Silent Hill

is the title of a highly successful survival horror video game franchise, produced by Konami.

As of 2006, there are five Silent Hill video games available (one available only in Japan), all of which were released to strong sales and critical acclaim. Gameplay includes action as well as puzzles, detailed environments, and storylines revealed through numerous cinematic cut scenes. Each game unfolds like a movie with several possible endings; the player's choices during the game determine which ending is shown. In 2006, Sony Pictures released a full-length Silent Hill film. The Silent Hill series has achieved a cult-like status, where fans come up with various theories of unsolved or unknown questions left in the game. Silent Hill's disturbing environment has contributed significantly to its success.

Setting

The title's namesake, 'Silent Hill', is an isolated lakeside resort town in the United States inhabited by mysterious forces. Demonic and disfigured creatures roam the streets and buildings, and the town continually shifts between everyday reality and a decaying "Otherworld." In the first two games, the protagonists are drawn to the seemingly abandoned town; in the third and fourth games, the town reaches out to characters who have some previous connection to it.

Determining the exact location of Silent Hill is complicated. The games portray Silent Hill as a small, secluded town, smothered in fog, surrounded by large hills and flanking a lake, but this could be any one of a hundred towns in the United States. The manual to the first game describes Silent Hill as a small New England resort town, and the town's surroundings, particularly the fog, are similar to the region. In the second game, the number plates on all the cars are from Michigan. The fourth game takes place in a town called Ashfield, which resembles Fall River, Massachusetts, home to famous alleged axe-murderer Lizzie Borden (dark American folklore is one of the series' influences).

Evidence of Silent Hill's location can be seen in the first game when Harry searches the school. Placed on some classroom walls are flyers with "Chicago News" printed in bold type. With the rocky climbs nearby, it's possible the town is situated near Lake Michigan. It is not clear though whether Silent Hill is situated more in the middle of nowhere or close to a city (see: the road signs in Silent Hill 2 portray long distances between Silent Hill and neighboring towns/cities).

The town of Silent Hill is also located near a large body of water called Toluca Lake, which suggests a Southern California location. This is reinforced by the fact that Douglas' car in Silent Hill 3 has California tags, although to wit, Silent Hill 3 does not initially take place in the town, which itself is only visited in the second half after both Douglas and Silent Hill 3 protagonist Heather Morris go on a long, overnight drive.

However, the Japanese version of the Silent Hill 4 soundtrack lists an address for Heaven's Night, a strip club in Silent Hill, and the state is listed as Maine, so many fans have decided that Silent Hill is in Maine.

The film adaptation Silent Hill, released in spring of 2006, places Silent Hill in fictional Toluca County, West Virginia.

In researching the different elements of Silent Hill, screenwriter Roger Avary (Killing Zoe, The Rules of Attraction) came across the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. In the List of Silent Hill locations there is a place called Ashfield which is half a day's drive from Silent hill. Looking at a map of Centralia, there is a town called Ashland about a mile south of Centralia. Also mentioned in the list is the town of Portland and a section of Silent Hill called South Vale, located on the south shore of Toluca Lake. Also mentioned in the history of Centralia was a fire in a landfill that spread to the coal mine underneath the town. In Silent Hill, Alessa Gillespie was severely burned and the coals used to burn her set fire to the rest of the town. It seems that Centralia planted the seed for what developed into the cinematic version of the town of Silent Hill. [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=17004468%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

Atmosphere

The games' visual design has come in for strong praise, depicting dark, fog-enshrouded, decaying environments enhanced by chilling (and very sudden) sound effects and thoroughly unnatural, disturbing and surreal/absurd creature designs, some of whom seem to have been included simply to frighten and cause mental alarm rather to cause actual physical harm. Composer Akira Yamaoka has provided atmospheric and emotional music for the series, which ranges from the first game's post-industrial noise music to more traditional melancholy piano solos to heavy rock pieces. Many fans and reviewers have referred to the Silent Hill games as among the most disturbing ever made.

Gameplay elements that create the unique atmosphere in the game are the dense fog/pitch black settings, limiting visibility to about a three foot diameter about the character, coupled with the use of a radio that emits loud static and strange noises whenever a monster comes close to the main character. This creates a general feeling of paranoia in the player. One finds oneself dreading the noises that indicate the presence of the monsters roaming the streets. Being unable to see them, often until it is too late, the player is forced to either run or hope they are facing in the correct direction for attack. This element is what distinguishes the series from other horror video games, which usually resort to simple surprise tactics, as opposed to suspense.

