Sentora

The Huey P Long bridge for part 1-3 in my case. Go ahead and laugh. Returning to Lousiana from North Carolina at night, Granddad got a little lost and we had to cross the Huey P just as this thick ass fog rolled in to get back on track. Now for those of you who've never been on this bridge, picture a giant rusted as all hell railroad bridge with two winding, one way lanes for cars on the right and left hand sides of the bridge. There's hardly room on these lanes and you can practically reach out your window and touch the car beside you. And on windy days, the fucker seems to sway a bit. Now imagine driving down through an area still in disrepair after Katrina, then tearing down that bridge around midnight, in a fog that looks right out of Part 2 and seems to moving to intentionally block you and you have only an inch to screw up and take a header into the water. I swear I kept expecting something to lunge out of the fog like those flying bastards in part 1.

I was in Barnes and Nobles the other day, and skimming the Graphic Novel section I ran across Slient Hill: Dying Inside. ...Man what a waste. The artstyle fit beautifully, and the first half of the story was perfectly in spirit of Silent Hill...but that last half was such a let down. Especially after seeing the artist's work on 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales.

I just saw a new commerical of Silent Hill minutes ago. It just looks better and better, especially seeing PH almost gut the girls with the Great Knife. And BTW, some comic stores are putting out promos for the movie in form of a newpaper detailing some of the town and a poster. Check out if your local shop has them.

My two cents on the Pyramid Head movie debate. I have no problem with ol' pointy showing up, because it hints that one of the characters could have a secret that'll shock the hell out of us much like James did. Personally, my bets are on Cybil, since we honestly know little to nothing about her save for what that japanese game revealed about her. Or it could just be a cameo that makes us fanboys and fangirls squeal, hinting that James' story is occuring at the same time. That body he's dragging does seem similar to Maria...

A friend and I went looking for the movies that we read inspired Silent Hill lately. So far we've found Jacob's Ladder (Cool seeing it after all these years and being old enough to understand it) and Session 9 (where you can see quite a bit inspiration for James) There was another movie though I've seen on a sig around here, where a woman looked just like Lisa from the first game being chased by a guy in a sheet? Anyone know the name of it, or any other movies that should be on the list?

That's an interesting theory, Ifirit. You never disappoint. Would that mean that Vatiel, who we discussed earlier in the thread as some sort of Gatekeeper of the worlds, would have an even darker connection to Alessa? That she is the 'Gate' he's been protecting? Or possibly Alessa is his successor and like him, is a gatekeeper as well? Just random thinking there. It would be pretty messed up to consider Alessa being a 'Gate' that the Gods enter into this world by being 'Born'

I dunno, the hospital and Chapel Alternate worlds creeped the shit out of me the first time. All that blood running down the walls...Especially that damned Mirror in the Hospital. *Spoiler* Did anyone else think that the image was going to walk out and ran the hell out of that room the first time they saw it?

Thanks as always for answering my questions,ifirit. And yeah, I'm interested in those tedious questions, since I'll probably see a lot of my own on there lol. Good luck finding the artist. Richard Grosse died? damn that's a shame...I was really hoping to run into ol' Douglas again in future Silent hills. Now thinking about him seeing the monsters, The story of his past, that trip to silent hill and the situation with his estranged son now sounds like perfect fodder for an installment all of it's own if the Town could affect him. Makes me wonder if he saw the same monsters or something else...*sighs* Thanks again

*Almost feels stupid for asking this, but hey it bumps the Topic* SPOILERS AHEAD ---------------------------------------------------- Playing through SH3 recently made me wonder about two things. One: In the alternate version of Office building, that part you go through before arriving home. In the room you enter after burning the painting and going through the hatch...why does it feel like I've seen that cross like painting/image that's on the wall beside the burnt hanging woman somewhere else? It looks like a bunch of smaller pictures making up a symbol or decpiction of something but I can't remember what...anyone have an idea or am I tripping? Two: In the ride to Silent Hill with Douglass...he comments about a missing persons case that brought him there, (Amanda perhaps?) also that in his field of work he heard bad rumors of that place and said himself it's a screwed up town. (Which he's seemingly got out of unscathed...) so that makes me wonder, is there others not only aware of what's going on in silent hill, but have their own motives toward it? It seems with parts four and now five, we're getting further away from the town itself but it's influence is spreading outward, so do you think there are others like Claudia and her cult or even servants of the 'old gods of silent hill'? Just a thought. Like to know what you guys think.

