Silent Hill Analysis | Ghosts, Death, & the Afterlife in the SH Series
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- čas přidán 6. 04. 2022
- #silenthill #sh #sh2 #silenthill2 #sh3 #silenthill3 #silenthill4 #silenthillanalysis #silenthillseries
How does Silent Hill present death and the undead, and where do those traditions come from? We explore Japanese myth and folklore to better understand the dead of Silent Hill.
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The Silent Hill games are so amazing. Konami is sitting on a goldmine and they refuse to use it.
They make more money off pachinko
If I owned the IP I wouldn’t let nobody touch this franchise considering how current culture destroys everything it touches.
@@codygames5415 they’ve been making silent hill pachinko machines. If that ain’t ruining the franchise, then idk what is.
Let’s all be real here, Konami showed their ass with the MGS V debacle and the abuse of employees. They are a company ran by old school Japanese men, that care more about honor and respect then making a successful product that earns their company awards and appreciation.
Rumor is, they are being pressured of late, a new MGS remake is rumored, so if that’s the case, we may get a SH remake. That’s the best we can hope for since remakes are relatively cheap and they want to spend as little as possible.
What are you talking about ..they do use it where you get such an absurd speculation SMH 😂
@@cturner9884 Yeah I'm a huge fan of the silent hill skateboards that recently came out. I'm assuming you're talking about that instead of the last game that came out 10 years ago
Harry Mason is such a sad character. The ending of this video was very thouching. Like he suffered so much yet he still blame himself for things that was out of his control. He keept away things for Heather just so she could live a happier life. Like he had nobody to talk to & no one would believe him anyway. 😢I wonder what happened to Cybil tho. I wish she had ended up whit Harry.
Yes this was awesome and really gave me another perspective on the Quadtrilogy and I totally was blame away finally seeing Harry’s face in that chair :( and I totally agree Cybil should have been with harry and could have been parents to Heather! So much to think about. I love this series 🥹
@@JaketheJedi23 Yes, silent hill is amazing! The characters are so deep. I love how Silent hill treat both men & women to, they all feel like they could be real people in the real world.
Indeed, Cybil & Harry should have been so good toghether raising Heather but Cybil probably didn't make it since she's never mentioned once in the third game. Plus Harry still got the antidote to.
Yeah I dont get why they didnt end up together. I guess the good ending wasn't the canon ending.
oof. "I'm the same as them" with a flashback of Lisa. It would be poetic considering Harry's confusion, fear, and overall treatment of her in her final moments.
You just gave me an idea for a theory.
How tf did you get a pic in your username
"He is a ghost, he cannot die"
For some reason an image of Fatal Frame ghosts just wearing shirts with variations of that written on them comes to mind
Harry's death will forever break my heart...
Wow that's pretty depressing! I never once thought that Harry would just accept being killed! I never thought about him feeling guilt either though. I guess I always thought he wanted to be alive for the girl he had been raising after all that had happened. Poor Harry. 😞
I wish I could chill or just know everyone in this comment section. I don’t know anyone in my life that likes silent hill or even knows about it. I enjoy reading the comments about everyone’s thoughts on the game. Hope you’re all doing well. ✌️
Same lol I wish there was like a virtual thing even on zoom with people who like silent hill to just talk about it. I too don’t know anyone who likes silent hill: it’s like everyone is into tik tok or into the war that nobody talks about it. An I’m in Los Angeles one the most biggest cities in the world 😂
Hell yeah I agree, no one knows about the games except the internet lol. I’m doing good bro! Hope all is well on your end 😌🕯
I didn't think Fatal frame or Kuon would be mentioned in this video, they are some of my favorites also Siren.
The part about Harry really hits deep. Cried a bit... wonderful video. 👍🏻
Time to make a good cup of Coffee and relax to the gamingmuse and silent hill. 💖☕
I got hooked on this channel after the Dmc/gothic literature video. And man, it just keeps delivering straight bangers lol
I absolutely loved this episode muse everything I was squalling about all day and nights came to. I was just watching the older SHS of Lisa Alessa Maria and Mary. You make the story of silent hill more appealing xo cheers and thankyou muse
Yeah she does amazing at all the silent hill lore!
This is an excellent take on SH lore. And I love how much you delved into Japanese themes. It was a pleasant surprise you even knew about Sugawara no Michizane. I used to frequent Kitano Tenmangu shrine while I lived in Kyoto. And yes all the Shinto influence is still present here in Japan. So too is the Buddhism, and a lot of themes on death are actually influenced by "Buddhist" superstitions as well. (I put Buddhist in quotes because a lot of those beliefs are syncretic superstitions stemming from various sources- such as Confucianism, Chinese folk religions, and Taoism in the form of Onmyo-do). The Buddhism of Japan is unique to Japan, no matter the sect. And many people think of Buddhist effects as being related to death (as opposed to how I think of it, which is more of a way of life and facilitating joy). Anyways, lovely presentation.
