------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2)
                               Plot Analaysis
                By Duncan Bunce aka The Hellbound Heart (2004)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This guide has been dedicated by me, to Team Silent and every Silent Hill
fan who keeps this great series alive (especially those who have taken the
time to email me).

If you would like to visit me at my site and leave
feedback, you'd be more than welcome. Simply register:

http://heavensnight2k4.proboards29.com/index.cgi


--------------------------------------
 Version 3.00
--------------------------------------

My apologies for lateness of update,
studies are killing my spare time.

However, I have managed to add some
stuff here and there and complete a 
section, I have a free week coming
up next week, so I hope to finish
most of this guide except for email
updates then.

Thanks for all your emails!

-------------------------------------
 Version 2.00
-------------------------------------

In the process of taking a look at the translation of
the Japanese plot guide called 'Lost Memories' and info.
translated from the www.sh4.com JP site.
Adding relevant details here.

I'm getting very near to happy with an accurate and fullish
guide. Expect More This week. Thanks for all emails, credit will
go accordingly of course when added.

I will finish a few sections, add more and explain those sheep!
And check for spelling mistakes and explanation errors, I'm sure
I missed a few in my haste to update!
------------------------------------
 Version 1.00
------------------------------------

Great official SH4 walkthrough guide by Piggbank, highly
recommended, and has a page about the plot at the back
which is very informative. Just begun to integrate that
here.

The Ritual information has finally been finished and
some corrections made, and some more info. about
Walter/Kid and Eileen has been added, as well as what
all those places Henry visits mean symbolically.
------------------------------------
 Version 0.5
------------------------------------

The Henry and Eileen character analysis are finished,
and Walter's has been started and is near completion
but for more reflection on his past abuse which is yet
to be done.More characters to be added and a few more
headings.

------------------------------------
 Contents
------------------------------------

Silent Hill 4 Analysis Guide
Written by The Hellbound Heart
Copyright 2004 Duncan Bunce.

If you want to vote on this faq, please bear in mind it's
not completely finished but of you like it, I appreciate
the vote very much, as it lets me know you actually
like this guide or not.

1) Introduction

2) Silent Hill 4: The Room - Character Analysis

          A) Henry Townsend
          B) Eileen Galvin
          C) Walter Sullivan (& The'Little Walter', aka the kid)
          D) Cynthia Velasquez
          E) Joseph Screiber

3) The Rituals

          A) The Ritual of the Holy Assumption
          B) Descent of the Holy Mother - 21 Sacraments Ritual
          C) Information regarding the other victims of Walter
          D) Why do we find Walter's body in SH4 when he died in
             his cell?
          E) Why is it that Walter kills the monsters in the
             dimensions?[Coming Soon]
          F) Walter's weapons for the murders

4) An in-depth analysis of 'The Room'

5) A look at the monsters of Silent Hill 4

          A) Doubleheads
          B) Sniffer Dogs
          C) Victims 
          D) Greedy Worm

6) Looking back on the series: 'Nature v.s. Industry'

7) The Timeline of the Silent Hill series [Coming Soon]

8) Influences on Silent Hill 4: The Room

9) Contact Me

10) Legal Information

11) Bibliography


-------------------------------------------------------------------
 1) Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to my Silent Hill 4 Plot Analysis Guide on gamefaqs.
Welcome to all those who emailed me about being fans of my guide,
who have read my last guide on all three titles of the series, and
for those who kept asking me if I was going to be doing an analysis
for the fourth installment. Truth be told, I hadn't intended it, as
I also knew that unlike Silent Hill 3, the game would be out in the
UK last and that everything that needed to be said about the game may
have been said by then. Surprisingly it seems it hasn't. I no longer
have the time to check the Silent Hill gamefaqs boards and contribute
as regularly as I used to, so this guide, the initial version 1, will
contain purely my own thoughts and just like before, I would love to
read your own theories sent to me by email and have you contribute to
this guide, with credit of course. Only this way can these guides become
anywhere near as definitive or 'a fans guide'to the series.

I receieved many emails for my last plot guide to the three games, and
they were all vauable, however I did go through a difficult period at one
stage and couldn't update as much as I would have liked, and in the end
with computer problems on top of it I lost my last update for that guide.
As you can imagine, it made me kind of depressed. In truth, emails I
receieve now, while I read all of them, do somewhat repeat or add
conjecture that isn't as important as the material already there. I also
came to the decision that it is time to move on and start a fresh with this
new game and guide, to essentially reinforce and prove/disprove/debate
theories that we had all thought about in the last games.

ON A SIDE NOTE: if anyone who reads this guide happens to have remembered
sending me an email concerning Silent Hill 1 and the religious ark, please
contact me immediately. That was one email I lost and wished to discuss in
more detail.

