise of the film and its story. You can read more about it below. Be careful though, because the original film synopsis is still listed on the IMDb website. (Warning: Possible Film Spoilers) Silent Hill Plot Summary - Revised Version "Living a life of hell, little Sharon is terribly sick. Always muttering the town of Silent Hill, Virginia under her breath, her parents, Christopher and Rose, are worried she might be delusional. How does she know about that terrible, murderous town, just miles away? After Sharon tries to sneak out of the house to go to the town, Rose, not wanting to accept her daughter's illness decides to kill two birds with one stone by going to Silent Hill. This will end her daughter's protesting and bring a light to the end of this dark tunnel. There is rumored to be a faith healer there. Maybe, by some supernatural factors, the mysterious healer will put a stop to the suffering the family is facing. Sneaking out with her sick daughter in her arms, she leaves for the nearly abandoned village. There is a car crash, Sharon is missing, and Rose is left alone in a dark, foggy world haunted by murky shadows and grotesque creatures. Joined by a cop named Cybil, who has been sent by Christopher to bring her and Sharon back, they look desperately for the little girl in the eerie town, and try to find out the haunting history of the just about empty, remote village. They learn that the Silent hill is no longer ran by people, but a Demon brought to life by an ancient occult, and that remaining villagers, all on different planes of existence, are forever trapped in torment that symbolizes their own fears, failings, and past regrets. Will they unravel the truth about this monstrous place? Or will the darkness controlled by an uncontrollable demon eat them alive."

Woah! [/Keanu Reeves impression] I didn't expect this much of a response. Well, since it's what the people want, here we go: Silent Hill "Bridge of Thread": While looking around DeviantArt.com for Silent Hill inspired fanart, I came across an item that seemed to have a large response to, but didn't really know what was going on. Like wading through a crowd of people to see what the commotion was about, I stumbled across this fan graphic novel. I wasn't really aware as to what I was getting myself into, but please be warned: This comic contains shounen-ai (boy and boy relationship). Yes, that's right, a gay main character in an original Silent Hill comic. Call me naive, but I didn't really put it together until about page 7 how serious the warning was. Considering this, I decided not to let other people know about this material, because 1) it made me uncomfortable (causing me to skip to about page 15 and then to page 26 and then to page 47), and 2) people might not be open enough to take a gay character seriously. After I thought about it for a little bit, I realize that despite the taboos, the comic actually gave an honest portrail of a regular guy dealing with a lot of personal issues, and that is the kind of basis for a story worth looking at. I just hope people here will also come to the same conclusion and not rag on me or the author for his/her work. Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread was created by chaobell and can be downloaded off the website, which includes character bios, monster images and some extra downloadables. Right now, you can download the first 59 pages (including the cover) on the site. Please note that the comic has been up since July, but the site will be moving shortly, once the author can set up the website to a more permanent location. In the meantime, I'll post a little description of the comic's story. The story deals with David Garnett, who after going out on a night on the town in Old Silent Hill with his friend Eric McKinney, is confronted by an unfamiliar person threatening him about his friend. Managing to escape the confrontation, he is forced to follow the attacker's trail only to discover something shocking. The story then shifts to the next morning where he recalls the events of the night before and goes out to deal with his hangover, only to find the town deserted as a morning fog covers the streets... Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread - Main Site Silent Hill: Bridge of Thread - News Updates Silent Hill 3 Fan Comic: Although I had known about this comic a little longer than I had about "Bridge of Thread," I also found it while looking for Silent Hill fanart. This nameless graphic novel, created by aeon-of-sorrow, reinterprets the story from the game to express with greater detail the character development behind Heather, while also throwing in a few new twists and turns to keep the story fresh. Granted the artwork isn't very impressive (you might even critize it for being horrible compared to other comics), I find that the story more than makes up for the artwork which I find to have a strong foundation in camera angles and overall shot layout. Check it out for yourself, but don't expect Heather to get it on with any of the girls. If you want that, prevs, you can find it here. Silent Hill 3 (Fan Comic) - Main Page (Check the author's comments for links to additional pages.) Silent Hill 3 (Fan Comic) - SHF Thread & Updates Siren Ripped Soundtrack: I was looking for some information on the game to see if Sony had released an official soundtrack for this game (which they haven't), and came across some information on a ripped game soundtrack. Following the trail, it lead me to the back door of Macabre Productions, website for John Anthony Mathewson (creator and re-arranger for the Broken Notes Soundtracks and the Silent Hill Fan Album). Some people just don't lock their back doors, and allow people like me to sift through their websites. Anyway, the ripped version of this soundtrack has not been officially released and I'm sure if John Anthony finds out about the leak, he'll likely close it down. Besides, not many people actually played Siren enough to enjoy the music (mostly ambience) or to even want to download the soundtrack. But, remember to only download the soundtrack if you OWN a copy of Siren (or Forbidden Siren in Europe). The soundtrack itself is divided into two discs, containing the first 11 tracks on the first disc and the second 11 on the proceeding disc. Personally, I loved the game and very much enjoy the soundtrack because of it's combination of traditional and experimental forms of ambience. From the use of plucked violin strings to beats on washpans to constant sounds like rain, the music creates a dark and hard to navigate environment that matches the game's imagery perfectly. Besides, the two credit themes make it an obvious download in my book. Siren Ripped Game Soundtrack - Macabre Productions Directory Page Enjoy! ----- As far as the story for Silent Hill 5, that premise is simply rumored to be the main story of the game. As I said before that information was reportedly given exclusively to Silent Hill Heaven (no longer functioning as a site) by a member of Konami's Press Staff, which was later reprinted on Silent Hill Genesis. The information is second hand information given by a source that was not clearly cited and without evidence that the person was even involved with the project. So, don't get too attached to it. If you're looking for information on your own, try checking through the main Silent Hill forums. If you guys need anything else, I'll be in the Matrix.