Film adaptation (2006)

In 2003 a motion picture based on Silent Hill was officially announced, with French director Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) attached. The main storyline for the film adaption follows the original 1999 video game, but with a selection of features from the other games in the series as well as a selection of modern revisions.

One of the most obvious revisions is the replacement of Harry Mason with Rose Da Silva (Played by Radha Mitchell), a married mother whose life takes the unexpected turn toward Silent Hill in the hope to discover the source of her adoptive daughter Sharon's (Jodelle Ferland) nightmares culminating in a cry of "Silent Hill".

Against the wishes and knowledge of her husband, Chris Da Silva (Sean Bean), Rose takes off with Sharon on a daughter and mother journey to find the elusive town of Silent Hill, passing through the nearest settlement to their destination, Brahams. In doing so Rose encounters Brahams Police Department officer Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden) who is suspicious of the distraught mother and her actions.

The film featured music from series composer Akira Yamaoka. The musical score featured several selections of original game music, such as the opening from the first game "Silent Hill", "Promise - Reprise" from Silent Hill 2 and "Theme Of Laura", also from the second game.

The film was released 21 April, 2006. The overall plot layout and the town itself had remained intact within the film, however the changes to the story and characters were obvious to those who knew the franchise, or at least the first game.

The film did work towards grounding Silent Hill, which until 2006 had remained an 'everytown' that could exist anywhere. The film placed the fictional town in fictional Toluca County, West Virginia.

The film was released through Tristar in the United States, and Pathe in Europe.

Main Series

As of 2006, the Silent Hill series has four games, plus one Gaiden game, and another planned for release onto the next generation PlayStation 3 console. The series does not play in chronological order. Silent Hill one and three have a connecting stories with Harry and Heather being connected. Then Silent Hill two and four are connected with background stories of Walter Sullivan.

The "Silent Hill Collection" was released for Playstation 2 in April 2006 to coincide with the release of the Silent Hill film adaptation. The set includes the games Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3 and The Room. As of June 2006, the "Silent Hill Collection" is only available in Europe and Australia.

Silent Hill (1999)

The first Silent Hill was released in 1999 for the Sony PlayStation. The plot of the game was centered around Harry Mason arriving in Silent Hill and his subsequent attempts at finding his lost daughter, Cheryl.

''Silent Hill: Play Novel (2001)

In 2001, Silent Hill: Play Novel was released in Japan on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It featured a subplot set in the first game. It has not yet seen an official release outside of Japan.

Silent Hill 2 (2001)

A fully new sequel, Silent Hill 2, was released in 2001 for the Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox and PC. The extended versions for XBOX and PC are sometimes known as Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams and feature an extra subplot scenario, as do the "Greatest Hits"/"Platinum" budget re-releases for PS2. The plot centered around James Sunderland, who had received a letter from his deceased wife that led him to Silent Hill. The game's story may be an adaptation of the tale of Orpheus' journey to the netherworld to retrieve his wife Eurydice, or perhaps the similar Japanese tale of Izanagi and Izanami.

Silent Hill 3 (2003)

2003 saw the release of a second full sequel to the Silent Hill series as Silent Hill 3, released for the Sony Playstation 2 as well as for PC. Highly tethered to the events of the first game, the plot surrounds a teenager named Heather as she uncovers the mysteries that surround her past-including her own link to the haunted town.

Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004)

Although not originally intended as a part of the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 4: The Room was released in 2004 for the Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox and PC. Partly related to the Silent Hill 2 and only briefly set near Silent Hill, the plot follows Henry Townshend who finds himself mysteriously locked in his own apartment until a hole appears in his bathroom wall. The game features characters that are mentioned in previous titles and possibly related to other personas therein.

A number of unconfirmed rumours suggest that the game was not originally meant to be a part of the Silent Hill series, originally titled as "The Room". The rumours (Presently uncited) suggest that a number of months after the work with the game began the creators decided to retitle the game "Silent Hill 4: The Room". It is believed that there is proof to the rumour in the credits to the game which does not feature Akira Yamoka as music director; however as proof it is not definitive and questionable.

The Silent Hill Experience (2006)

This Video UMD was released April 6 for PSP by Sony Entertainment as a promotional item for the now released film.

