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Silent Hill 2 Spoilers Considering the topic of self-destruction, why is it in our nature to seek punishment on ourselves? Is it a result of strong feelings of guilt? Do you think it is developed by social interaction? Is it natural? If so, you are humans the only creatures that commit suicide? Sometimes I feel like I can understand how James feels when he considers suicide, but I wonder, would I really think about suicide that seriously? Why would people seek self-destruction before redemption? Why do people seek self-destruction as a way of redemption? Many cultures see it as the honorable why to face disgrace, so we see that it ties in with human nature, but at the same time we learn that taking our own lives cannot be justified. Why such a strange dichotomy? How would you feel about someone killing themselves for honor? Would you be sad or proud? In James' case, the "In Water" ending, do you think he did the right thing? Do you think he deserved to live? Personally, I feel saddened by the whole thing. I know James did a bad thing (really bad thing), but I felt a loss by watching him die. Maybe I'm just a sympathetic guy, but I felt sorry for James. I really pitied him. Should I feel that way if suicide is part of human nature? What do you think?

Silent Hill 1 Spoilers Anyone else notice that Harry's voice is used for one of the doctors in the Drawing Power conversation in Nowhere? Harry involved with the cult? This certainly adds evidence to the theory. Someone has given the theory that Harry was once a member of "The Order" (the cult of Silent Hill) in Silent Hill, because he was a tourist there once. I didn't really entertain the theory because of such a poor connection. However, because of this conversation, I thought about it again. Not much is revealed about Harry before he finds Cheryl. How was it that Harry and his wife just got away from Silent Hill with Cheryl without Daliah intervening? Wouldn't they have gone to the police first? Wouldn't someone at the hospital noticed a baby missing? Wouldn't it have taken months to adopt a child of that age? These things just don't add up. It seems like there had to be either something happen in between and that more time ellapsed between Cheryl's first disappearance and the fire of Silent Hill. Was Harry actually involved with the cult? Would that explain why Harry was able to obtain Cheryl and why he was able to escape without the cult's involvement? Maybe it's just me, but Daliah seems to know or, at least, knew about Harry when he visits the church. As she said, "I knew you would come. It was fortold by Gyromancy." She seems to have forseen Harry coming back to Silent Hill. Still, Harry seems to have no recollection of Daliah, the cult, the hospital, Lisa or anything else pertaining to Hope House (the cult of Silent Hill). So, there is nothing concrete and only some unanswered questions.

The newspaper article was in the book on the desk in Dr. Kaufman's office in Nowhere. It is a continuation of the one from Norman's Motel. The article reads as follows: Investigation stalled. "PTV" dealers still at large. Suspicious deaths continue. First the anti-drug Mayor, now a narcotics officer dies of a sudden heart failure of unknown cause. Fire broken out in town. 6 homes destroyed. Chared body of Alessa Gillespie (7) found in aftermath. Cause of fire currently under investigation. Investigations show source as basement of Gillespie home. Blaze now believed caused by malfunction of antiqued boiler. Did you miss it your way through the first time? Oh. This quote comes from the Green Lion Antique Shop where you run into Cybil, while Harry relates his experience about the alternate Silent Hill. I believe the dialogue goes: (edited ellipses) Harry: "Do you know anything about like some other world? It's like some kind of bad dream." Cybil: "What are you talking about?" Harry: "I'm not quite sure. I try to make sense of it, but then my mind goes blank. Everything's dark there and I hear sirens in the distance. I met this nurse Lisa. It's like I was there, but not really. It's all a blur, like some kind of halucination, you know?" Cybil: "I have no idea what you're talking about, Harry."

Not to break off on too much of a tangent, but maybe Eccles could varify something. In the Japanese and European versions of Silent Hill, an extra quote was included in the game, so I've heard. I believe it had something to do with the town fire article Harry reads. I believe the quote said something like "the date of this article is the same day we found Cheryl." Also, is it true that the Mumblers (knife-welding children) were replaced by the Clawfingers (clawed teddybears)? I heard the were edited out of the game because of censorship. Why, I wonder? Again, as another side note, the extra character in the Silent Hill: Play Novel is an eight-year-old boy named Andy. He is apparantly Harry and Cheryl's neighbor. And he ends up in Silent Hill because he stows away in the back of Harry's car. He wanted to talk to Cheryl, but had never worked up the nerve while Cheryl was at home. So, he decides to follow them on their vacation.