So, Silent Hill 4: The Room is finally out and has garnered it seems, not
a hugely favourable feedback from reviews. It is certainly the most radical
and innovative of the series to date, and with any new ideas, there is bound
to be clashes. I wasn't completely impressed by the game director who was
interviewed and said he knew the game wasn't great to play at times and that
it was hard for new ideas to be implemented in a quickly becoming stringent
genre to fans, but after play I do feel he was being too hard on himself.
And of course, if Resident Evil 4 can do it, then anyone can. Unfortuantely
for Siletn Hill 4, there isn't a great deal of plot ambiguous enough to
analyse as Silent Hill 1&2 had, or Silent Hill 3 with character depth by
examing the surroundings, yet there is much to discuss about concerning
Henry and Joseph, and Walter's sad past.

For my Plot Analysis of the Silent Hill Universe and games 1,2 &3, please use
this link:

http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/silent_hill_3_plot.txt

Suffice to say, it's an awesome game in my opinion, flawed genius.
It certainly seems to have been influenced this time around by such games as
Shenmue, Project Zero (Fatal Frame), Super Mario 64/Sunshine and
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, all excellent games and pleasing evidence
that Team Silent are always looking to evolve the series.

This is the last PS2 Silent Hill game, until Silent Hill 5, most likely on
PS3.

Until then, I hope you enjoy this guide,


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2) Silent Hill 4: The Room - Character Analysis
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
 A) Henry Townsend
--------------------------------------------------------

Henry Townsend (in his twenties) , main protagonist of the game and our
assumed character, is somewhat of a quiet soul, shy and introverted in
personality. As with any such person, they are usually very introspective
and creative, and we can see some evidence of that by the pictures that
adorn his apartment of room 302. He is obviously a keen and adept
photographer, many pictures that hang on the walls such as in his room
and the living room are by his own hand. He obviously has an eye for
natural beauty that goes beyond the superficial, he remarks 'This is a photo
of the church I ran across while I was visiting Silent Hill,for some reason
I was really attracted by the way it looked, so i took the picture.'

Henry is certainly no stranger to Silent Hill, the tourist town and central
focus of title and previous games. From the pictures we can discern that he
has visited Old Silent Hill by way of a vacation, with pictures of what
appears to be Balkan Church and the old lighthouse, both landmarks of Silent
Hill 1. One photo,a boy on a bike found below the lighthouse picture says
downtown Silent Hill, this I suspect is the same area as it seems that he
had not travelled inwards to the part of Silent Hill which we have seen in
Silent Hill 2.This may be a crucial fact for another theory (see ending
theories).All the photos represent past reminders to the last Silent Hill
games (also, Henry comments at one stage on the light house picture that
'There was even rumour that a UFO came flying right by the lighthouse.' -
a subtle hint to the 'UFO endings' in the last three games as well.

We can also see that he has a penchant for cars, shown by the car magazine
that is on his coffee table, entitled 'Bikkuri Cars' I believe. He is a
collector of books, yet for the two years he has been there he hasn't read
any of them or even touched them. The television is certainly central to his
room, the central focus with the sofa facing towards it, notably a large
television. There's also his VCR. Accompany that with the radio on the shelf
to the side, and we can visualise a man whose only real contact with the
outside world are the devices he has round him, which ground him to reality
and essentially, place him metaphorically, in a time stream. Henry otherwise
has gone unnoticed, he passes Eileen Galvin his next door neighbour
occassionly and they give each other nodding glances of acknowledgement and
courtesy, yet no further relationship develops. Nor with any other of his
neighbours. The 'Rear Window' Hicthcock style windows are perhaps his only
comfort, where he can watch the lives of other people. It may be, and this
is purely conjecture, that he hasn't had a gilfriend or a successful
relationship before. There are no pictures or mention of a partner,
female or otherwise and his shyness, particularly visible with the
pleasantries of passing Eileen and when the horror begins, with the
irrepressible temptress of Cynthia can support this.

There is a distinct theme of 'the past' and the preservation of it in Silent
Hill 4: The Room (see themes). Henry, despite two years in the apartment room
of 302 and ominously having been 'drawn to it' like it was calling out to him,
has done little with the place. This would suggest that Henry hasn't really
felt like the place is his (which of course is partly true, it belongs to 'evil'
forces and Walter, as well as the essence of Joseph the previous tennant).
Henry certainly hasn't settled well at all. Accompany that with the comment
he makes about the place making him feel 'drawn to it' and you could suggest
that he has merely been a pawn of darker forces, moving him into place for a
higher purpose.Strange, how the only two rooms in the apartment of 302, the
bathroom and the wash/linen room are the only two rooms that have not been
altered since he moved in two years earlier, and have remained untainted.
Strange once again, how these are the only two places in the entire game
where the portals to other dimensions and the influence of the cult attach
themselves and seem effective. Preservation is certainly the key word.