Features:

View over 2 hours of digital comics based on the Silent Hill comic series presented with music.
Includes the comic series "Silent Hill: Dying Inside" and a brand new story "The Hunger"
20 music tracks selected from series' producer and music composer Akira Yamaoka
Exclusive video interview with the director of the Silent Hill movie Christophe Gans and series' music composer Akira Yamaoka
Rare video content from previous Silent Hill games
Trailers from all four games and the movie
3 videos from the DVDs "Art of Silent Hill" and "Lost Memories"

Source: Konami.com ^*

Silent Hill: Origins (Working Title) (2006)

Main Article: Origins

At E3 2006 it was announced that a Silent Hill title for the PSP will be named "Silent Hill: 0rigins" (with 'zero' in the place of 'O'), however the trailer points out that this is still a working title (an earlier teaser was titled "Silent Hill: NEXT"). The game itself will be a prequel, presenting events that took place before the first game in the series, instead of a remake or movie adaptation as it was rumored before. Still, little is known about the game itself as it is currently in the early stages of development. What is known is that the main character will be a truck driver named Travis O'Grady and the game will be presented in first person perspective. Konami stated that characters such as Dahlia, Alessa and Kaufman will return. Music will be composed by Akira Yamaoka. So far, this is the only Silent Hill title that is not being created by Team Silent.

Silent Hill 5 (TBA)

Main Article: Silent Hill 5

Not much is known about Konami's next Silent Hill title. While very little has been officially confirmed, Chief Designer of Silent Hill 5 Masashi Tsuboyama stated in a 2004 interview that the game would not appear on any of the then-current consoles. He also clarified rumours during the same interview that it wouldn't be titled "Shadows of the Past" as reported previously from one website. According to IGN, many speculate that the game is already in development and that the game is likely to be released on the Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 video game console to be released in early November 2006, though nothing has been officially announced. Many people believe that it will be set in a mental asylum (perhaps Brookhaven hospital) and will be told through a series of flashbacks depicting how the main protagonist got up to that point, though this has generally been associated with the Shadows of the Past rumour and has virtually no basis. On an episode of Electric Playground, Tommy Tallarico asked a developer about Silent Hill 5. He responded "It's a good time to be a Silent Hill fan," and the interview ended. There was a segment on the Silent Hill series after, and it was stated that the game would be released on current and next-gen consoles, but it was not said which ones.

Silent Hill comic books

A series of comic books written by Scott Ciencin with artwork by Ben Templesmith (Dying Inside #1 and 2), Aadi Salman (Dying Inside #3,4,5), Shaun Thomas (Paint It Black, Among The Damned) and Nick Stakal (Grinning Man, Dead/Alive #1 to 5) have been published by IDW Publishing. In general, the comic books by Ciencin are considered dull by fans because of poorly written stories, short length, uninteresting characters, muddled artwork, excessive and inappropriate action scenes and excessive use of profanity.

Silent Hill: the Original Graphic Novel (2000)

An original Silent Hill graphic novel was completed in 2000 by British comic company Com.X, but for some undisclosed reason the book was never published. Com.X and Konami have repeatedly officially stated that they still intend to publish the book, but no confirmed date has been set. Interestingly, IDW was unaware that this project existed when they pursued the license.

Silent Hill: Dying Inside (2004)

This particular story arc was released as five issues, with the first two dealing with a doctor and patient. The remaining three issues cover a group of goth kids. It was later released as a trade paperback.

In the first two chapters, Dr. Troy Abernathy wants to cure Lynn DeAngelis from her delusions, which began after she went to do a movie in the town of Silent Hill. Abernathy takes her back to the town... only to discover a world built from his inner fears, and ruled by a demonic little girl -- Christabella -- who seeks guilty souls. From Chapter 3 until the conclusion, a goth girl named Lauryn finds Lynn's movie and plans to go to Silent Hill to do the same stunt so her group can earn some cash. There, a final confrontation with Christabella occurs.

Silent Hill: The Grinning Man (2005)

State Trooper Robert Tower is on his last day of work before retirement when his new replacement, Mayberry, arrives. Despite the fact that Tower enters Silent Hill on a regular basis to look for missing people, he's never been exposed to the horrifying creatures that roam its streets. However, to play a prank on Mayberry (a firm believer in not only the lore of Silent Hill but also several other consipracy theories and supernatural concepts), he stages a "Monster" attack with two other officers. However, there is a new force in the town of Silent Hill -- a smiling madman with a mastery of both magical spells and firearms who considers the city his own personal hunting ground. The truth about the city is exposed to Tower and the showdown between he and the mysterious Grinning Man ensues.

Silent Hill: Dead/Alive (2006)

Consisting of 5 comic books written by Scott Ciencin, Dead/Alive links to the Dying Inside series by returning to Dr. Abernathy, Lauryn and her sister Christabella. Lauryn has a new boyfriend which appears to be Ike, the protagonist of Paint It Black. Somehow, Christabella manages to escape Lauryn's powers but returns as a normal little girl with little power. Then, she meets with a witch called Lenora who makes a deal with her. Lenora wants to bring Hell on earth through the characters of Connie and her ex-boyfriend actor Kenneth Carter.

