Silent Hill Discussion

[ifirit]

Silent Hill 2 Spoilers

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.

I think you are misinterpretting what I said. Laura does not represent James' innocence, because James has none. She represented his inability to accept the truth and his regression to child-like tendencies. Also, she represented his desire to find Mary, not the reasons for it. Eddie represents his reasons for finding Mary.

EDIT: Yea! You spelled my name right. Here, have a cookie. (Link Updated)

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.

There are many ideas about how Silent Hill represents the dichotomy of good and evil, but honestly, the idea of "Good" and "Evil" Silent Hill isn't exactly a perfect fit. Most people tend to catagorize the two worlds as Light and Dark Silent Hill, mostly for ease and also to show that one is good and one is evil. However, this is misleading because neither world is truely "Good". It's more like choosing the lesser of two evils.

You see, there is a Misty Silent Hill and an Alternate Silent Hill. I believe Misty Silent Hill represents that very idea, being misty. Mist, or fog, can represent the idea of hiding or being lost. By hiding, the town, if characterize as a person, would be dilberately decieving the outside world to believing nothing is there. At the same time, shrouding its power and horror from those who enter and try to find truth. I believe that this would make the misty aspect of the town manipulative in nature. Taking the interpretation that it is lost, you would then have to think that something is making the town lost, as towns don't wander (or do they?). The town would then be looking for a way to be found. Yet, if we were to characterize Silent Hill like a person, how do people react to being lost? Some panic, others are calm and resourceful, others stay put until they are found, still others seek help and sometimes there are those who lose touch with the world. This misty aspect is then said to be unpredictable and untrustworthy. If so, you wouldn't exactly place it in the beign catagory, would you?

Needless to say, but Alternate Silent Hill is not a "Good" place either. Yet, people shouldn't directly associate the dark with the evil aspect. Of course, there are things that make that world evil, but it isn't the dark. Just like it's Misty conterpart, Alternate Silent Hill uses the dark to either hide or lose those people who seek it out. However, the dark is worse than the mist, because it doesn't just limit the ability for people to see, it nullifies it completely. Don't say that certain people can still see in the dark, because you can always raise the darkness setting; which is interesting when you think about it, as it gives you the ability to make the world worse for you rather than better.

Anyway, I think that there is a more interesting dichotomy within the Alternate Silent Hill in good and evil, because within the dark you find Lisa, a ray of light. In SH2, there doesn't seem to be a clear a distinction between the Misty and Alternate Silent Hills, except for the one instance in Brookhaven Hospital, but then the transitions are lost as after the fight with Eddie the world does not transition back to Misty Silent Hill, nor does the Alternate Hotel appear darker. Of course you don't have the flashlight anymore, but there is light within the Alternate Hotel from outside, so making the distinction is harder.

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.

This is a very good interpretation of what I said before, because neither Angela nor Eddie is inherently good or evil, but lying closer to the evil side. Still, there is no direct reference to Samael in Silent Hill 2, so I like to stay away from theories that rely heavily on his presence. As a substitute, you could use the "old gods" for Samael, but you will need to alter the characteristics of Samael and thus the resulting effects on the ideas about the town, Eddie and Angela.

By the way, between Harry, Lisa, Dahlia, Michael, Samael, James, Maria, Mary, Angela, Laura, Pyramid Head, Heather, Claudia, Douglas, and Lennard, how many"A"'s is that?

[Sentora]

I think you are misinterpretting what I said. Laura does not represent James' innocence, because James has none. She represented his inability to accept the truth and his regression to child-like tendencies. Also, she represented his desire to find Mary, not the reasons for it. Eddie represents his reasons for finding Mary.

EDIT: Yea! You spelled my name right. Here, have a cookie.

Ah, that does make more sense. thanks for clearing it up.

*smirks at the cookie.* Nice one, Ifirit

There are many ideas about how Silent Hill represents the dichotomy of good and evil, but honestly, the idea of "Good" and "Evil" Silent Hill isn't exactly a perfect fit. Most people tend to catagorize the two worlds as Light and Dark Silent Hill, mostly for ease and also to show that one is good and one is evil. However, this is misleading because neither world is truely "Good". It's more like choosing the lesser of two evils.

