"Every town has its secrets," and Silent Hill had its own secrets up its sleeves when the games were being developed. Silent Hill first scared gamers on the PlayStation back in 1999 and has since seen over a dozen games and two movies across several generations, and remains a staple in the horror video game genre. Even with limited technology, Silent Hill found ways to manipulate gameplay and the minds of gamers to give them a truly terrifying experience.
From creating an iconic setting like the town itself, or an iconic enemy like Pyramid Head, Silent Hill found ways to scare gamers in the moment and create "shattered memories" that last with them well after they finish the game. It's no surprise that the series is making a comeback as Konami announced a new movie and several new games are being developed.
10 An Alternate Reality That Is Strange But Familiar
In the Silent Hill universe, the town of Silent Hill is very real, but it's the alternate version of that town where things get really messed up. This dark realm of fears that come to life changes the game from spooky and creepy to completely horrifying and scarring.
Everything from the walls of buildings to the sky above changes into a darker, gruesome version of itself, and the town is now populated with demons and monsters. This realm is a manifestation of fear and hate and gives players a familiar but terrifying world to explore.
9 Grotesque Versions Of Familiar Beings
While there are many frightening creatures and terrifying monsters in the Silent Hill franchise, it's often the more human-looking ones that drive the fear home. Enemies like the nurses really put players on edge because they look almost natural — except for their janky moments and absent faces.
The designers took something that people think of as helpful, an aide to assist in getting better, and flipped the idea on its head, turning a nurse into an instrument of death. Silent Hill took the familiar and comforting and turned it into the grotesque and horrifying.
8 Fog Creates The Terror Of The Unknown
Because of the power of the early home consoles, games couldn't fully render large spaces, and the draw distance was fairly short, meaning areas of a level further off from the player looked to be in a sort of fog. Silent Hill turned what was a technological limitation and made it into an iconic aspect of the horror genre.
Silent Hill used this as a theme for the games, creating an atmosphere of mystery and the unknown, leaving players to wander a veiled area, hesitant for what may come around a corner or suddenly appear in the gray mist. The fog became a character and is synonymous with the series, preying on the idea that something is hiding in the mist.
7 There Are Characters & Stories That Deal With Real Trauma
The world of Silent Hill, especially the dark realm version of the town, is a physical manifestation of the characters' fear, hate, anger, and guilt within the game. These feelings grow from traumatic pasts that these characters have endured, and the game doesn't avoid some of the more taboo subjects.
There are characters who were abused by family members, burned alive, and experimented on, and others who have mental health issues. The games take players to dark places, not only with settings and enemies, but with real-life themes that affect real people. There is a level of unsettling realism in the trauma the Silent Hill games deal with that make them incredibly intense.
6 Silent Hill 4 Gave Players A False Sense Of Safety
Horror games thrive on putting the player on edge. Still, in order to deliver the "always looking over your shoulder" mentality, they need to give players a false sense of security. Once their guard is down, that's when the real scares come along.
Silent Hill 4: The Room did this wonderfully as the player believes that their apartment is a safe haven, a place where the demons and ghosts can't get them. But later in the game, the safe barriers drop, the spirits start invading what was once a safe room, and the player no longer has any place or time to relax. There are other moments in the series like this, with the normal town vs. the dark realm version of the town.
5 Pyramid Head Is An Terrifying Horror Icon
One way to really get gamers running in terror is to create a big bad enemy that feels almost unstoppable. Silent Hill 2 did just that with the introduction of the now-iconic Pyramid Head. This human monster has a large metal pyramid-shaped helmet, whose look echoes the butchers and executioners of the past of the town of Silent Hill.
Pyramid Head is a manifestation of the guilt and desire for punishment of the game's protagonist, James Sunderland, wielding a massive sword and tearing anything it comes across into shreds. A character that can instill a sense of fear and dread with one glance is a masterpiece in the world of horror.
4 The Series Was An Eastern View Of Western Horror
Silent Hill was developed in Japan by a team of Japanese game developers. Still, instead of taking the standard approach of familiar Japanese horror, director Keiichiro Toyama and the team decided to look at horror influences from Western culture, including Stephen King, David Cronenberg, and Alfred Hitchcock, among others.
The team then took these tropes and motifs and put them through a Japanese cultural lens, which freshened up the typical horror experience. The game was set in an American town with American characters and followed the story structure of American horror. Numerous references, such as street names, are also named after these influences.
3 Players Were Teased With Jump Scares
Jump scares are a simple way to throw off gamers or viewers, but they are so common that people come to expect them and get ready, meaning they have little to no impact. Silent Hill took this into account, and while the games still include jump scares, they are not where players expect them to be.
The developers created moments of suspense, leading players into a scene where they would expect something to pop out, but never made it happen. These scares were delayed until well after that expected moment. This created a heightened sense of unease and anticipation that left hearts racing and players looking over their shoulders at every turn.
2 The Developers Used The Player's Mind Against Them
Video games are interactive experiences that require the player to interact with objects, characters, and settings. The game will tell the player what is happening, to whom, and what for, but Silent Hill took a step backward, in a way, to play with the minds of players. Yes, the story is told through the game, but the atmosphere and the clues really prey on players' minds.
From strange paintings to curious letters, players come across bits and pieces of lore that give hints about the overall events, but let their minds finish the thought. Seeing a monster is scary enough, but imagining what a monster could be is an endless tunnel of terror for the mind.
1 The Sound Design & Music Were Monsters On Their Own
Sound director Akira Yamaoka combined ominous tones with industrial sound effects that perfectly suited Silent Hill's regular and dark worlds. The harmonious melodies that used string instruments and piano created an unsettling calm atmosphere that, while relaxing on the surface, actually put players on edge.
The random clangs of metal that were incorporated into tracks once again threw players off, as they would never be sure if that bang was an enemy or just part of the music. The buzz of the player's radio was also an iconic feature, as it got louder when enemies were nearby. It was an auditory warning that toyed with players as they knew something was near, but they couldn't necessarily see it.