Henry remarks that his world has 'gone insane' when he realised he was unable
to escape his apartment, which is a strange comment to make. It may be
nothing, simply an exclamation that everything has gone 'crazy', but it's an
odd remark to make. Instead of asking who might do it, he questions his own
take on reality. Perhaps five days of entrapment in that manner has made him
question his mentality, but to me it reinforces the notion that he believes
the world in which he 'wakes to' to be nothing more than a dream state.

Unfortunately, Henry is a very one dimensional character of neutrality when
compared to past characters such as James Sunderland or Heather Mason.
Whereas with James it was his grief that drove him and allowed us to explore
his persona, and with Heather it was her hatred and feelings for revenge
(and her outspoken teenage obstinate behaviour), with Henry there is very
little revealed to us.


--------------------------------------------------------
 B) Eileen Galvin
--------------------------------------------------------

Henry's young neighbour who lives in room 303. She is in her early twenties.
She does not know Henry Townsend very well, who moved into her apartment
block two years ago, very well. She had already been there for some years
when he moved in.

She appears to be the complete opposite to Henry in that she is outgoing and
doesn't appear to be shy. This is evident by her first line as Henry looks
through the peephole of the door, her 'preoccupation' with a party to go to.
It also appears that her luck has been down lately, most likely involving men
and past relationships. Although she isn't as sexually extrovert as the
curvacious Cynthia, certainly shown by her casual manner of dress sense.
This isn't to say that she is dowdy or blind to the notions of the outside
world, as her purple dress 'for best' shows. She certainly seems very aware
of her surroundings and the outside world, particularly being the first to
notice that Henry has not appeared out of his apartment for some time and
that something is amiss, calling for the Super Intendant Frank Sunderland to
investigate.

She likes soft toys, rabbits presumably (notice the pink rabbit mascot from
Silent Hill 3 called 'Robbie', and from the Usagai video ON DVD). This would
suggest that like Henry, she has been to Silent Hill as well, although more
specifically to the Lakeside Amusement Park from Silent Hill 3. She's also
very conscientous of the state of the apartment.

She is very much the damsel in distress in the game, the weaker party who
needs constant protection and reassurance. We discover as the game progresses
that she is slowly being taken over by the evil forces so that Walter may
use her as a sacrifice to complete another part of the '21 Sacraments' ritual.
This is shown in the second half of the game when we notice her speech pattern
reverts to an almost infant like manner, for example 'I'm scawed!'. This
reinforces Henry's desire to become the dominant male, to protect her and in
some way it makes him the leading force so that he may fight and learn the
information that is required for him to 'escape', a role she immediately
gives to him and he takes in the hospital, but really it hurries along his
fate of becoming the 'receiver of wisdom'.

She is a deeply caring person who has no trouble with empathising with
Walter's tragic past of abuse, and is the only one (and neighbour) who tries
to talk him out of it, to show that she understand his pain. This is something
that wouldn't even cross Henry's mind or any of the other neighbours, as shown
in memo's that say that when Walter was little and returned to room 302 by way
of maternal comfort, they disregarded his existence and treated him badly.
This was effectively what partly shaped the serial killer that came to be known
as Walter Sullivan. Perhaps for this reason she remained alive, although it may
also be because she was required to make the 21 sacrament, that Henry could
become the 'receiver of wisdom'.

She also knew Walter as a child, and gave him one of her dolls at some point
before he disappeared again. Presumably she has lived in South Ashfield
Heights all her life and as a child there, met the Walter when he was a kid
who visited the apartments from the orphanage, and of course, gave him that
doll which Walter talks to you about on the steps and offers it to you.

-----------------------------------------------------------
 C) Walter Sullivan (& The 'Little Walter' aka the kid
-----------------------------------------------------------

His name was first mentioned in a file found at Blue Creek Apartments by James
Sunderland, Walter Sullivan has led a tragic existence.

The 'Kid' who we see throughout Silent Hill 4 and rapping on room 302's door
for his mother, is in fact a subconscious manifestation of Walter's
innocence and past self/memories. As the spirit of Joseph Schreiber tells us
in room 302 (the past), 'His boyhood desire to return to the bosom of his
birth has divided him. Now his child self has manifested itself in this
world.' Walter's strong feelings about room 302 who he sees as his mother, was
such that when he left his real body in the mortal plain and his spririt self
was created, his essence if we can call it that, divided itself and
immediately began wandering around. Call it the physical manifestation of
his desire to wake his mother and room 302, and perhaps, the innocence of the
man (that he once had) being separated from his murderous new form which is no
longer human. On a side note, it's curious that Walter still mentally decides
to retain the 'form' of his human body, which is ironic given that he is no
longer human and 'chained' (symbolically much like Henry is in his room) by
the constraints of his mortal body and the Lord's realm.