Silent Hill 1 Spoilers Except that Lisa was probably dead to begin with so she doesnt count. Are you agreeing or disagreeing with that? Sorry, I can't tell. That doesnt make sense, y'know? Dhalia is trying to help harry...even though she knows it could stop her seven year pln to take over the world? I highly doubt people would do that. This stems off my theory that the plot is just about the struggle between Daliah and Alessa: Daliah's attempt to find Alessa and Alessa's attempt to escape Daliah. Daliah needs the combined form of Alessa/Cheryl to make her seven year plan come true. Besides, Daliah blatantly helps Harry by giving him the Flauros and the drawbridge key. Without the Flauros, Harry would not have been able to reach Alessa, thus finding Cheryl. Remember the wall of light in the amusement park? The other theory goes that it's alessa manifesting those things so she can guide Harry to her, since he is the good guy (and the only one who can kill her, which is what she wants...hence her "Daddy...thank you daddy...goodbye" which I have as my shutdown noise ^.^) True, that theory could work, but if you believe that, then why doesn't Alessa stick around after the Split Head (Lizard) battle in Midwich? Why does she run away on the Lighthouse? Why does she block Harry's path at the Amusement Park? I think the reason that Alessa/Cheryl does say "thank you" to Harry in the Bad Endings isn't because he kills her, but because he released her from the "cage of peace," resetting the board, Alessa's world. I admit, it not airtight, but I'm trying to stay consistant with my theory. The rest of the post warranted chewing apart, but I'll spend time on this one. Cheryl is NOT creating the alternative silent hill...okay? It may be a hard concept to grasp that this sweet little 7 year old isnt summoning hell, but trust me on this one...she aint. Lisa is proof that the world is something Alessa created. Since she only appears in the alternative world and cannot leave the hopsital; it proves that Alessa created her from her memories (since the alternative world is everything that alessa knows) That's what I was saying; by suggesting that Cheryl didn't know Lisa, I was trying to suggest that Alessa was in control of the world. However, whose to say that Cheryl doesn't have some small influence on Alessa's world? Maybe Cheryl used Alessa's memory of the beloved nurse to create Lisa, because she couldn't remember her mother. (Cheryl was three when her mother, Harry's wife, died.) That would have given it away if Harry's dead wife showed up in Alchemilla. But then again, Lisa is a very delicate subject and anything can be inferred by her presence.

Silent Hill 1 Spoilers I think you need to listen more closely to the dialogue in both SH1 & 3, particularly the "Drawing Power Conversation" (SH1), the "Good Ending" (SH1) and the "Car Ride" (SH3). Two things need to be clarified: 1) Samael isn't looking to create paradise, the Hope House Cult ( the cult of Silent Hill) is looking for the the road to salvation to be opened up. Paradise was already created by God, but the road was not revealed to her followers. 2) Alessa's markings were not creating a path or paradise, but were, as Daliah put it, "sealing the town to the abyss." I believe this means that Alessa was sealing her power away from Daliah by hiding the town in darkness, which is not what Daliah wanted. However, the true purpose of the Mark of Metatron (aka the "Mark of Samael") is never revealed. It's true that only certain people are drawn to Silent Hill. However, in Silent Hill 1, the people who are drawn into Alessa's world have some use to Daliah, excluding Lisa. Harry is Daliah's pawn, her Flauros piece. Cybil acts as support for Harry, helping him track his daughter, providing valuable information about Alessa/Cheryl's whereabouts, checking the amusement park while he checks the lighthouse, ect. Dr. Kaufman had been Daliah's primary source of help in the real world, so naturally she chose him to help her find Alessa by drawning him into Silent Hill. Yet, my instincts tell me that she gave up on him when she put her Flauros piece into play, letting him as well as Cybil roam around the town. I believe that Daliah is the one who is helping Harry out along his search. She places helpful items, clues and hints along his path ("path of the hermit consealed by Flauros"). Daliah states her intentions everytime you speak with her, though it is a bit cryptic. Think about what certain things try to get Harry to do. Take for instance the phone call in Midwich. The call excites Harry to find Cheryl quickly. Don't be fooled because you hear Cheryl's voice on the phone, it might not really be her. Look again at the drawings left behind in the alley and on Levin St.; they are written in Cheryl's handwriting, but how easy is it to copy a seven-year-old's handwriting? These things drive Harry to keep looking for Cheryl/Alessa, but if she didn't want to be found by Daliah, why would she entice Harry, the pawn, to find her? Now look at what Alessa/Cheryl do to keep Harry from finding her. She creates monsters to halt his actions which become increasingly stronger the closer Harry gets to her. She blocks his path by locking doors and placing puzzles (remember the puzzle books in Alessa's room). But there is some inconsistancy in the way she deters Harry from his search. One, she uses excessive force to stop him (the monsters and bosses), which is strange to do to someone you love. Two, she tries to burden his search with riddles and puzzles, which seems too smart for a seven year old. And three, she tries to pursuade him to stop looking for her by using Lisa, which is unusual since Cheryl never met Lisa, and is too peaceful an approach after trying to kill him. This suggests that there is some problems in Alessa's ability to control her world. At times, Samael's fury tries to destroy those who get too close, at others, Cheryl's love for her father persuade Alessa to seek more peaceful deterants. While in between, Alessa uses her intellect to stump Harry in his path. Cybil's role in Silent Hill is to play the "confidant." A "confidant" is a character or person who provides an ear for the main character to explain his ideas, or to discuss the events that have happened so that the audience can understand what the main character is thinking and feeling. However, the specifics of Cybil's role to the plot are hiddened from Harry since his persective doesn't give the overall truth. However, Cybil's perspective is told in the "Play Novel," but I have not read it yet. The part of Dr. Kaufman and the drugs (better known as White Claudia) is merely backstory. Using the infomation given to Harry about the White Claudia and the doctors involvement, we learn something about the presence of a cult in Silent Hill. We then learn something about their ceremonies and their attempt to find "paradise." We learn that the drug was used to perform ceremonies and to keep cult members obidient. We learn from Dr. Kaufman's clues that he was the manufacturer of the White Claudia and oversaw all of Daliah's arrangements at the hospital. Yet, it is unclear as to whether or not he was a believer of "Samael" or if he was just using Daliah as way to gain power and money. But for some reason, he kept secrets away from Daliah, like the "Aglaophaotis" and secret drug stash in Indian Runner. This suggests the latter theory. For those who have played Silent Hill 3, you learn the particulars of what the aglaophaotis is used for, but you can kind of guess it from watching it used in Silent Hill 1.

