I recently discussed one of my favorite horror video games, Silent Hill 2. In that post we talked about what makes Silent Hill 2 such a successful horror game and why it still holds up well to this day. That I failed to mention, however, was one of the creepiest parts of the game. I would like to rectify that mistake so let’s get to it.
In Silent Hill 2 you play as James Sunderland, a man haunted by memories of his deceased wife. One day he gets a letter from her asking him to meet her in their special place in the town of Silent Hill. James ventures off to the small lakeside town to seek out the truth behind this mysterious letter.
James arrives to a deserted Silent Hill. The streets are empty; not a soul to be see. There is no one in the tavern or even the bowling alley. It is as if everyone in town had suddenly vanished. On top of that, there is a thick fog that baths the town in a shroud of darkness. It obscures James’ (and by extension, yours) surroundings.
Along the way to discover the truth, you encounter a wide variety of horrific entities. Creatures that can only be described as things of nightmares. Men-like beasts who look as if they had been wrapped in fleshy straight jackets, scantily clad nurses with bandaged faces and wielding pipes and handguns, a pair of living legs sewn on top of another pair of legs, and of course the dreaded Pyramid Head – a terrifying immortal that stalks your every turn. These are just some of the monsters that James encounters along his journey.
Normally, the monsters alone would be enough to elicit a player’s whimpers, and yet it isn’t enough. Not for a game like Silent Hill 2. It continues to assault the senses by providing the player with an environment as visceral and disturbing as the enemies themselves.
One such example would be Room 208. In the Woodside Apartments, the first real “level” of the game, you come across Room 208. It is an important room in which players must solve a puzzle in order to progress. The first time players visit the room they may notice how sparsely decorated it is. The only bits of furniture in the room are a coffee table, an old television set, and a gross armchair. Consequently, it is nothing out of the ordinary. Therefore why should you question this room?. After all, we’ve seen other rooms that look similar. Why should this apartment be any different??
It is only after you find the clock key that the room changes. Even as the room loads into view, you can immediately tell that something is wrong. The sound of static now fills the once quiet room. Walking into the family room will expose players to a grisly sight – a trail of blood leading from one side of the room up to the chair. A splash of blood on the television and in the chair itself, a corpse.
All the while the television remains tuned to a channel of constant static. An eerie soundtrack to the grisly scene lying in front of you. That is what I mean by the environment being an unreliable narrator. Silent Hill 2 immerses players in an ever-changing environment. Similarly, the town, much like James, is an unreliable narrator; constantly changing what is real and what is make believe.
Yet there is something more chilling than Room 208. I am not talking about the prison level; filled to the brim with some fantastically horrifying sound design. Nor am I talking about the endless pitfalls beneath the Museum (If you know, you know.).
No. I am talking about a small, almost forgettable moment early in the game that, to this day, sends chills down my spine.
In Neely’s Bar, a tavern that you can explore during the first half of the game, you come across a window. Plastered upon the window are newspapers and written upon the newspapers (presumably in blood) are 8 simple words.
There Was a hole here…
It’s Gone Now.
Chills. I have chills.
There is something inherently wrong about this sentence. I cannot put my finger on it. Like, who wrote this? What is the hole that they are referring? Is this a physical hole or a metaphorical one? What made it vanish?
I am picturing some poor soul who, like James, is trapped in their own personal hell. Within the walls of Neely’s Bar is someone who has seen a hole – a hole big enough for them to notice daily. Eventually, there comes a day where the hole no longest exists.
I imagine this shattering their world. That there is this constant in their life that had suddenly up and vanished. The hole has gone away and it took their perception of reality along with it. Furthermore, if that was not strange enough, they also feel the need to tell others about the hole. They paint the window with a warning for others to see. To let people know about the whole.
Of course, this is just a theory I have. . There are some fans out there that feel like this message represents James and his possible alcoholism. That the hole is the pain he feels over his wife’s death and by drinking, he has filled that hole. Either way, it is still an eerie message that sends shivers down my spine.
Although I wish I could explain it better, I can’t. The message triggers this primal fear from deep within. Therefore I cannot help the almost Eldritch-like feeling I get from reading this. Almost as if there is something more ancient, more evil than Silent Hill out there waiting for us.
Feeling almost Eldritch in nature – as if the hole is part of something more ancient, more evil than Silent Hill itself.
No matter how you interpret the message, you cannot deny the sense of wrongness and dread that comes from reading it. Just another example of the brilliance that comes is Silent Hill 2. That even something so small, so simple, can elicit terror in the player.
Now I ask this of you, my dear readers: What subtle moments did you find equally scary in Silent Hill 2? Please let us know in the comments below and thank you for joining us today!