The environments that Henry treads (room 302, South Ashfield Subway, Forest
with the 'Smile' Orphanage, the Water Prison, the Building World, Ashfield
St.Jerome's Hospital,and the Apartments) all represent key memories from
Walter's subconscious. As a baby, he was sent to St. Jerome's Hospital, and
later onto the Orphanage, from there he would sometimes be forced to spend
time in isolation in the Water Prison if his readings of the Holy Bible
(the Silent Hill cult ran the orphanage and secretly abused them) were not
good enough. When he heard from Dahlia (figurehead of the cult and antagonist
of Silent Hill 1) that he had a real mother, and discovered the room 302, he
travelled there secretly as a small child by the subway, going through the
South Ashfield Subway. The Buildings and city of Ashfield were scary to him,
hence why that level we see is particularly dark and frightening as to a
child it would be, the expanse, lights, strange people etc. Finally, the
apartments, were he would wander and try and get into room 302 before the
neighbour Richard Braintree, threw him out/reported him because he annoyed
him.

NB: All of the realities as mentioned, are born from Walter's childhood
memories of the places as a frightened child, and are very much askewed.
For example, the Water Prison and the kitchen/basement would not have been
witnessed by any of the captive cult children, and were only rumoured of by
them (read their fears written on the scribbles of their cell walls by them). 
As such, renditions of these environments in-game, may not be true to 
that of the locations in reality. Certainly, the basement and kitchen are two
of the most nightmarish places in the Water Prison.

Another example in the Water Prison is the door in the generator room that is
exceptionally large in scale to Henry, almost unrealistically so. Yet, to a 
young and frightened Walter, the most likely 'normal size of the door' would 
have felt very big and daunting.

Another example is the outside to room 302 in the apartment nightmare world,
compared to all the others it is in immaculate condition and in great detail,
almost lovingly preserved in memory, Walter's memory. It would have been an
extremely intimate and important place to him, not nightmarish in the sense
that he felt maternal comfort there, close to his 'mother'. This is why the 
scene is closest to a 'normal' reality of room 302. This may support the 
notion that the nightmarish parts of the dimensions, the parts not in detail,
the apartments being the prime example, are simply 'memory degradation' or a
'mental block' by Walter as to these scary events/environments.

Another example of Walter's skewed meory is the 'skinned' Mike incident.  
We find clues over the course of the Apartment World part that Mike was not
actually skinned.  He was beaten up by Braintree and was stripped of his 
clothes.  You actually hear his still-alive voice whimpering in the tape 
recording. The body they refer to in the recording is actually the dead cat 
(which you find wrapped in those clothes in the refridgerator) and when 
someone says "I'll keep that one for myself" they are referring to the shirt
that has the torn paper in it (notice that it is in a room it logically 
wouldn't be?).  At the end of the recording Braintree is yelling at young 
Walter, who has just walked in on something he shouldn't have ('Snooping 
around again?').  He probably thought they were actually skinning Mike 
(blood from the cat mistaken for Mike's?).
[thanks to dj sparrow for these outstanding comments!].

In the file it said he was arrested by local Police in Silent Hill on the 18th
of the month (but which?) for the brutal murder of Billy Locane and his sister
Miriam, and commited suicide in his jail cell early on the morning of the 22nd.
He used a soup spoon to stab himself in the neck, severing the carotid artery
and was later found dead by a guard.

Walter's hometown was Pleasant River and an old schoolmate told a journalist
that he 'didn't look like the type of guy who would kill kids.'This makes
the last part of that file seem a little strange in light of his obviously
volutary motive of re-enacting the '21 Sacraments' ritual. In it it says that
he was blurting out all kinds of strange stuff when he was being arrested,
shouting 'He's trying to kill me. He's trying to punish me. The monster...
the red devil. Forgive me. I did it, but it wasn't me!'. This would seem to be
referring to the demon Pyramid Head excecutioner/guardian figure that stalks
James in Silent Hill 2, as the most distinctive observation about it is that
it glows red (James says to Eddie, are you friends with that red thing?).
We know from Silent Hill 2 that the town essentially seemed to be a construct
of purgatory, another tier of hell. The dark spirital forces in the town
appeared to be feeding off of the guilty individuals and sinners who were
called to the town (they either travelled there in reality, or perhaps died
and found themselves there with no recollection by way of punishment). This
could be because the town is just plain 'evil' and wants humanity to suffer
by way of a natural function, or more probably (as the town does give the
impression of a separate conscious entity that can manipulate by will) that by
feeding off of its victims it hopes to gain strength and maybe become corporeal.

