Summary
Konami’s long-running survival horror seriesSilent Hillhas left its mark on gamers' memories with some iconic monster designs. Whether it’s the grim brutality of Pyramid Head or the twitching body horror of the Mannequins,Silent Hill’s enemies are nightmarish in both design and purpose.
SIlent Hill 2set an interesting standard for monster designs, which carried into later games in the series. Monsters throughout theSilent Hillfranchise often reflect key aspects of the psyche of the games' respective protagonists, or supporting characters. This lends an interesting nuance to the designs that is not often found in other horror games. It also gives a nice, neat, lore-consistent reason to vary monster designs over iterations and sequels. These are the most memorable and iconic examples of those designs.
Many players' first experience with theSilent Hillseries wasSilent Hill 2.As such, the Lying Figure isthe first enemy that introduced those players toSIlent Hill’s grotesque, fleshy designs. They appear as a humanoid figure encased in a glistening, fleshy, straight jacket-like covering. The Lying Figure is jittery and unnatural, able to shamble on two legs or scuttle around on the ground with surprising speed. Their unnerving not-quite-human quality was a deliberate effect repeated in manySilent Hill 2designs.
Director Masahiro Ito has said that the upper body design is meant to be reminiscent of a body bag, evoking James Sunderland’s vague memory of driving to the town of Silent Hill with his wife’s body. The writhing movements could represent death throes or the painful struggling of a restrained patient.
The Schism is one of the standout creature designs inSilent HIll Homecoming. It consists of a split upper torso with a pendulous, bladed head that can open to reveal rows of teeth and a lolling tongue. Not only is it grotesque, but these enemies are also numerous and deadly. A single swipe of the bladed head can drain half a player’s health, and they require players to use firearms when they can’t be avoided.
It’s unclear exactly what the symbolism behind the Schism is. Some fans think that the pendulum-like head may represent protagonist Alex’s slow realization of guilt, like a pendulum’s blade slowly approaching its victim.
8Mannequin
Legs Akimbo
The Mannequin is a creepy, ever-present enemy inSilent Hill 2.The design is memorable, resembling two sets of legs joined at the waist. At first, they appear immobile, only coming to life when the player gets too close or shines the flashlight on them. The uncoordinated flailing movements of the Mannequins, along with the inhuman, doll-like qualities of their limbs, makes for an unsettling design. Even more unsettling is the creature’s lack of a tell. They won’t trigger James' radio like other nearby monsters, until they attack.
As with other recurringenemies inSilent Hill 2, the Mannequins are one of James Sunderland’s delusions. As such, their designs have medical associations, like holes for leg braces and stomach tubing. This evokes his time spent with his wife in hospital.
Downpourmight not have been the bestSilent Hillgame, but the Prisoner Juggernaut keeps up the tradition of intimidating and grotesque monster designs. These late-game enemies make for some of the game’s most tough and memorable encounters. Their most horrifying aspect is their unending grin, with the flesh around their mouths pulled tight by the barbed wire that adorns their flesh. They act as alpha prisoners, possessing ridiculous strength and even leading other prisoners on leashes in one encounter.
The Juggernaut may represent the unsavory aspects of protagonist Murphy’s personality that came from his time in prison, as he has a strong revulsion towards them. However, they could simply represent the kind of gang leaders another prisoner would naturally fear.
6Flesh Lips
Hanging Horrors
The Flesh Lips are another example ofSilent Hill 2’s twisted body horror. In the boss fight in which they are encountered, they hang from the ceiling enclosed in a metal cage, with dangling legs and a bizarre protruding mouth between them. The Flesh Lips attack by strangling James with their dangling legs. Honestly, they’re not the most threatening enemy, but the close confines of the fight make them tough to deal with.
Towards the end of her illness, Mary often threw unkind words at James when he visited her. According to director Ito, this is what the lips between the legs of the Flesh Lips represent. They also have a strong resemblance to a restrained or bed-bound patient in their design.
Ghosts are the vengeful spirits of serial killer Walter Sullivan’s victims inSilent Hill 4: The Room. The player has to deal with several variations of this enemy type, which appear first as zombified versions of the former victims. The most horrifying aspect of the Ghosts is that the player can’t permanently kill them, only incapacitate them. Items for dealing with the Ghosts are scarce, which makes them a constant threat.
The later “New type” Ghosts are manifestations of characters Walter kills after the player has met them. They havemore distinct designsrelating to the victims and their method of demise, and more unique attack patterns.
The Butcher’s design may have a shade of Pyramid Head to it, but he’s a formidable and intimidating foe in his own right. The Butcher appears at several points inSilent Hill Origins, slaughtering creatures with an eerie calm, but not attacking the player — that is, until he is encountered in the Riverside Motel Kitchen. Protagonist Travis finds him butchering another creature from the game, a Two-Back this time. The Butcher appears to become enraged at this point, violently hacking at the creature before attacking the player in a tough boss fight.
The interesting aspect of the Butcher’s symbolism is his relation to Travis. In one of the game’s endings, Travis’s face blurs into the Butcher’s. Though this is the bad ending (and is thus non-canonical), it does lend some validity to the idea that the Butcher is a manifestation of Travis' pent-up rage and aggression.
The Nurse has appeared in manySilent Hillgames, with differing designs. Many consider the “Bubble-head” Nurses ofSilent Hill 2to be the most iconic, with their twitching movements and bloated, fleshy heads contrasting with the uniformed, sexualized bodies. The parasite-controlled Puppet Nurses of the first game have their own charm too. Some players consider the blood-covered, screechingnurses fromSilent Hill 3to be the most terrifying design.
Because they’ve had so many recurring appearances, their symbolism differs between games. The bloated heads of2’s nurses seem to represent James' suffocation of Mary, at odds with his sexual desire. Heather’s nurses in3represent her time in hospital, and her frustration and pain.
2Amnion
Mechanical Monstrosity
Silent Hill Homecoming’s final boss, Amnion, is one of the most grotesque designs in any of the games. Six mechanical limbs sprout from the rib cage of a female torso, which also appears to be heavily pregnant. A pulsing black tube attaches the creature’s groin to its mouth, and its bloated face extends in and out on a telescopic bellows. If its appearance wasn’t bad enough, the fight is also difficult. Amnion can spray bile, leap at the player, and attack with its limbs directly. It also has a grab with no QTE escape.
Symbolically, Amnion seems to relate to both protagonist Alex’s drowned brother Joshua, and their mother, who died giving birth to him. It’s not directly stated, but Alex does cut his brother’s form from the creature’s pregnant belly after the fight.
Of all the monster designs inSilent Hill, Pyramid Head has had the mostimpact on popular culture. Even non-gamers might recognize his Pyramidal metallic helm or over-sized rusting Great Knife. He first appears inSilent Hill 2,and he’s referenced and appears in other games likeHomecoming. However, his iconicSilent Hill 2encounters are his most memorable.
The appearance of Pyramid Head inSilent Hill 2represents James' latent desire to punish himself for killing his wife. His climactic fight against two of the monsters is a culmination of, and ultimately a release from, that desire. Later on in the series, Pyramid Head’s lore was tied into the origins ofSilent Hill’s cult.