From what I've heard, there are three Cybil extra stories revealed in the "Silent Hill: Play Novel" which was released in Japan only. If anyone can read Japanese, maybe they could provide a translation for us. However, from the screenshots, it looks like the is some interaction between Cybil, Alessa, Cheryl and another character, whom I don't recognize. If you'd like to read a partial translation, check it out here. (Dead Link)

The theories originate mostly from the refernces in the game. This part comes mostly from "Rosemary's Baby." EDIT: Anybody else notice that Heather's pendant is the same as Rosemary's from the movie. Was it just a coincidence that it was used to bring god out of Heather?

Silent Hill 1 & 3 Spoilers Thanks IronKnuckle. You have an interesting theory too. However, there is evidence to believe a third theory about Alessa's soul: only half her soul is human. You see in the second to last cutscene, the doctors discuss why they can't harness Samael/Incubus/the god's power, because they only have half the soul. The ceremony that they performed to get the soul of the Incubus had a limiting effect and were only able to get half the soul. Alessa was merely a vessel from conception. So she only has half her own soul, the rest filled by the Incubus. And apparently, it doesn't have much power. We infer from the scene in Daliah's house, that Daliah plans to bring the other half of the soul into the world by giving birth to Cheryl. So each girl is really a half girl, possessing only half a soul. When they are joined, does Heather's soul form. I believe that when Daliah combined the two, two people were formed: Alessa, mother of god and Alessa, daughter of god. As we see in SH3, god (Incubus) is formed in a whole form, but exists inside another person. I believe this is why Heather doesn't have any power, but Alessa/Cheryl did. In order for Daliah to control Alessa's power, she needed the excite the soul. So she tried to kill her. Well, we saw what happened, but it didn't work, and Alessa became horribly burned. For convenient reasons, Daliah told people that she had died and kept her hidden in the basement of the hospital. There she could perform her ceremonies in private and draw whatever power she needed. But nothing happened, since only half the soul was there. And so, Cheryl was born with the second half. But, somehow Cheryl disappeared. When Cheryl returned to Silent Hill, the full power of the god was brought forth. Still, Daliah had no control over this power and Alessa had gone beyond her reach, so she employed a servant, pawn if you will, to find Alessa for her, because Alessa now had the power to evade Daliah. With some magical spells to confine Alessa to Silent Hill and a talisman called the Flauros, she hoped to gain that power. And so the role of Harry is filled. However, I don't think Harry was Daliah's first attempt to use a pawn, which may explain the presence of Cybil and Dr. Kaufman in Silent Hill and why you don't meet Daliah until later. Thus, I believe that the plot of Silent Hill is just Daliah's attempt to control Alessa's power.