So why does Walter say this? In Silent Hill 4 the Locane children were victims
seven and eight. It was Walter's intention to succeed in his plan to reawaken
his 'mother'by completing the ritual. First, there was the ritual of the
'Holy Assumption'which he conducted in the secret back room of 302, and once
he was assured of transcending his mortal body (and the first sign in the
unholy Bible) he killed himself.

So again, if Pyramid Head as we fondly call him, only seems to stalk the
damned and sinful, perhaps the goings on of Silent Hill 2 were not connected
to the beliefs of the Silent Hill Cult and were a nasty, unforeseeable
outworking of their meddling.

Surely, as Walter was taught and brought up by the cult he would recognise
such a 'angel' as Pyramid Head? It might be that he became a stalked victim
because of his murderous actions (separate from the spiritual aspect of the
town, but another example of humanity's sinful behaviour. It grows on me that
the 'God' of Silent Hill 1 & 3 is not the driving force behind the powerful
spiritual assault witnessed in Silent Hill 2. 'God' is of course, the Devil
as a file in Silent Hill 4 tells us, that Walter who has been brainwashed by
the cult as a child at the orphanage is essentially a violent psychopath who
believes the rituals will achieve his aim of being reunited with his mother.

NB:[I received an email that challenged the above concept of mine, that
the town in Silent Hill 2 was a separate power entity to that of Silent
Hill 1 & 3. This was, that just as the sequel revealed to us that the
psychological problems and guilt of the characters could manifest itself
into reality, SO WAS the case in Silent Hill 1 & 3, most notable in 3
when we use Vincent as the example. His speech to Heather near the end of
the game, 'they look like monsters to you?' gives us a view of what Vincent
is witnessing in the same nightmarish reality that Heather finds herself in.
The powers of Samael would certainly not be so discriminatory to dismiss
Vincent, priest of the Cult of Silent Hill regardless! In his eyes, he
has his own vision, perhaps with the 'monsters' being his own cult members.
To Claudia, she looked and saw a paradise. There is a distinct pattern
shown to us in each game, and once again with the trickery of a young
Walter to resurrect 'the Devil' when he thought it would be his mother 
reawoken. The 'evil' present lies and deceives, offering an illusion of 
the truth which uses its victims as pawns to better its own needs. 
For Walter, resurrection was the goal for the evil, as was with Claudia,
and presumably along this line of reasoning, the 'Rebirth' ending of 
Silent Hill 2 would seem the most logical conclusion (and was always 
my agreed end). In it, James had been 'tricked' and 'deceieved' into trying 
to resurrect his dead wife Mary,although logically he has not realised the 
fact that by using evil and unnatural means which he has just spent the whole 
game fighting against, is not the right choice. Nothing good can come from 
something bad. What makes James think that he can use it wisely and succeed 
where no doubt many others have failed before him? In 'Rebirth', the evil
of Silent Hill has won (Yet why the God was not then manifested again
and succeeds, is not clear. Arguably if this happened, the world in the game
and series would end, evil having won. Yet perhaps it failed because in each
case, a 'pawn' who has detailed knowledge of the Cult's teachings has
been needed to carry it all out successfully. This of course being Claudia,
Dahlia, and nearly Walter). It is clear that the evil in Silent Hill has 
motive, and lies to its victims to make them relive them sins over and over
(James,Laura?, Maria),or by placing temptation in their way (i.e. Eddie, 
Claudia, Walter). Presumably with James, the manifestation of his
dead wife Mary as the Heaven's Night club dancer 'Maria' and her overt
sexuality, was his temptation, a psychological 'hang up' as he could not
have a sexual relationship with her near the end of her illness, and once
again, would lead to the same result as all the others before him, evil
manipulating them to its own desire].
(Thanks to ebwizdx for pointing out this excellent theory to me). 

However, perhaps a better theory and one that seems to fit the 'official'
plot of Silent Hill 4 that the team are hinting at, is that Walter was in
fact possessed by the entity of Valtiel from Silent Hill 3. This was done
by the cult during Walter's stay at the Wish House orphanage where he was
taught scripture. The Cult sect leader of Valtiel was Jimmy Stone, who was
also nicknamed the 'Red Devil'. Now, let's examine that SH2 file once more;

'He's trying to kill me. He's trying to punish me. The monster...
the red devil. Forgive me. I did it, but it wasn't me!'.

- This would suggest that Walter, who has been possessed by Valtiel since
just before the enactment of the rituals, has his mind in complete possession
and turmoil. Although he certainly killed himself in the prison to become the
eleventh victim, perhaps for one short moment at the First sign neared its end,
the REAL victim psyche of Walter escaped and this would explain the comments.
He would have no real control over his actions if it were Valtiel's doing.
The 'monster' refers to Valtiel, and the 'Red Devil' refers to Jimmy Stone
who Walter was controlled by. In reflection, it does seem a convenient plot
rewrite since Silent Hill 2 in some respects, but it seems to be the correct
path.

