James of Silent Hill

Ever since I got myself a Playstation 2 I knew I had to cure my fear of horror. The friend that I bought the console from digs H.P Lovecraft, and boy did I get a lot of horror! After having finished both Silent Hill2 and 3 I feel like I might have pulled of a crucial step in my horror-re modification process. After many nights of gaming and fear I have come to really appreciate the Silent Hill series. And since the second game is the most mind-boggling, I had to write about it. (spoilers ahead)

In SH2 You play as the character James Sunderland, who have just received letters from his wife Mary. The only problem is that Mary is dead since three years, and she wants you to visit their "special place" in the beautiful resort Silent Hill. Armed with the letter and a photo of her he sets of on a lonely trip.

There are many things that are wrong about Silent Hill though, and it's dark misty streets are inhabited by monster-like beings. At the same time James Sunderland is struggling with his own demons.


James looking into the mirror

A recurring disturbing part of James life seems to be the loss of people he holds dear. It is a main part of the tragic underlying story of SH2. James not only sees people go away under tragic circumstanses, he blames himself. There seems to be a deeper connection between his self-loathing aspects and Silent Hill in itself. Most obvious in the character Maria, and she reappears several times alive or dead as if to remind James of his internal struggle.


The scenery is really something else

Also. The brooding anti-thesis to a happy ending, "The pyramid head" also seem to disturbing to be real. Pyramid head seems to be a satanic figure in the christian sense that keeps coming back to punish James for his attachments to those that he cares for. But would pyramid head manage to punish him if James would not punish himself?

Nothing is obvious and while this is classical horror, the moral of the story is intriguing. The game is not a Shakespeare Novel, but deep enough to warrant a play from gamers as well as book-readers alike.