Wow, it must take a lot of work to research this stuff. Great job!
You've done an amazing job with this series! I love it. Also, I remember reading the book that Harry wrote in near the end of SH3 and my reaction was basically "DAMN HARRY! That's how you felt huh?" I felt conflicted but at the same time was still intrigued nonetheless. Again, amazing series.
Incredible video!! Very moving.
It’s nice to gain a greater appreciation for these games I played in my youth. At that time, I didn’t understand or appreciate their full depth.
Such an amazing video. I’ve always had the same questions about Harry’s death.
Let's goooooo new silent hill gaming mouse video
This is well done, hope there'll be more Analysis/Symbolism videos for other games in the future and I hope you'll keep using the Japanese language for games that is made from these companies because stuff like this is mindblowing and in my opinion the original japanese words are more faithful and tells the narrative of how these games are supposed to be told more so than English!
Edit: With Alan Wake 2 announced back in December I would love for you to once again make more Analysis/Symbolism videos of the game, but I recommend you to check out Gaming University's Channel who has made some of his own videos of that game as well as other Remedy Titles as well!
Great symbolism as always.
Fascinating and entertaining as always Muse 💙
This is great! I always wondered how death in Silent Hill really is. It seems like even if you “win” really, you still suffer a lot from loss of loved ones and still even have the town/cult to worry about.
I remember reading Harry’s “save point” notebooks in SH3 and I thought how he was like “I should kill her but I love her” but yet he didn’t and saved Heather. It seems like after two, since James killed his wife, I truly think James really died due to his karma. Harry at least did the right thing. Who knows, he could have fought back (in sh3) but it’s even sad to think that maybe he wanted to die cuz of how he thought he couldn’t keep Heather safe. Seems more fucked than just the cult sneaking up on him and killing him. The way you described it was chilling! Maybe he wanted to die lol.
At least we know that 1&3 the characters were alive for all the years after the tragedy of the first game. 2-4 just makes you think for sure they’re dead lmao. Poor Henry tho, he was probably the most innocent character out of all the series (1-8) he really got the worst luck. Move into a haunted ass apartment, and gets enters someone else’s nightmares and monsters. To this day I think about SH4 & how it’s probably the most unique out of 4, it’s intense in its own way and yes at times very frustrating. But I still love it.
2-3 for me are my favorites. 2 is when you know you’re evil at the end. 3 is like, you came from evil, testing you and making you fight for your life to see yourself be free from the evil that almost took you over.
Man I can talk about these games forever. You did a awesome job, thank you for reading this lol 🤘🏻😈🤘🏻
Whew, that ending... goosebumps. Absolute chills.
Man I love this franchise.
Death in Silent Hill is just as weird as other things and/or concepts in the franchise. Like said in the video, there is some characters since the very first game that, if you don't save them through specific actions, they die and there is no way of reverse that and they do not even appear as ghost or spirits (Cybil and Kaufmann. Well, Dahlia too, although, she cannot be saved from dying regardless of the actions of the player and, in the particular case of Kaufmann, you only delay his death if you save him). But then, then you have characters like Lisa that "she hasn't notice that she is like the rest of the nurses" until later in the game. And to make things more strange that already were to begin with, the game show us that reincarnation do exist in that universe, because, Alessa transfers her soul? Life force? Whatever... before dying to a new body that, as time went by, we come to know that being as Heather in Silent Hill 3.
In Silent Hill 2, both Eddie and Angela, cannot be saved and their deaths are inevitable and they don't manifest as ghost or something like that, for the rest of the game. Furthermore, the monsters that resemble the "Abstract Daddy" in the last stage disappear after Angela walks up the stairs, meaning that said manifestations cannot exist without her.
Maria was made by the town itself, so the same rules doesn't apply to her like the others, hence why, she dies again and again in the course of the game but Mary appears to James in some endings in what seems to be her room and she even talk to James. Although, she can also take the place of Maria in the final confrontation depending of the player's actions through the game, like the video states but the game itself, never explain if the Mary we see in those cases is a spirit or some kind of hallucination. Leaving that aside, in the "Rebirth" ending, James is very confident in bringing Mary back to life with the ritual, the same ritual that the plot of "Born from a Wish" revolves around. So, that means that resurrection is also possible in Silent Hill, along with reincarnation (as we saw in the first game).
To all of this we have to add that there is some locations where we can hear unearthly voices, the first one being Mary's voice through the radio questioning James about the reason he had to murder her, something that was changed because, the developers thought that it was a heavy spoiler and, yeah, it was but I would like to had that, either way, the first time I played the game just to feel a more eerie and chilling experience overall.