You see, there is a Misty Silent Hill and an Alternate Silent Hill. I believe Misty Silent Hill represents that very idea, being misty. Mist, or fog, can represent the idea of hiding or being lost. By hiding, the town, if characterize as a person, would be dilberately decieving the outside world to believing nothing is there. At the same time, shrouding its power and horror from those who enter and try to find truth. I believe that this would make the misty aspect of the town manipulative in nature. Taking the interpretation that it is lost, you would then have to think that something is making the town lost, as towns don't wander (or do they?). The town would then be looking for a way to be found. Yet, if we were to characterize Silent Hill like a person, how do people react to being lost? Some panic, others are calm and resourceful, others stay put until they are found, still others seek help and sometimes there are those who lose touch with the world. This misty aspect is then said to be unpredictable and untrustworthy. If so, you wouldn't exactly place it in the beign catagory, would you?

Needless to say, but Alternate Silent Hill is not a "Good" place either. Yet, people shouldn't directly associate the dark with the evil aspect either. Of course there are things that make that world evil, but it isn't the dark. Just like it's Misty conterpart, Alternate Silent Hill uses the dark to either hide or lose those people who seek it out. However, the dark is worse than the mist, because it doesn't just limit the ability for people to see, it nullifies it completely. Don't say that certain people can still see in the dark, because you can always raise the darkness setting; which is interesting when you think about it, as it gives you the ability to make the world worse for you rather than better.

Anyway, I think that there is a more interesting dichotomy within the Alternate Silent Hill in good and evil, because within the dark you find Lisa, a ray of light. In SH2, there doesn't seem to be a clear a distinction between the Misty and Alternate Silent Hills, except for the one instance in Brookhaven Hospital, but then the transitions are lost as after the fight with Eddie the world does not transition back to Misty Silent Hill, nor does the Alternate Hotel appear darker. Of course you don't have the flashlight anymore, but there is light within the Alternate Hotel from outside, so making the distinction is harder.

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.

This is a very good interpretation of what I said before, because neither Angela nor Eddie is inherently good or evil, but lying closer to the evil side. Still, there is no direct reference to Samael in Silent Hill 2, so I like to stay away from theories that rely heavily on his presence. As a substitute, you could use the "old gods" for Samael, but you will need to alter the characteristics of Samael and thus the resulting effects on the ideas about the town, Eddie and Angela.

By the way, between Harry, Lisa, Dahlia, Michael, Samael, James, Maria, Mary, Angela, Laura, Pyramid Head, Heather, Claudia, Douglas, and Lennard, how many"A"'s is that?

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.

[ifirit]

Silent Hill 2 Spoilers

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?

No. Nothing happened in the apartment buildings. There was no transition between Misty and Alternate Silent Hill, nor was there a section where the apartments changed to the metal grating, massive decay and horrific scenary. And no matter how much you associate the sirens from SH1 to be the change to Alternate Silent Hill (ASH), that mold is broken in SH2.

The reason I say it happens in Brookhaven, is because the hospital changes its appearance after the finding Laura and beating the monsters. A transition occurs and the world becomes ASH.

Also, please note that the darkness inside the apartment buildings and the hotel came from the fact that the windows and some doors were boarded up, not allowing natural light to enter. That is the reason it is dark. ASH doesn't just mean where it is dark, it has to transform like in all the games. It's just that the distinctions are blurred in SH2.

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....

Before Eccles murders you, I should let you know that those are mothes, not butterflies, on the bed. And butterfly tatoos are very popular among women. Still, I won't ignore the references about the influence from Samael in SH2. However, as I don't know the time line for SH2 with respect to the entire series, we cannot assume that Samael is present in Silent Hill, or rather Toluca Lake. Some people could argue that it is not Samael influencing the town, but rather Metatron.

Besides, we learn from the Rebirth ending that James invokes the "old gods" (plural) by appeasing them to bring back Mary. As James states, "They still grant power to those who venerate them. Power to defy even death." If Samael was the angel of death, could he have the power to bring back Mary, or would it require an angel of life?

EDIT: I working on two overall theories of SH2: the small picture and big picture. It will take some time to sort things out so I'm not posting right away.