Silent Hill 1, 2 & 3 Spoilers Each of the games in the Silent Hill series have dealt with a different interpretation of reality. The first suggesting that the world can be altered phyically and that reality doesn't exist on solely one plane. The second game dealt with the idea that reality is only what you make of it; your actions determine how the world, and thus reality, are shaped. The third suggested that reality can be controlled rather than just reflecting our nature or beliefs, and alternatively changed. Either way, there is a theme that the concept of reality is dynamic. I believe that in Silent Hill 2, James sees the towns of South Vale and Paleville (he never actually steps foot in central Silent Hill) as images in his mind. All the monsters, all the settings and even the characters are merely illusions of his guilty conscience. Many psychologists believe that the mind is a powerful and can alter reality for a person when pushed to extremes, in James' case killing his wife. Also, from the Rebirth ending, you learn about the presense of the "old gods" in Silent Hill, which can add to affect that one's mind has on reality. I believe that everything in the game takes place in James' mind. All the characters represent a different aspect of James' emotional state. (This theory was mentioned in an old Silent Hill topic in Unmod, and I forget who to attribute it too.) Obviously, Maria represents everything James wanted Mary to be: sexy, outgoing, funny, attentive. She also represented the thing James wanted most: Mary, to whom he would ultimately atone. Also, we know that Pyramid Head represents James' want to be punished, since it appears he recieved no retribution for his crime in the real world. Here, though I tend to deviate, because I also think that Angela, Eddie and Laura are also just represtative of his mind. Angela represents James' feelings as a victim and wanting to be a victim, since he blames Mary for causing him three years of pain. This aspect of James is probably why some people call him "whiny." Anyway, from the "In Water" ending, we see how James resolves his problem similarly to Angela. We also see similarities between James and Eddie, as they are both killers. Eddie represents James desire to backlash at people who hurt him. Look at the reasons why Eddie kills all his victims; he thinks the world is out to get him. Though I admit Eddie seems a little crazier about it than James was, James does have a darker side to him since at the time, he fantasied killing Mary. This is revealed in the Maria ending and suggested by Maria and Angela. Lastly, we have Laura. Laura is a more simple character as she isn't tormented by inner demons; she's a child. Anyway, Laura is just the representation of James' want to find Mary. She wonders around the town trying to find Mary as does James, but isn't affected by any of the monsters that James "sees." She also represents James naive nature about what happened to Mary, since he doesn't realize what he's done until he's faced with the evidence, much like a child. Still, each character sees a different reality. Angela and the fire, Eddie and the laughing faces, and Laura in an empty town. So, there really isn't much witchcraft going on, just different interpretations of reality.

I believe the track "Butterflies" which you are refering is from the "Silent Hill Compositions" album ripped by Nursery Cryme and given the title arbitarily. You are welcome to visit the site (Dead Link) for more information. OR you may have gotten it from the complete soundtrack from Dustfungus' site (Link updated) of the same track by the same name. Also, "Terror in the Depths of the Fog" is the ending theme to the "Born From A Wish" extra story on the X-box version, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams. I believe "The Darkness that Lurks in Our Mind" is the music heard when you fight nurses (radio turned off). Truthfully, the Silent Hill soundtracks have never really been produced as direct rips from the games but as pieces that Akira Yamaoka thinks would be marketable to the public. So, the names of tracks would, consequently, not directly be interpretations of the game, but rather more marketable titles, like "Butterflies." Because, who would buy a track that's called "Mothes," honestly? (Please don't respond. It's just a rhetorical question.)

Sorry, but since the incident I've become barren. That man will pay dearly for what he did to me and my daughter. But tracking him down is not as easy as it seems. Anyway, speaking of children, have you seen the SH2 chibi by KnickKnack? It's amusing, but I found it very humorous. EDIT: Yeah, the connection speed is slow, but it works most of the time. Still, I have a few of the files already and I'll try to get some more if time allows.

Lucky for you, I found a site recently with every SH movie ever, including trailers and making of films. How ironic that I found it while visiting a Silent Hill forum. Touch me and you die! P.S. If you'd like just the audio files of every movie sequence, you can visit Dustfungus' site (Link Updated). Best audio quality yet. Please note that the SH3 files have not yet been loaded and the site is using the break to update everything, so some links will not work all the time. Just keep checking to find what you need. EDIT: (9-10-2004) Dustfungus' website on the Silent Hill Domain has gone down permanently due to webmaster difficulties. The files are no longer available for download, anywhere as his personal site has gone down as well (9-7-2004). EDIT 2: (9-28-2005) Dustfungus has brought Silent Hill Media back online. His new site has been linked to this post. Check it out for lots of new and old material.

So I take it that you've finished the script. Yes? No? I'd love to read it.

How's that going anyway? It's been almost a year since you started it. Ctomm still helping with the soundtrack? Any updates?

What do you think the plot is for SH1? A lot of people have varying ideas on the plot and ending analysis. Personally, I think there are some conflicting ideas between the first and third game. At least, from what I thought the plots were. But this contridiction leaves room for more SH sequels. P.S. By the way, have you tried any of the Silent Hill Forums. I like Central Silent Hill. Very well organized.