-----------------------------------------
 D) Joseph Schreiber
-----------------------------------------

Previous tenant of room 302 before Henry, an investigative journalist and
eventually victim no.15 and of 'despair' for the ritual of the 21 Sacraments.
It is no coincidence that his surname his 'Schreiber' which in German means
'writer'.

At the beginning of the game, when Henry awakens in his room which is soaked
in evil, it is in fact through the eyes of Joseph Screiber that we are
witnessing. This is evident by much of what is said when you choose to examine
the objects in the various rooms,he remarks 'Where did this big TV come from...?
I thought I had a record player here...', 'That's weird...My red typewriter is
gone...', and most notably there is a picture of Henry Townsend on the wall in
the living room just in this dream state of room 302, which is commented upon
that he does not know who the person is. Of course, in one of Joseph's red diary
pages 'AUGUST 2' entry, all comments made in the dream by Henry were actually
observational remarks made and written by Joseph in his diary, and you are
merely re-enacting them. In a sense, whereas Eileen has been possessed by
Walter during the game, Henry is 'possessed' by the spirit of he previous
tenant and his experiences. The scream heard at the start of play in your room
may very well be that of Joseph, being killed at the hand of Walter.
Speculating further, how the dream ends (victim attacks through wall and you
seemingly collapse) may be how Joseph was finally killed and not by Walter,
but by presumably, death by fright (he would already have been in a very
weakened state after being trapped in his apartment for so long).

Both Henry and Joseph's lives are one of symmetry throughout Silent Hill 4.
Only the fact that Henry is able to leave his apartment ends the parallel, but
both men were imprisoned in room 302 and subject to hauntings, all because they
were 'sacraments' of Walter's ritual in progress. Also noteworthy is that in a
red diary entry (concerning the lost Galvin key) he remarks that he suffers from
a lot of headaches, recurring every day. Throughout Silent Hill 4 there are
moments we see this happen to Henry as well, especially if you obtain the ending
'21 Sacraments'. This is in fact the characters slowly becoming possessed so that
they may go under Walter's spell and sacrifice themselves to the ritual. This is
shown with Eileen who by the end is possessed. It appears Joseph underwent the
same fate.



----------------------------------------------------
 3) The Rituals
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
 A) The Ritual of the Holy Assumption
----------------------------------------

The Ritual of the Holy Assumption is the 'first sign', with the second and
third signs of the ritual being completed come the 21 Sacraments and the
Descent of the Holy Mother. Walter conducted the ritual of the Holy Assumption
ten years ago in the secret back room that was sealed up of room 302.
He conducted the ritual with some white oil as well, maybe the type used by
Ernest in the 'Born with a wish scenario' and James in the 'Rebirth' ending).
The oil is certainly used for a ritual involving rebirth, and with Walter
committing suicide and becoming the eleventh victim, assumption, he could
continue his work for completing the '21 Sacraments'.Henry discovers the
room,still housing the materials for the unholy alliance. We can clearly
see the Cult's unholy Bible, the white oil, a black cup and in the fridge in
containers, the blood of his first ten victims, which was all that was
required for enacting the first sign. As you may remember from the files and
the discussion between the homicide detectives, Walter cut the hearts out of
his first ten victims for this ritual but after that,did not require the
hearts of the remaining nine. For this reason, the remergence of the killings
since death no.10 which appeared to copy the modus operandi but not to the
exact detail (hearts were not taken), coupled with the fact they believed him
dead, led to the confusion and talk of a copycat killer.

The Second Sign after that required four more victims, the sign being the
ritual of the Holy Assumption being completed. His four victims were the
personifications of Void, Gloom, Darkness and Despair. Despair of course, was
the body of Joseph Schreiber who fell into despair when he could not escape
room 302 (see his diary entries).

------------------------------------------------------
 B) Descent of the Holy Mother- The 21 Sacraments
------------------------------------------------------

Once these last four were complete, Walter finally escaped the bonds of his
mortal flesh (his earthbound body lay festering in the secret room) while his
now immortal and seemingly invulnerable spirit transcended the normal realm.
He had created a world of his own in which to stalk, and finally obtain the
last victims needed for the ritual of the 21 Sacraments and Descent of the
Holy Mother. The victims you witness during the game, (i.e. Cynthia) had no
chance against him. Henry's only saving grace was that he was the last victim
and could use the time he had to find a way to stop him, whereas Eileen was
attacked but only to be possessed, so that she may be sacrificed as the 20th
Sacrament (Mother Reborn)later on, just before Henry. The Third Sign as told
in the book in the game,are those last four remaining victims who we witness
being stalked and brutally slain.