Just maybe ifirit...Heather was the killer. This is just a little randomness after reading your post, I'll do a better explanation later but it's possible that, just like at the mall, heather's little passenger started turning the apartment all ASH and Harry, caught by surprise, got wacked before he could react in time...or simple could not kill his daughter.... Just a thought.

If we talk fighting games, SNK's got the top five worst. Igniz (first time I ever saw a boss infinite combo me.) and Orginal Zero from KOF 2001, Koryuh, that evil bastard from Last Blade two with four frickin specials that hit you anywhere and out of everything, Johann from Rage of Dragons with that damn cheesy throw, And Goteniz from KOF 96, not that watered version from Chaos...

Ah, that does make more sense. thanks for clearing it up. *smirks at the cookie.* Nice one, Ifirit Damn good rebuttal there. I appauld ya. the only answer I could reply in kind is while you're correct about the misty silent hill being untrustworthy, it could be also considered a reaction of panic...that it hides just enough of the obvious wrongness of the place to lure in that help. Playing on the human trait of being afraid to explore something dangerous, but too damn curious not to want to look anyway. That doesn't make it less deceptive, but it's better than the darkness in that point of view. But a question. wouldn't you count the apartments as an example of the distinctions of Misty and Alternate silent hill in part 2 if you say Brookhaven was? and after eddie Silent hill did revert back to it's misty version for the canoe ride to the Hotel briefly, just as James was closest to the ugly truth. As for the alternate hotel, true there wasn't darkness but there WAS the flooding that made it hard to see where you was walking and hid Patient demons. Not to mention swallowed the hotel and forced you forward by taking away all exits out of the place and away from the final battle. Well, there are the butterflies we see in the apartment and Maria's tattoo. Not as direct as parts 1 and 3 were about his presence true, but knowing they're the insect representing Samael you can't ignore those as clues he's around lurking and watching.... ...and yeah, that's a lot of damn a's. 21 in all. Waiting for your reply Ifirit or anyone else who'd like to add to this. I'm having fun discussing it.

