Silent Hill

[the_seventh_child]

I did a search and found no match, and i think Silent Hill deserves its own thread.

My favorite Silent Hill must have been the fourth, "The Room". I really liked the whole idea being locked in your own apartment and travelling dimensions. Poor Henry, tortured man.

The movie was quite good, didn't expect it to be that good.

So yeah, talk about the games and movie here.

[Kaysow]

That's a first, I don't think you were allowed to like #4 very much =)

K, #1 was original, scary as shit and plain good.
#2 seems to be everyone's favorite, including director Gans, but I just thought it was good, not great. Too much focus on bringing it to the PS2 in a new form I suppose. Pyramid Head is cool, but he's even sweeter in the movie, even tho he stopped raping.
#3 is back the roots, with a continuation of the old storyline, and best of all; it's the scariest. The mirror-room at the hospital brought me back to my childhood days of lying awake at night, telling myself "it wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real"...

Played all of them those in a row, two years ago, but after #3 I realized there were mannequins in #4 too, just like that one room in #3, and I concluded I needed a break. Still haven't picked #4 up again to date.

And the movie is worthy as hell. It captures the essence of Silent Hill just fine, and it's really a worthy replacement for #1, even though making it replace the game was sort of redundant. Not to mention confusing to newcomers.

[the_seventh_child]

That's a first, I don't think you were allowed to like #4 very much =)

I guess i'm weird like that!

#2 seems to be everyone's favorite, including director Gans, but I just thought it was good, not great. Too much focus on bringing it to the PS2 in a new form I suppose. Pyramid Head is cool, but he's even sweeter in the movie, even tho he stopped raping.

Really, director's favorite? Didn't know about that.

2 is good, i like it better than 3, for the sole reason it has the silent hill town and the fog which is a +. Though i gotta say, pain in the ass watching over and over Maria dying. Laura was a little bitch, but i really enjoyed killing Eddie.

Also, it has the best soundtrack in my opinion.

And yes, Pyramid Head is classic.

[Eva Yojimbo]

1 was brilliant. I keep saying that it's just on a different level than most games I've played. 2 and 3 were damn good too. Perhaps scarier overall than #1, but I like 1's plot, idea, atmosphere, and originality the best. Haven't played 4 yet.

But yeah, SH is definitely one of those utterly unique series that is nearly perfect in every way. In terms of survival horror, there's none that even come close.

RE the movie: I really thought it was crap. There was SO much done right in it: The monsters, the costumes... The TOWN for Pete-sake was so painstakingly put together (watch the making of) that I was surprised by how much of the spirit of the PLACE they captured. But that's where the goodness ends. Horrible performances, a non-existent plot that feels the need to "fill everyone in" near the end. They make Dahlia a GOOD GUY? WTF? They populate the city with other people, and turn the "story" into some kind of religious nonsense. All of the superb atmosphere and tone of the game is just SUCKED OUT of the it.

It really sucks to, because with production designs as good as any film I can think of, and such great effects, it could've been so much better. Sadly, the viewer just doesn't give a crap what happens to the people in the film or the story really at all. I guess one can watch and marvel at the world they created, but I'd rather experience it myself in the game.

If they could keep the town and monsters, I can think of a lot of people who could create an ininitely better film given the original's premise to work with.

[fadingreminder]

I appreciate SH artistically and love the story and all the symbolism, everything about it is great to me. It never really creeped me out though. Pyramid Head is probably the scariest thing about it to me. Otherwise, I never really had a problem with it. I love SH like I love Jacob's Ladder (great film, partial inspiration for Silent Hill), but I don't really consider either scary, save for a few rare instances within them. SH is just really psychologically disturbing and sad to me. SH2 is one of the saddest games I've ever played, capable of moving me to tears.

SH2 is definately my favorite with SH4 being next. Something about SH1 and SH3... they just didn't appeal to me. Especially not SH3, I hated Heather... so~ much...

[Eva Yojimbo]

SH is just really psychologically disturbing and sad to me.

I love Jacob's Ladder too, but the inspiration doesn't end there. You can check out the FAQ I posted in the other thread that has an extensive list of SH's influences. But I tend to agree with the above. Horror movies/games don't scare me. But well-made psychological thrillers disturb me enough to call them frightening.

Oldboy and Audition are great examples. Neither are really "horror" films, but rather very psychological type films. They work in the deepest parts of your brain. Those parts that most would like to forget is there. SH is the exact same way for me. It's not "scary" in the traditional horror sense. But it's much more disurbing and frightening than any straight-forward "horror" film I can think of.

[the_seventh_child]

But well-made psychological thrillers disturb me enough to call them frightening.