Well, it's update day, so I'm going to post a few things that have caught my attention while viewing the Silent Hill Forum. Silent Hill - Avant Garde Film Project: A new site project has begun on the Silent Hill Forum, by one of the newer members, tbt204, aka Bradley Thomas. Bradley is new to Silent Hill community and hasn't developed a reputation yet, but his energetic and enthusiatic ideas, along with his creation of a few other projects, are quickly earning him a place among the SH communities' top creators of fan art and media. Anyway, the purpose of the project is to create a compositional film using animators from the Silent Hill Forum community to tell another SH-inspired story, similarly to Silent Hill: No Escape. Each animator will create a section of the story, using whatever type of animation they are good at, be it cartoon-based animation, CG animation, animatronic animation, etc. The project aims to combine the best of what the fans have to offer and is exactly the kind of project that I have been waiting to appear in the community. The project will be structured very much like OCR's site projects, as it will coordinated by a project manager who will review audition pieces from forum members to decide to add to the project. Each member, once choosen, will be assigned a scene to work on and will be given complete artistic control of the scene, but must inform the manager of his/her intentions. In addition to that, Peacer has already confirmed he will be contributing to the project, once No Escape is completed. I've also decided to throw my hat into the ring and will be putting together an audition piece to submit to the project. So keep you eye out for that in about a month's time. I really want to encourage as many people as possible to audition for a part in this project as it is one of the few major projects that involve this level of fan contribution. (I'm so excited and nervous about my audition. Come be excited and nervous with me.) Silent Hill Avant Garde Film Project - Thread and Details Silent Hill Film Update: Again, this really isn't an update, but just something that is trying to document the film's progression completely. Production Stills - Set #2: As was recently posted, more production stills have been released from the film's post-production status. Two new mirrors have been set up to host these images and report to fans some information regarding them. IGN and movie-fever.com are hosting mirrors for the gallery of images. I would suggest checking out IGN's gallery, if you have already looked at the stills before, because they have large, higher resolution images posted that show off some greater detail than in the ones posted by Yahoo Movies. Silent Hill Film Production Stills #2 - IGN Mirror (with Larger Images) Silent Hill Film Prodcution Stills #2 - Movie-Fever Mirror Interview with Director Christophe Gans: In other news, Christophe Gans has completed his first, which I presume will be many, press interview about the Silent Hill Film. The interview was given by french magazine Écran Fantastique, which unfortunately was only printed in French. Although Boblecon1096 has provided an English translation, I'm hoping that someone else could offer some insight into whether the translation is accurate. Warning: Possible Film Spoilers Christophe Gans' Interview with Écran Fantastique - Magazine Scan Christophe Gans' Interview with Écran Fantastique - Rough English Translation & Thread Post Production Team Seeks Film References from Fans, Reveals Additional Details about the Film: On another note, one of the artist working on post-production computer-generated cinematics, belonging to the production company, C.O.R.E. Digital Productions (registered at SHForum as moomoo) sought out fan input for referencing the windmills used in the first game. His comment was that the director was unhappy with the initial designs, asking for something that looked closer to the ones in the original game. It is incredible how involved Christophe Gans is with this film, that he is not only looking over specific details such as the look of the background, but also his own knowledge of the game itself. You can tell that he has played the game more than once. Anyway, the fan response was great and it shows that even as fans, you can still have some influence in the film's production. However, what he said that I found most interesting was that as of October 16, 2005, filming for the Silent Hill film was still going on. The animator, Mahmoud, said that they had completed shooting the middle section of the film, but were then in the process of shooting the opening and ending sequences. Hmmm..... (Finney Alley scene? Multiple endings, anyone?) You can read more in the thread listed below. Also, C.O.R.E. Digital Productions is the CG-production who worked on such films as: Saw 2, Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse, Blade II, X-Men, Mimic, Spawn, Johnny Mnemonic and Cube (one of my favorite films). VFX Production Animator Seeks Fan Help - Thread and Documentation EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize how late it had gotten yesterday. Anyway, to continue where I left off.