[ifirit]

By the way, between Harry, Lisa, Dahlia, Michael, Samael, James, Maria, Mary, Angela, Laura, Pyramid Head, Heather, Claudia, Douglas, and Lennard, how many "A"'s is that?

...and yeah, that's a lot of damn a's. 21 in all.

You sure?

I see 26.

[SlothropX]

One thing that I've wondered about a lot is why the Silent Hill games are so scary. People who would yawn through your average survival-horror zombiefest end up having a morbid fascination about Silent Hill. Not many people have the same obsession with Raccoon City, or whatever.

I think it has to do with the fact that the games make a very apt point about the human condition. Everyone walks around in their own fog of anxieties and fears. People get so wrapped up in their own issues and misery that it sometimes seems hopeless for anyone to connect, much like the people in SH2 float in and out of each others' nightmarish realities, never really able to relate or communicate.

Reality can be just as mutable for us, too, since things can have very different meanings for different people. What might just look like a normal house to everyone else would be a den of torment and self-loathing for an abused wife. A casual friend of mine could've caused horrible emotional trauma to someone in the past, giving her and I very different interpretations of the person. A book, a city, a day next week...everything has different meanings. We all live in different worlds.

So the Silent Hill games really just add a bit of flesh to the fundamental disconnection in all of our lives. James, Angela, and Eddie would've been just as wrapped up in their own flawed existences outside of SH. The enshrouding fog and personal demons already existed, the forces of the town simply made them physical. It is a bleak view of humanity, but it obviously resonates well enough to terrify and fascinate most people. We all know the fog, and are afraid to admit that there could be monsters out there.

[StarZander]

One thing that I've wondered about a lot is why the Silent Hill games are so scary. People who would yawn through your average survival-horror zombiefest end up having a morbid fascination about Silent Hill. Not many people have the same obsession with Raccoon City, or whatever.

I think it has to do with the fact that the games make a very apt point about the human condition. Everyone walks around in their own fog of anxieties and fears. People get so wrapped up in their own issues and misery that it sometimes seems hopeless for anyone to connect, much like the people in SH2 float in and out of each others' nightmarish realities, never really able to relate or communicate.

Reality can be just as mutable for us, too, since things can have very different meanings for different people. What might just look like a normal house to everyone else would be a den of torment and self-loathing for an abused wife. A casual friend of mine could've caused horrible emotional trauma to someone in the past, giving her and I very different interpretations of the person. A book, a city, a day next week...everything has different meanings. We all live in different worlds.

So the Silent Hill games really just add a bit of flesh to the fundamental disconnection in all of our lives. James, Angela, and Eddie would've been just as wrapped up in their own flawed existences outside of SH. The enshrouding fog and personal demons already existed, the forces of the town simply made them physical. It is a bleak view of humanity, but it obviously resonates well enough to terrify and fascinate most people. We all know the fog, and are afraid to admit that there could be monsters out there.

I believe that the Resident Evil games concentrate mostly on making the monsters scary, and not so much the situation. Also RE doesn't really try to freak you out with sound effects, but just make you stressed. In short, in RE they only seem to try to use the "Booh!"-effect, whilst Silent Hill tries to really mess with your mind.

Silent Hill is something we can relate to a little more. Just a normal guy, coming to a "normal" town, and strange things happen, in places that we can really relate to. Because... The more you can relate to something, the more you believe it could happen to YOU, and the more scared you will become.

The sound effects in SH aren't some sort of music with increasing tempo, but erratic freaky sounds that doesn't really make any sense. Hence, we add some degree of confusion to the situation. I don't know about you, but I hate confusion.

Well, anyway, this is my theory on why SH is scarier. When I was a kid, RE was scary as hell, but now it's just silly action for the most part. SH on the other hand... A few years ago, I couldn't play it at all, because I was so scared. Unfortunately I am near unable to get frightened nowadays. Only time I got scared from SH, was from the extra scenario in SH2: Director's Cut, because there you had no flashlight or radio. I might try to play through the regular games without using these two things (unless they are necessary for a riddle).

[RichardKimble]

Well, the thing about Silent Hill is that it literally descends you into the depths of madness, which is, needless to say, quite unnerving. And it's not like the sanity gimmick in Eternal Darkness where you can just cast a couple spells and you're good as new. Like the characters, you have to wade through some of the most mentally disturbing stuff you've ever experienced without losing your mind, and there is no easy way out. What's worse, all of it has the tinge of human atrocity all over of it. You have to look at all the horrible things human beings can and have done to each other, which is probably the unpleasant of all. That is why SH truly frightens me.