Walter's twisted psyche has deluded him into believing that room 302, the
room where he was born, is in fact his mother. He wants to free room 302 much
like he has been freed from the 'chains' of the Lord's mortal realm, to free
'her' from humanity's corruption which has effectively in his own eyes,
plagued himself. However, the delusion is that he is not freeing his mother
(who in fact disappeared with the father of Walter and left him there as a
baby), but that he is in fact calling the Cult of Silent Hill's Goddess/God
(who Harry fought in Silent Hill 1 and who is on Jasper Gein's T-Shirt).
He is calling the Devil unto the world.

After completing half of the '21 Sacraments' ritual, ending on eleven dead if
you count himself, he did the ritual and returned as an invulnerable spirit
able to carry out the remaining ten murders. As we know, the last six are
neighbours of South Ashfield Heights Apartment. Each death representing a sin
or heresy, a belief contrary to religious (particularly Christian) doctrine.

No. 16...Temptation - Cynthia Valasquez
No. 17...Source - Jasper Gein
No. 18...Watchfulness - Andrew DeSalvo
No. 19...Chaos - Richard Braintree
No. 20...Mother - Eileen Galvin
No. 21...Wisdom - Henry Townsend

Cynthia of course was sexually overt and her female form, so she was of course
a temptation to men, some might say a 'whore'. She also represents to Walter,
all the mean girls who were nasty to little Walter on the way to town.

Jasper is the source as he is obsessed with the 'mother stone', a foundational
root of the Silent Hill Cult, as well as being near the orphanage where Walter
was housed as a child. He is knowledgable of the Cult and it's inner goings on,
and perhaps was even one of the children there although it appears that he is
just a rather warped fan.

Andrew, 'Watchfulness' was the warden of the Orphanage and Water Prison, and
oversaw the abuse that the captive children would suffer, diary entries
littered in the cells show that he used to 'watch' the children from above
in his viewing tower (we witness the spectre with the shadow above the
cells moving across the floor, hearing the footsteps, as he used to do.
Remember, the environments are the personal otherworldly recreations of the
ones in reality (the Lord's realm) from Walter's psyche, and so things can
occur that stem from memory rather than the here and now.

Richard is a neighbour of South Ashfield Heights Apartments, and chased the
young Walter away when he tried to return to see his mother, room 302, after
escaping the orphanage. He is a volatile man, the 'noisy man' of the memos
who shouts a lot and gets irate, and to a young Walter he was chaos, and an
obvious option for a murder as well as revenge.

Eileen, was believed to be the reincarnation of his birth mother, as well as
her blood. She also acts 'motherly' towards him at the end, by trying to
talk to him and stop the ritual by empathising with him. She is the 'Mother
Reborn', primarily because she lives in room 303 next door. She also knew
Walter as a child, and gave him one of her dolls at some point before he
disappeared again.

Henry is the receiver of wisdom, with Joseph acting as the giver of this
wisdom.Unlike Joseph's fate, Henry actively attempts to escape (which Joseph
failed) and from all the memos and listening to Eileen deciphering the stones
in the forest, and listening to Joseph explain the ritual to him and what
action to take, he is the most informed character of them all as well as
outlasting all the others and having faced the monsters. It is questionable
however, whether this was a role he chose out of choice or one shaped for him.
Joseph the investigative journalist and previous tennant of room 302, knew
about Walter and tried to escape when he became trapped in similar
circumstances. Yet he could not flee and later died at Walter's hand.
His fate was one of despair, being trapped in the room with the knowledge
of what was going on, seeing Eileen and discovering her role in it all but
not actually being able to do anything, to make himself known. Hearing the
murders were continuing one by one and feeling helpless (we don't know for
how long he was trapped, arguably longer than Henry) he fell into hopeless
despair. It is my theory that Joseph (don't you think when you finally meet
him that he seems spookily like a higher power and menacing?) isn't a 'good
spirit'. Far from it. Although he seems to be helping Henry and Eileen,
informing him of Walter's plan, Eileen becoming possessed and that Walter
must be killed (all true of course), and he's in a room that seems free from
evil, pure white with loads of candles (and an argument for a realm of Metatron
intervention), this to me is all a facade. He is nothing but a tool of Walter's
who informs Henry and thus makes him the 21 Sacrament, the 'receiver of wisdom'.
The information has of course to be absolutely true (a risk yes) but how else
can he become wise if he relies on false words?