In Silent Hill 1, the radio was used to help show that the world of Silent Hill existed on a different plain of reality. The radio could not play any radio stations or recieve any other signals, but only pick up the strange static emitted by monsters. By suggesting that the town had no interferences from other electromagnetic sources, either the town was secluded from the rest of the world or that it existed on a different plain altogether. Either way, this meant that the town was becoming lost or hidden. Also, note that the televisions didn't work in town (with the exception of the Town Center, Hospital Room 312 and Nowhere), "the phones are dead and cars have completely stopped running." Also, the radio allows us to know that the monsters emit strong electromagnetic waves, which suggests that they are not exactly flesh and blood; they lose their magnetism as they die. This is the strongest evidence that the monsters are supernatural beings and not just figments of the mind nor physical, in a tangilbe sense. Don't misunderstand. In the world that Alessa/Cheryl has created, everything has a physical form, but I believe that it does not follow the same rules of matter and energy as our plain of existance. This is a very metaphysical suggestion, but it can explain why things are the way they are in Silent Hill. One way to show this is how monsters will just disappear after some time after they are killed. Though I can see how someone might say that that is just from limitations of the graphics engine, but I think it plays into the game. The designers had a really good understanding of the engine used for the game and exploited some of the disadvantages or rather pushed the advantages to their limits in the first game. Think about how they were able to create a full 3-D world with good graphics, real weather effects, multiple camera effects and loads of other stuff that made it a well-rounded survival horror game. So, it can be infered that the majority of, if not all, the aspects of the game were thought out before hand and added into the story. *steps off soapbox* *Nods* I understand now I think...so in sense, The radio is much like Egon's PKE meter from Ghostbusters or a gifted person's ablity to sense spirtual/paranormal energies. And ghosts or demons, although not bound by the same rules as this world can affect it. Thanks Ifirt. Makes me wonder who created it, or if the powers manipulating the main character manifiested it for them as a guide of sorts... *Gets a thought and goes back to read a few of the theories again.* Now this is probably a suck ass theory about Laura and Silent hill itself and all, but I'd thought I'd share it anyway since you guys helped inspire it, feel free to pick it apart. In his post, Ironknuckle refered to Silent hill having a conciousness, composed of two sides, good and evil, light and dark, etc., just like a person. While he refered to it being Samael, is it possible that the town itself is also a entity itself with the same dual nature? From the rituals and all that spirtual/dark energies along with Samael's power, I wouldn't be surprised if it did develop it's own conciousness as a result of the mix. Kinda like how Frankenstien used lightling to bring his monster to life. So if it's true and the town is alive, it could be having it's own conflict between it's good and evil sides, and actively seeks out contact to learn more about the world it's been removed from. Samael of course, exploits this by feeding off the pain and suffering of those that answers the town's call. 'Special people' like James, Eddie and Angela. Some evidence of this is the fact that although Silent hill creates a personal hell for those who enter filled with the demons they bring within them, it also provides means for you to survive with all the items placed around to help you, giving clues or literally creates personas to interact with you. Which brings me to Laura and Maria. Laura could be the physical manifestion of the town's inner struggle. It's innocence and darkness all at once in the form of a child because a Child has potiental for either depending on his/her enviorment. While she is the one to push James into discovering the truth and represent as his 'innocence' as Ifirit stated, her methods are rather extreme and show the darker nature her appearence hides but can't help control. Her search for Mary as a surrogate mother can be looked at as the town's need to nurture and grow and have a place in the world besides the role that Samael has created for it. On the flip side of Laura is Maria, representing the darker half and the tool that Samael wants Silent hill to be. Like the town perverts one's perception, Maria perverted Mary's image to reflect what James secretly desired Mary to be. She allowed herself to be used to drag James deeper into his guilt and helplessness by being excuted repeatedly in front of him. This not only allowed Silent hill to 'keep' James kinda like a pet, but also made Samael stronger at the same time. The fact that Maria and Laura are never in the same place at the same time but aware of each other also shows that they could be one and the same and just switch forms when one side is winning the inner struggle. They both do have blond hair and act as James' primary influences. Further proof is how Maria in Mary's form during the Leave ending tries to kill James when he rejects her. Like how a child throws a tantrum and breaks a toy that won't work the way she wants. While out on a limb here, I'd like to also say that while I wholeheartedly agree with the theories that Eddie and Angela represent parts of James' psyche, through a certain point of view they also can represent the Town itself. Samael would be no different from the abusive father that victimized Angela for his pleasure. And like Angela, Silent hill seeks redemption but in the end but ultimately gives in to Samael again and again. With that thought, you can look at the conversation between James and angela on the flaming stairway in a different light. Angela/Silent hill seeking help from those who come, only to be rejected and forced to accept the role that Samael has created. The same dual nature can even be heard in her voice every time you see her, first talking almost childlike then more adult as the conversation plays out. Another hint to that connection is Angela's remark about seeing the flames all the time. Flames are a symbol of hell and Silent hill is hell on earth anyway you look at it So Silent hill accepts it's nature and continues to torture while seeking help at the same time. You could even look at Silent hill 1 for a mirror of the same persona and situation in Lisa Garland, seeking Harry's aid and pushed away in her last cut scene... Eddie on the other hand, is simpler. He is both the town's anger at it's situation and rejection from those it calls, as well it's darkside's acceptance of Samael's evil nature. He also reminds James that Monsters come in human form as well. Well...I've rambled on enough for now. Just a little brainstorm that kicked up at reading the theories. Hope you guys find something interesting in it all, even if just as a scratching post to tear into.

Well so far I've seen all my questions answered but one: Does the radio have some importance as well other than a radar? There was that freaky Trick or treat show in the elevator in part two and it's been in all three games...