[Night10194]

Silent Hill is frightening for the implications of the story, to me. James is a frightening protagonist simply because I can somewhat understand why he did what he did.

Resident Evil is not scary because it has atrocious voice acting, silly looking critters, and stupid plots.

[Eccles]

to be fair, the voice acting in Silent hill sucks, too...

not so much in 2, but it still sucks.

[ifirit]

Clock Tower 3 Spoiler

I just want to quell some of the rivalry between the two games before this becomes another SH vs. RE topics. It's true that there are fundemental differences between the two games. However, I believe Diane Mizota put it best when they covered the topic on "Filter": "the Silent Hill series is one that messes with your mind, while the Resident Evil series messes with your heart."

I've played and own a few of the games from the Resident Evil series. And I admit, there some fun and scary elements to the games. The most noted is probably the tale-tell scare tactics. Everyone whose played the game (and probably some who haven't) can tell you about the dogs jumping through the windows in RE or the hands that grab you as you pass the hallway in RE2. But it's just like watching your favorite scary movie, even though you know the plot is lame, the scare tactics are predictable and acting is atrocious, you still watch them for the sheer fun in having your heart racing and adrinaline pumping. Ah, Friday the 13th, how I love thee.

Still, when it comes down to picking games I love to play, talk about and explore again and again, Silent Hill wins out. I think it's just the amount depth to these games continues to spur my imagination that the RE series hasn't. But now remember, SH and RE aren't the only games in the genre.

What about the Clock Tower series? Whoever has not picked up Clock Tower 3, needs to go down to BlockBuster, Movie Warehouse, Video Shack or whatever store rents games and pick it up! Talk about a scary game. I couldn't even make it past the first killer. Everywhere you go, he's there. No matter where you hide, he's there. No matter what you do, he's there. Even talking about him makes me quiver. *Pulls the covers over his head* Anyway, it combines the elements of jumping-out-at-and-screaming "BOO" with elements of not knowing and confusion about what happens next. In a way, its the best of both worlds.

Don't forget the Fatal Frame series. Fatal Frame, again more along the lines of RE, is a challenging game with a more innovative, less violent approach. However, Fatal Frame 2 is supposed to be a great game because of some deeper story lines, advanced game play and characters that really make you care about them. I'm looking forward to it (but probably not as much as SH4: The Room).

So, there are lots of good games out there that appeal to the tastes of many survival-horror fans. So, petty arguments and flames about SH vs RE or whatever are just as bad as a Freddy vs Jason argument. It doesn't matter who likes what as long as you know what you like.

EDIT: Anyone else remember the part in Clock Tower 3 where the little girl gets her head smashed in with the sledge hammer? Talk about gruesome.

[Firedrake]

Silent Hill 4

And the trailer is out. I found it at www.gametrailers.com , I recommend you guys check it out.

[Roboduck]

Is there any info about The Room yet?

[Firedrake]

Is there any info about The Room yet?

Well, apart from what I posted, I haven't found much official info.

Somewhere in this thread are a few pages to a Silent Hill 4 promotional comic book. And there is always the trailer.

[Firedrake]

Well, I don't want this thread to die, so bump.

*SPOILER*

Also, in SH2, does anyone happen to know the name to the song in the hotel when it's flooded, after seeing the video?

*SPOLIER*

[StarZander]

Well, I don't want this thread to die, so bump.

*SPOILER*

Also, in SH2, does anyone happen to know the name to the song in the hotel when it's flooded, after seeing the video?

*SPOLIER*

In the Complete Soundtrack there is a song called Flooded Estate. Is that the one you are referring to perhaps? Probably not. I can't say for sure which one it is, but check out True from the OST instead.

[ifirit]

Here's a lulaby to close your eyes.

It was always you that I despised.

I don't feel enough for you to cry,

Here's a lulaby to close your eyes.

Goodbye,

Goodbye,

Goodbye...

That was an awesome trailer. Completely different from the rest of the series.