Me too. Is it wrong that whenever i see a wheelchair, Silent Hill comes in my mind? :?
Wheelchairs appear once in every game, non-relevant to the plot or anything. They are just there to disturb you.
The only other game that comes close in terms of fear, is Clock Tower.

[fadingreminder]

Clock Tower is so great. Good stuff, true horror there. The one that always disappointed me was Eternal Darkness... That one was just way too corny and easy. I did like the insanity effects though.

[the_seventh_child]

Clock Tower is so great. Good stuff, true horror there.

Clock Tower 3 is one of my favorites games. Brilliant.

[Kyle]

My sister got me #2 for my BDAY back when it first came out.I played it and never made it past the hotel...It scared the shit outta me!
So I sold it and now kinda regret it.

The creature's were scary and all but what relly freaked me out was the way they moved.I remember after I got the pipe I was walking though
the town and saw a...thing...Well I beat it down and thought I killed it,not so!The damn thing began crawling on the road and ran up under a car!
I got right the fuck outta there.

The music was so damn eerie.But definetly great.

I saw the SH movie and hated the ending...but it was SH!You gotta have fucked up endings.I especialy liked the part where pyramid head ripped that chicks skin off.

About the creature's...are they demons,monters,mutants,or what?I alway thought they were twisted tourmented souls in physical bodies.Set me straight.

[the_seventh_child]

About the creature's...are they demons,monters,mutants,or what?I alway thought they were twisted tourmented souls in physical bodies.Set me straight.

Well, that's a long story. Depends who sees them. For example, the little girl in SH2, Laura doesn't see them at all.--she's innocent that's why-- James, well, we see what he can see. Some smart guy wrote in a FAQ, that the monsters in SH, are guilts and regrets in shape. In general, the whole SH town is one's inner demons with flesh and bones.

[Kyle]

About the creature's...are they demons,monters,mutants,or what?I alway thought they were twisted tourmented souls in physical bodies.Set me straight.

Well, that's a long story. Depends who sees them. For example, the little girl in SH2, Laura doesn't see them at all.--she's innocent that's why-- James, well, we see what he can see. Some smart guy wrote in a FAQ, that the monsters in SH, are guilts and regrets in shape. In general, the whole SH town is one's inner demons with flesh and bones.

Im smart now!*ralph wiggum voice*

[Tokpile Quohog]

So does that mean the evil monster things can't hurt innocent little children? Excuse my ignorance, never really played the game.

[Kaysow]

All of that scared most critics off, not explaining what was up with the town really. Even with Satan around. But you're not supposed to be really sure what's what in Silent Hill. And not just like "Was this button/door/abyss here before?" that'll make you question yourself, but it's never ever evident what's really wrong with the place. Like Kubrick's Shining, it leaves a lot up to your imagination.
I think the symbolism thing is pretty accurate though. In some stories about hell, it's described as a place where you sort of judge yourself, and are given what you really deserve, and in the case of James Sunderland, he gets phallic ol' Pyramid Head and a lot more freudian freaks.

[the_seventh_child]

So does that mean the evil monster things can't hurt innocent little children? Excuse my ignorance, never really played the game.

Pretty much yeah. Actually, the children don't see any monsters. It's our character that's getting the crap. And it's a lot unfortunately.

[fadingreminder]

I remember when the Wii was still in the rumor-mill stages, there was supposedly going to be an SH just for Wii. Have there been any confirmations/debunks of that? I remember hearing about it when I used to work at Gamestop. It was supposed to be crazy stuff, like the Wii remote was supposed to be your flashlight and the screen was covered in darkness and you could only see where you pointed the light in some rooms and the speaker in the remote being the radio... It sounded like it would be a genius concept.

[the_seventh_child]

I remember when the Wii was still in the rumor-mill stages, there was supposedly going to be an SH just for Wii. Have there been any confirmations/debunks of that? I remember hearing about it when I used to work at Gamestop. It was supposed to be crazy stuff, like the Wii remote was supposed to be your flashlight and the screen was covered in darkness and you could only see where you pointed the light in some rooms and the speaker in the remote being the radio... It sounded like it would be a genius concept.

If that's true, then hell yeah, i buy wii just for that!

[TriLink]

Indeed. As a non-Playstation owner, a Wii Sielent Hill sounds like an excellent way to to get me into the series, especially if they utilize the WiiMote properely.

[Kaysow]

That sounds like an awesome game I would pay up for but really hate playing, for positive reasons.
Silent Hill scares me, but that's what I'm asking of it so there.

[AuthenticM]

I am currently playing through Silent Hill 3 and nearly shitted in my pants at some point. I am currently in the Hilltop Center.