I don't understand all the hate toward SH4. Mind you, I haven't read through all of this thread, but I'm certain it's been discussed before--but I want to toss in my two cents.
I had two primary gripes with SH4--and that was the lack of bosses, and the ghosts. Those two flaws, though, are relatively minor in my opinion, and certainly not enough to ruin the game for me.
SH2 is the best in the series, without question, though I haven't gotten around to playing the first one yet--just because I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy.
Apparently Jonesboro, Arkansas is the home of all the ten dollar copies of Silent Hill 1; they're all over the place.