[Eccles]

Well it looks like theyve gone off-a making monsters symbolic and into "fucking weird"

[Eccles]

Meat?

It's what you keep in a meat locker, you know...

[ifirit]

While I still believe that Silent Hill is alive, or conscious, whether or not Silent Hill is Samael is still up in the air to me.

It's hard to accept the idea that a town is alive, but as I've said before, the developers did introduce the idea that the town (or in a broader sense, reality) is dynamic. How you interpret these changes can reflect more of a philosophy that you believe about the game (or again, of life in the broader sense). In your case, you have given the dynamics human or at least personifying characteristics.

The ability to think and make conscious decisions is typically a human trait, and to place that trait onto inanimate objects, such as a town, suggests that you believe (presumably) that the supernatural powers of Silent Hill are innate. This would imply one of two things: either the town has always held a special power embedded within it, or that the special power brought the town to life while infusing it with the magical forces.

If the first case is true, then the town would have always existed as such and it would be unlikely that the town developed as it did or had much of a past. Still, it is debatable that the appearance of the town is due to the projections that its visitors have. Anyway, if the second case is true, then the town has a true past and the facts and history of Silent Hill are true, not just projections. This is a possible scenario since the power of "Samael" was brought in the plane of reality which Silent Hill exists.

Consquently, there is a third option to believe, though similar to the second, it lacks the fundemental idea that the town has a will and/or conscience of its own. If the town developed from the presence of a special power residing there, this would suggest that the town itself was summoned. Because the town was summoned, then it would require a force behind it to pull the strings, so to speak. It could not act without the influence of another being. As such, this would make the town capable of being influenced, much easier than that of one with a will of its own. Therefore, the presence of Alternate and Nowhere Silent Hills can be accounted for simply.

The reason it is hard to accept the idea that the town is alive is that by giving the town a conscience makes it aware of its actions and consquences. As such, this requires spectulation into a matter that goes beyond the scope of the games. I like to stick to the facts. All we can gather is that something is causing the town to act the way it is. That's really all that's important.

Still, this sort of thought does provide interesting discussion in philosophy and personal doctrines. So, I hope that some of this helps you to develop your theory on the game.

I must say that I disagree with the theory that Angela, Eddie and the others are projections of James's mind. The town called them, and generally a calling is for some specific purpose. Eddie specifically adds the word "too" to his statement, which to me suggests that he, at least, is also a real person just like James. I think we can infer from that that Angela and Laura are real too. Of course, Maria is probably not a real person. I believe this is why she refuses to go into the bowling alley with James. She knows (or perhaps Silent Hill knows) that Eddie and Laura are inside.

This can go either way. The characters from SH2 could be real or could be imaginary. However, if your arguement for their presence is that they were "called to" Silent Hill, you have to ask yourself, where were they called from? Maybe they came from neighboring towns, or maybe from the depths of James' psyche. The game doesn't really make that clear for the supporting cast. The only interactions they have involves Laura. So maybe Laura is a connecting factor? Still, again it depends on your view of the game and your own judgements.

I really should post my own thoughts and conclusions of Silent Hill 2 here, but there is just so much information; it's hard to get everything straight. Maybe soon.

Har. I mean, from what animal? Or demon? Or...anything?

As far as it goes, it looks like it came from a large quadriped, most likely from cattle. Not very exciting, but probable. Though, it would be gross if it came from monster in Silent Hill. How would that funky food-chain work?

[Eccles]

*loads the video*

Hard to say...

[StarZander]

This can go either way. The characters from SH2 could be real or could be imaginary. However, if your arguement for their presence is that they were "called to" Silent Hill, you have to ask yourself, where were they called from? Maybe they came from neighboring towns, or maybe from the depths of James' psyche. The game doesn't really make that clear for the supporting cast. The only interactions they have involves Laura. So maybe Laura is a connecting factor? Still, again it depends on your view of the game and your own judgements.

Angela must've been "called" from Silent Hill itself. She is looking for her family in the Silent Hill Cemetary, and the newspaper where her father's murder was described, was also from Silent Hill, wasn't it? Then Laura was in the hospital with Mary, right? Well... which hospital? Some facts indicate that they were in a hospital in some other town, but they seem to have been in the Silent Hill Hospital aswell. And Eddie... Well... I can't really connect him to Silent Hill directly, but as you said, there was no indication that he was from a neighbouring town either.