And, of course, I have heard the theory since the first game that everybody is dead (or dying), just like in Jacob's Ladder, something that I have thought myself numerous times but I think that the developers have said that is not the case, despite that, I still enjoy hearing new details that some people discovers from time to time, to claim, once more, that the theory is indeed real. I also agree that the character that fits more in this theory is Laura, because, there is a lot of things that have no explanation about her in game, like the disease she had when she met Mary and how dangerous was that disease, after all, Mary was about to die from her illness and if they both were in the same Hospital, that means that Laura was dying too? Also I don't think that Laura could see the real state or condition Mary had, the 3D model of Mary while she suffered her disease is severely damaged, physically speaking, thus why she didn't want James to see her. So, just like what happens with the monsters, I think Laura was unable of seeing Mary as she really was back then.
In regards to the death of Harry in Silent Hill 3, I have always had the idea that they killed him, because, he was the creation of Toyama and was, in a way, a revenge to him for leaving them, you know, an absent father just like in the game. After all, we never actually see Harry in Silent Hill 3, and even his 3D model is James' model.
By the way, I have seen a couple of times Moonlight Syndrome appearing briefly in some videos, that is a very uncommon game, even more than Twilight Syndrome, if possible, I would like to know more about that game and the plot within it.
This right here is a lot of why I liked Silent Hill as a concept. It's not really a land of the dead. It's a land of distorted reflections from the minds of the living. I would argue that a lot of the plot of Silent Hill probably wouldn't happen without the few actually living members of the cast, as Silent Hill itself has always seemed to be set up in a way that it requires living people to cast reflections from. That's why a great deal of creatures within the Silent Hill games relate to some phobia, regret, desire, or instability of the present characters.
Take Alessa out of Silent Hill and she's just an enraged girl trapped in a charred body. That her mother's insanity and her own rage made Silent Hill what it became was always more compelling to me than "land of the dead" theories and suggested symbology (though those symbols do have power in the universe of Silent Hill, but only because they reflect something about the desires of humanity).
It's also why the "Rebirth" and "Reincarnation" thing actually makes a bit of sense in Silent Hill, at least to me. Such a thing could work, because the people want to believe that it does, given Silent Hill reflects everything about a person's inner self and brings it to life. If it can do that without your consent, why couldn't it bring to life a person's idea of another person. That's practically Silent Hill 2 in a nutshell.
@@Exile_Sky I agree with what you just said. I will only like to add that, sometimes, the concept of Silent Hill, as a whole, seems to be a little bit messy, though. At first sight, everything looks like a haunted town but as you progress in the game (in the first Silent Hill), you realize that a lot of things are possible in this town, whether or not that possibility makes any sense or not. You have soul division of one person that creates two different bodies, just like in Dragon Ball with Piccolo and Kamisama or maybe like Rei and Lilith in Evangelion. Then, we see that reality itself means almost nothing, when everything in town is capable of shifting its physical appearance or location in the map if not be completely replaced for something else. Not to mention that UFOs are real in that universe, while it could be argue that they only are shown in the "jokes" endings similar to the "Dog" ending, that doesn't make them less "real" when you obtain those secret endings. And by the way, the town itself seems to like to play jokes from time to time, for example, we have the elevator quiz show and its goofy voice narrator in SH2. Another thing to point out in regards of the importance of the UFO concept beyond getting some laughs, could be the fact that *spoiler* in Siren, the other horror franchise made by Toyama, everything happens, because, an extraterrestrial being crashed on Japan, believe it or not. So, what I am trying to say with all of this, is that the nature of Silent Hill, referring me to both the town and the general concept that contains all these things, is chaotic and seems to lack any kind of rules known by humans and everything can happen from one moment to another. In a way, is similar to the nature of works like the Twilight Zone with lots of plot twist of strange stories and situations that involved strange characters, some of those stories, could went from comedy to drama or from Sci-fi to pure horror in just one episode. Also, there are the works of Junji Ito that have similar vibes to the Twilight Zone with the "everything is possible" idea.
Did angela die in SH2? I dont remember that being confirmes
@@QuantumTelephone Sadly, she perish on the fire, that is why you never meet her again. In the PC version, someone made like a mod to being able to move the camera in a way that is possible to see what happens after she crosses the wall of fire on the stairs and Angela twist her body in pain. It's on CZcams, search for something like this: "Angela's Death Cam Hack".