Influences and Trivia

All four Silent Hill titles contain references to the movie Jacob's Ladder. Silent Hill's gradual decline from perceived normalcy to stylized decay bears a close resemblance to the film's visual aesthetic, and Silent Hill's monsters are often seen shaking their heads rapidly from side to side in unnatural and jerky motions, a direct lift of Jacob's Ladder's visual style. Silent Hill 2 implies the notion of the town being akin to a personal purgatory, another similar theme from the film. Another strong reference is the use of the name Bergen Street for the subway platform to which Heather (protagonist of Silent Hill 3's plot) encounters in Silent Hill 3. Bergen Street station played a significant part in Jacob's Ladder and the setting looks very much alike. Similarly, the 'Subway World' in The Room, with its surreal decay and blocked exits, echoes scenes from the film as well.
The novel House of Leaves and its use of impossible physical spaces may have been an influence on the series (especially in Silent Hill 2), with its almost interminable corridors.
The Silent Hill series also has some similarities with John Carpenter's film In the Mouth of Madness. For example, the town Hobb's End seems like a ghost town, and the center of evil there is a church. There are also demonic children in the film, like in Silent Hill 1. in the scene where Stiles transforms, she looks very similar to The Janitor in the Silent Hill movie.
The cult television series Twin Peaks is said to have had an influence on many aspects of the games. Both the game and the TV series take place in a resort town. David Lynch's often dream-like sequences in the series are also very similar to the surrealist occurrences throughout the games. The show also contains a girl named Maddie, the cousin and dead-ringer of the murdered Laura Palmer. The fact that many characters mistake her for Laura shows a striking resemblance to the relationship between James Sunderland and Maria in Silent Hill 2. The book Lost Memories lists Twin Peaks as a main influence for the first three games.
Silent Hill 2 also uses elements from David Lynch's movie Lost Highway. For example: James meets a woman that looks like his wife, there is a video tape on which he kills his wife. Both events also take place in Lost Highway.
Throughout the series, it becomes clearer that there may be three levels of reality in Silent Hill. The 'top level' is where people live out their lives as normal, bearing hardly any difference to any other town of its kind. The next level could be called 'Foggy' Silent Hill (or the 'Alternate' Silent Hill), where an all-pervading fog obscures visibility to a matter of feet, similar to Stephen King's The Mist (a favorite story of one of the series' developers). Some monsters are apparent at this point, but the town environs are practically unchanged. The third layer down, where the real corruption of the reality lies, can be called 'Otherworld'. This darkness is not just a physical darkness, which is used to put the player on edge, but also corresponds to the kinds of monsters found here. This 'Otherworld' is the rotten core of the town. However, the recent comic book adaptations only have two layers, with Silent Hill being in fact an abandoned and monster-infested ghost town. Paint It Black points out that cable, power, and phones all work within the city limits, and the stores are refreshed with food.
Though the town of Silent Hill is officially located somewhere in New England, there is a body of water in the town named "Toluca Lake", named after the real Toluca Lake in Southern California, near Burbank, North Hollywood, and Studio City. This serves as a roundabout homage to Director David Lynch; Lynch is legendary for having eaten lunch at Bob's Big Boy restaurant every day for approximately seven years straight. ^* That particular Bob's Big Boy is located in Toluca Lake, CA on Riverside Drive, just down the road from Warner Bros. Studios and Universal Studios.

References

EuroGamer. Silent Hill 4: Two Guys In A Room 25 August 2004, 09:00.
EuroGamer. Silent Hill 5 coming to next gen 17 August 2004 16:57
IGN Silent Hill 5

External links

Official Silent Hill series site (Konami Europe)
Official Silent Hill 2 site (Konami Europe)
Official Silent Hill 3 site (Konami Europe)
Official Silent Hill 4 site (Konami Europe)
Official The Silent Hill Experience site (Konami America)
Silent Hill series (Konami Japan)
Silent Hill Online "Silent Hill Online: The Devil's Playground", a text-based MMORPG (MUX) set in Silent Hill
Welcome to Silent Hill The official site for the 2006 movie, contains teaser and information.
Silent Hill review at DreadCentral.com
Silent Hill the Movie at Rottentomatoes.com
Silent Hill Movie Clips and Trailers (AOL Moviefone)

Note: The Silent Hill fan community is quite large and maintains numerous websites related to the game.

Computer and video game franchises | Fictional towns and cities in the United States | Silent Hill

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