[ifirit]

Angela must've been "called" from Silent Hill itself. She is looking for her family in the Silent Hill Cemetary, and the newspaper where her father's murder was described, was also from Silent Hill, wasn't it? Then Laura was in the hospital with Mary, right? Well... which hospital? Some facts indicate that they were in a hospital in some other town, but they seem to have been in the Silent Hill Hospital aswell. And Eddie... Well... I can't really connect him to Silent Hill directly, but as you said, there was no indication that he was from a neighbouring town either.

Lots and lots of information here. First, Konami's character description of Angela says she is a run-away who escaped to Silent Hill to get away from her father who dragged her back home after she ran away the first time. But in the conversation in the cemetary, she says she thought her father and brother were there. Again, in the apartment building, James asks her if this was her home, but she avoids the question. Also, what was the date on the newspaper and where is it from? All this information doesn't add up. So, there is an indescrepency that could lead you towards having Angela being imaginary.

Less is known about Eddie. We can't say where he came from exactly, but something suggests that he's been in Silent Hill before. In the meat locker, Eddie confesses his actions that lead him to run away. Quite notably he says, "He'll have a hard time playing football on what's left of that knee." And, in the apartment complex, right after you speak with Eddie, there is another room that you can go into where a lot of football posters are hanging with a bunch of graffiti on them. I'm inclined to connect them to Eddie because it provides evidence of the people laughing at him, which probably angered him to kill the guy in the kitchen. And a lot of people think that is why Eddie is puking; because he was suffering killer's remorse. Well, I can't suggest Eddie in either direction, because there is not much information on his past and present situation nor is there much indescrepency to suggest he's not real.

Maria is almost completely able to prove imaginary, since the Born from a Wish Scenario is introduced, but again from her ability to die, come back to life and not remember anything about it. Still, it's hard to suggest that she is Mary incarnate. I'm more inclined to believe that she is merely the projection of Mary from James' mind, which also inclines me to leave the door open on the subject of projection.

Laura is the strongest case to believe is real, because of her interactions with the other characters in the game. But, again James has no recollection of her, nor any proof prior to entering Silent Hill. Though Mary's letter to Laura suggests Mary's knowledge of her, where did it come from? Just as James' letter from Mary was fake (the one in your inventory), maybe this one is too. However, I find this case to be very depressing and not really conclusive. I'll leave this open for right now.

So, I guess in summation, Angela is probably imaginary, Eddie isn't sure, Maria is most likely, and Laura probably isn't, but still not sure. This isn't the final word, but merely my interpretation of things.

[StarZander]

Hmm... That's pretty good. But it seems as if Maria was a person of her own at first, and then slowly became Mary... Or something. Wasn't she trying to end her own life, with that gun, at first? If so, then maybe she wanted to commit suicide, because she felt she was changing into Mary, and didn't like it. It scared her. She felt helpless or something. It made her feel bad, or depressed her... who knows. But she wanted to die because of it. But then she turned into Mary even more, and Mary took control. Oh well, this is really reaching but.... I don't know.

On another note... I don't remember if we went through this... But Angela, Eddie and James all committed crimes, and was therefor in Silent Hill... But not Laura? Why was she there? In the cemetary at the end, James, Angela and Eddie have their own graves there. Aswell as other criminals, right? Walter Sullivan was there too, I think. But no place for Laura.

[StarZander]

*BUMP*

Don't want this to die.

[Eccles]

...

...

dude...Laura is real.

She's a little girl whom mary wanted to adopt (Mary wrote a letter to Laura which she gave to Rachel the nurse saying she was going to adopt her)

And this is why Laura helps James. Why is she so mean to him? He's mean to her...

That and, y'know, she's a kid and thats what kids do.

She wouldnt have known she was locking James in the room with the hangers...because she doesn't see the monsters.

Im sure I dont need to tell y'all why this is.

However, a dead dog is found in one of the back alleys before the apartments. Perhaps Eddie is reliving his past sins, or perhaps his reality is being manifested in Silent Hill.

Oh jeezum H crackers...don't tell me I need to explain to you the principle behind silent hill 2.

They only made it BLATANTLY OBVIOUS in the game...