@@panchopistolas2593 lol. I'd forgotten about the elevator.
i just love your videos so much
Thank you so much for all your work for the games! I check out your other content and it’s friggin great!!! Much love and care to you ❤️🕯
Fear what can't be controlled or manipulated to go the way we want
I always look forward to your videos! 💖💖 and I'm so happy to be early for once haha
I thought I'd consumed all the interesting and unique SH content on CZcams, then I discovered your channel. This is wonderful!
15:53 we dont even see his face. maybe they didnt want to model a face for a singular scene but even his face is absent
Beautiful video!!
Idk how I got unsubscribed, but glad to see this video in my feed!
Great like always my favorite sh channel 😇✌👍 greetz from germany
Harry’s death will always be one of the deaths in video games that has and always will stick with me. I remember being so shocked when that scene happened and crying because silent hill 1 was such a hard game for me to play when I was younger because it scared me so much. I grew to really like Harry in that one, so seeing him die so unceremoniously in SH3 was heart breaking, but also why SH3 Is one of my favorite games. It’s just such a powerful story - and I’ve loved finding your channel and watching your videos on the lore.
Have you ever considered covering any of the clock tower games? I’d love to see your take on those, especially the first one which is my favorite of them.
Thoughts on exploring the Artaud Theater of Silent Hill Origins? Feel like that's a location that people seem to unanimously like from the game
Sunday night, browsing the handful of streaming services for an interesting horror movie, nothing at all. I open CZcams and see a SH video recommendation. Now we're talking!
Could you do symbolism videos on the Clock Tower series?
That would be so cool !
I played a lot sh before being able to play sh2 and follow. I always have a sensation that victory is unachievable, that endings are a loop because that. Even in my dreams sh horror are unbeteable.
Can you elaborate about the idea of full circle?
Groovy video.
I originally believed the sh3 section would cover Heather. A white jacket wearing woman mystically born seeking vengeance.
:`- ( Harrys part at the end got me, sad but good video. thx muse, as always.
Hola
Thank You
I would like to see your thoughts on the many creatures in silent hill
¡Gracias!
I was thinking what would be a fun concept for a story, Protagonist is called to Silent Hill never been there before in their life but heard stories. When they get there they keep seeing someone that looks like Lisa Garland, Finds out Lisa was their mother, but something darker more evil called them to Silent Hill. I like the idea of a dead sibling like a twin that didn't make it or a mischarge or abortion of pervious pregnancy and that regret and pain turns into a monster that calls the protagonist to Silent Hill.
You should do the same concept with the Silent Hill graphic novels!
Great video.. just curious are you the same lady that was on TGWTG? Gamer den I think it was called.. you sound kinda like her and she covered silent hill games..
I think i will back to this video many times.
I'm back #1
Surprised no mention of Lisa from PT.
Can the other world be different for different people? Do they all generally have to have fog and darkness? If Imamura and his team didnt get canned by Konami they were going to explore a creepy sunny otherworld. Explore how each person has their own otherworld variations and what they mean.
There's another horror game franchise you might be interested , muse
It's called siren
Take a shot every time they say “vengeful spirit” 🤣
No one comments on every corpse found in silent hill 2 all the dead represent just one person, James.
And all the endings are valid for the character since the antagonist (James) is trapped and will never get out of the hell created by him.
Couldn't help but notice you only mention the Buddhist concept of karma. This version is interpreted more as cosmic justice but in its original form its translation was closer to "your doing" for better or worse. A modern equivalent would be the saying "living in your head rent free". How a thought makes you feel, is just that, a thought. Whatever the emotion or how you respond is your doing. It's very grounding once it clicks. Potentially a place like Silent Hill would respond to your emotions wether justifiable or not. Good things can happen to bad people and bad things to the good. How you deal with this is karma.
The only death i know is the (janky controls) Really dawn- Left analog only for all the movement and directions.
🖤
I want, your gameplay, of the new videogame. Must be...
Well, that Silent Hill hiatus didn't last long lol
Legally if I go longer than two weeks without one silent hill video, I will be arrested by the gaming cops.
17:32 as in, a selfish parent ? We all are a little selfish. But at least he tried to be better than that.
I was referring to Dahlia in that instant, who is definitely a selfish parent.
.
Silent hill series died after 1 imo because the town wss neverr alive,its efffects cane to life were caused by alessa being a witch snd her dark nightnares come to life becsuse of her dark powers.silent hill 2 ignores that concept foundation with the "town" doing all the work on its own which makes zero sense considering alessa was the bridge to bring such nightnares from the otherworld into the regular world so silent hill should not have monsters roaming around it like it does in sh2 and sh3 without her or someone with similar powers
Here's a theory. Lisa is Harry's executioner. Considering she has the power to take Kaufman down to hell, what are the odds she couldn't do it again with Harry? She is the same as them, right?
Why she would do that?
The Missionary was the one who killed Harry
Kinda boring.
Hola