Usually, for film and book references from the Silent Hill games, I let Eccles handle it. But, since he hasn't said anything yet, I'll make a short list. Film References/Inspirations: Green = reference Blue = inspiration Bold = Greatly influenced Orange = Eccles' citation Silent Hill: Jacob's Ladder by Adrian Lyne Lost Highway by David Lynch Twin Peaks by David Lynch Village of the Damned Event Horizon Phantoms by Dean R. Koontz The Exorcist (Eccles) Exorcist 3 by William Peter Blatty The Shining by Stephen King (Eccles) 12 Monkeys by Terry Gilliam Little Shop of Horrors Pet Sematary by Stephen King Lolita by Stanley Kubrick Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick Santa Sangre by Alejandro Jodorowsky Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock Carrie by Stephen King Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark with Harrison Ford Alien with Segorne Weaver Mars Attacks Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone (Writing credit to Quinton Tarantino) Wizard of OZ with Judy Garland (Eccles) Silent Hill 2: Jacob's Ladder by Adrian Lyne Lolita by Stanley Kubrick Betty Blue (Integral Version) Blue Velvet by David Lynch A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick Alice by Jan Svankmajer Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris Silent Hill 3: Jacob's Ladder by Adrian Lyne Santa Sangre by Alejandro Jodorowsky A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick Session 9 by USA films, with David Karusso X-Files with David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson (Eccles) Silent Hill 4: The Room: Jacob's Ladder by Adrian Lyne Eraserhead by David Lynch Dune by David Lynch Twin Peaks by David Lynch (Eccles) "Pi" by Darren Aronofsky [Film Website] Frighteners by Peter Jackson, with Michael J. Fox (Eccles) Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock Miscelaneous: El Topo by Alejandro Jodorowsky Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky The Cell by Tarsem Singh Gokumontou by Kon Ichikawa Complete Volumen by Chris Cunningham There are several more, but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. You'll notice that the ones from Silent Hill (1) outnumber those from the other games. The reason is that the first game did a good job of documenting the referenced and influenced films in the game, by having a picture or name cited. The other games try to avoid royalty fees by simply referencing a specific moment or image from a film. So, it is very possible that some references have not yet been discovered in the sequels. Also, if you notice what appear to be book references in my list, what you should remember is that the film versions of these books are referenced either instead of or along with the novels. Happy viewing. EDIT: Peacer has released the teaser trailer for the last chapter of Silent Hill: No Escape. The final chapter of the mini-series should be released sometime around Thanksgiving (Nov. 28). Peacer is considering also releasing a documentary of sorts that lists the references from the story and also details and explains various aspects of his story and thinking. If he plans on releasing this "Making of Silent Hill: No Escape," we should expect it sometime after the release of Part 6. EDIT 2: After seeing those clips, I'm convinced more than ever that the Silent Hill film will be good. Personally, if the arms in the picture turn out to be anything like the ones in the Siren 2 trailer, then you won't really notice the plastic look. Also, make sure to keep an eye on Silent Hill Resorts, because they will be doing another dissection of the production stills before too long. It seems this site will be spending all its resources covering the Silent Hill Film, as they are also hosting mirrors for all the official images released so far. So check there for new updates, but make sure to check around the forums, too. EDIT 3: Added Eccles' references to the list. Thanks again, Andy. It took me a while to remember Frighteners since it's been so long since I've seen it. I remembered that I hated dark comedy of that nature, but I still managed to watch the film to its end. I think I did so, because I was intrigued by the visions Michael J. Fox's character could see. The numbers carved into what would be the next victim's body was so awesome to me at the time, that I couldn't help but watch. Now, I want to watch it again, so I can see those references again. As far as Lewis Carroll is concerned, I already mentioned Alice. Jan Svankmajer's animatronic works are masterpieces; they are weird and dark and surrealistic, but display so much character in his puppets that you also feel a strange sense of wonder. If you watch Alice, you'll notice a familiar SH2 puzzle in the film. The Brothers Quay, Svankmajer's successors, carry on his style and also make many references to his work. You may recognize some of their pieces from either the Canadian Metropolitan Arts videos that "edutained" people about the arts in the early 1990's or from their work on the music videos for the band His Name is Alive for the song "Are We Still Married?" (aka "Still Nache II") also in the early 1990's. Oh! Here's an interesting story about one of Bob's appearances in the Twin Peaks series. The sets used for the show were originally from real places in the town of Twin Peaks. One scene which was shot in a log cabin, had space so tight that one of the set workers could be seen in the reflection of a mirror in the shot. He was ducking down under the bed, to try to stay out of the way. Unfortunately for him, the production team saw him and stopped the scene, but fortunately for us, David Lynch decided to keep it as part of the scene and even altered it so that the character saw him too, one of the more bizzare moments in the series. This eventually lead to adding Bob to the list of characters in the second season.