Silent Hill and the power of symbolism

Konami. Team Silent. 2001.

Silent hill is a third-person horror franchise first released on January 31, 1999.

Now I love the franchise Silent Hill and hold silent hill 2 as one of the best games ever made. There are multiple reasons why but as someone who has a specific love for character design and games I only need to look at Silent Hill for fantastic examples of creatures and characters. I feel the reason for this is the use of symbolism the franchise is known for.

So why are silent hills monsters so interesting and complex, well it's because of how they are a physical representation of the protagonist's thoughts and feelings, and it's this symbolism which makes the monsters so intimidating and creepy in my opinion.

In order for a character to be memorable and distinctive, they need to be able to show a personality. For example pyramid head from silent hill 2 objectively is one of the most memorable and recognisable horror icons in fiction and I feel the reason for this is his presence in the world, his design and most likely how he relates to the protagonist James Sunderland. Being a representation of James's guilt and want for punishment, this is shown through the movement and actions of the creature being tough and bulky. Being a constant force through the experience of the second game. I don't believe the character of pyramid head would be twice as interesting and memorable if it was not for the symbolic aspect of the personality of the character.

Almost all of the Creatures seen throughout the franchise holds some resemblance of symbolism and meaning behind their inclusion. I believe it is for this reason that they hold such a recognisable and meaningful presence over the series. Which is a unique aspect for the games unlike other video games and horror properties which usually just have visual designs which are creepy and disturbing looking but have no inherent meaning behind their design or inclusion. I feel this is what sets the monsters from silent hill apart from the rest. Now I'm not saying all characters in a game need some complex underlining themes and tones. But it's what I believe makes silent hills creatures so interesting and memorable and other games and mediums would improve my taking this into consideration when designing their own characters and creatures like this.

This is definitely something I enjoy doing with the characters that I create. Imagining the backstories and motivations for a character/creature. I do this because I feel that having an explanation behind a design gives the characters a feeling of belonging within that universe. Whilst sometimes it's better to leave thoughts and interpretations up to the imagination of the viewer as the fear of the unknown can be a powerful advantage for a creature. But that unknowing aspect is still a component of the design and still influences the look and behaviour of the character.

Konami. Team Silent. 2001. Grey Children.

Other examples of silent hill monsters that use symbolism to increase the effectiveness of their presence for me at least. Include the wheelchair monster from silent hill downpour or the grey children from the original. These are creatures that without their meaning and connection to the protagonists would not be as creepy or significant as they are to their stories within the town. It's the symbolism that adds to the complexity and atmosphere of the characters within the world and without it, they would just be another monster inside a horror game. Such as the monsters from Outlast 2 or the bobblehead nurses from silent hill homecoming. Monsters that "look cool" but don't really impact the story or the meaning behind their designs.

But in homecomings case, it's more on how the bobblehead nurse has nothing to do with the protagonist in that game and is only there because it's iconic to the franchise. I never said the franchise was perfect. While the monster works in silent hill 2 with being a representation of James's well... frustrated libido.

The English dictionary defines the word symbolism as "the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities". I feel this is shown in the franchise of Silent Hill and is an example of how symbolism can create and deepen a character and world.

For this reason, silent hills monsters and the symbolism they invoke are important factors for any character artist to take note of and learn that adding a meaning behind a characters design can make all the difference in the world to improve that character for the better and the world it inhabits.

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