------------------------------------------------------------------
 C) Information regarding the other victims of Walter
------------------------------------------------------------------

Victim 1: Jimmy Stone

A Priest of Valtiel, a middle aged white male. Nicknamed the 'Red Devil'.
He was murdered by Walter, shot in the back of the head by a gun on the
first floor of Wish House Orphanage, and his heart removed (part of
gaining ten hearts). He created the sect of Valtiel and became the head
Priest, to mediate between the Holy Mother sect and Saint Ladies sect of
the Silent Hill cult. The Valtiel sect is closer to God, their ethics are
to worship Valtiel which also means acting as executioners. Wish House
orphanage was run by the Holy Mother sect, his right hand man George
Rosten was also found dead there. Jimmy was nicknamed the 'Red Devil'
because of his triangle-shaped hood.

Victim 2: Bobby Randolph

A black 18yrs old High School student, he was fascinated with the the
strange and unusual, particularly the dark tales of the town of Silent
Hill and the cult there. He shared this interest with his friends Sein
and Jasper. He was strangled to death, his heart removed, and found at
the University campus of Pleasant River. He was a horror fanatic, and
on the day he was murdered he told his two friends that he was going to
look for the devil. Sein Martin, his friend, was killed in the same
manner and at the same location.

Victim 3: Sein Martin

A white 18yrs old High School student and friend of Bobby and Jasper.
They all shared the same hobby, the paranormal. Died in the same manner
and location as his friend Bobby. At some point the friends had overheard
about someone on the campus being compared to the 'Holy Mother' and a
devil from a Silent Hill church, and this started their curiosity and
ultimately their deaths.

Victim 4: Steve Garland

Manager of pet shop 'Garland', which we see in the building world of
Silent Hill 4 and later, view the exact scene as it was after the murder
except for his body (signs of a struggle, blood everywhere in the floor).
He is easily angry with people but kind to animals which he has transformed
into his own business in Ashfield. He is a white man. He was murdered with
a sub-machine gun, although his chest was left untouched, ready for the
removal of his undamaged heart. Twenty six years ago a boy came into his
shop (Walter) and dropped an animal cage from the shelf and injured an
important pet, a kitten.

Victim 5: Rick Albert

Manager of sport's store 'Albert's Sports'in Ashfield which we also venture
in, when in the Building world. A middle aged white man who is gentle, kind
but strong. He was battered to death by one of his golf clubs, ironically
his favourite hobby. His heart was once again taken. He was looking in his
warehouse after losing a volleyball when a part-time staff employee rushed
in to tell him that the manager of the pet store next door had been murdered,
his heart removed and a crest carved into his back (presumably this was Walter
while he was still a High School student, and presumably a crest was carved
into the backs of all the first ten victims, though we only hear about this one).

Victim 6: George Rostin

Middle aged white male, Priest of the Valtiel (Holy Mother) sect of the
Silent Hill cult. Worked as a right-hand man for Jimmy Stone. He was killed
with an iron pipe, heart removed and discovered in the underground alter of
Wish House. He taught and trained a young Walter and succeeded in placing
inside the boy's unconsciousness, the spirit of Valtiel so that the 21
Sacraments may take place. Yet he lost control of his pupil, the ritual being
performed in a different manner than he intended, and he was to become a
victim of the very own ritual he preached.

Victim 7: Billy Locaine

Adolescent white male, an elementary school boy.Had a close relationship with
his younger sister Miriam. He was killed with an axe in front of the Locaine
household in Silent Hill. As he was out playing with his sister, painters
painting the roof of his parent's house, a storm came upon the town and Billy's
father went to retrieve his son but found his dead body in amongst some bushes.

Victim 8: Miriam Locaine

Adolescent white female, an elementary school girl. As her father had discovered
her brother's body, her mother came rushing out of the house only to find to her
horror, her brutally dismembered corpse in the middle of the road by the house.
Some of her body was missing. [Note: Miriam's body was in a worse state than her
brother, which would suggest that Walter perhaps acted out of inherant jealousy
and hatred, attacking the female might symbolize the fact that he was deeply
disturbed by the fact that he never had a sister himself for comfort, or that
he despises the female form. This could be because of its reproductive qualities
that go all the way back to his birth and maternal abandonment]. Heart removed.

Victim 9: William Gregory

Owner of Watch and Clock store in Ashfield. An elderly white male. Was
killed by being stabbed with his screwdriver that he used for work.
Heart removed. Sixteen years ago a middle aged man dressed in black
left him a strange watch to repair, but he didn't know why it felt odd.
He was plagued with a dream [effectively the Building world puzzles of
Silent Hill 4 - the upside down room, the volleyball, birthday cake etc].

Victim 10: Eric Walsh

Bartender of Bar Ashfield. A young white male. Shot in the face with a gun,
found in his living room. Heart removed. Upon hearing from a customer that
the pet shop owner had been brutally killed and the criminal still at large,
he was happy to close early and return home on his Birthday. At home his
cake awaited him, but his family were nowhere to be seen, only a waiting
Walter.[this is the victim we see in the Building world, impaled by the
sword of obedience amongst the party banners and the lonely disused cake].

[No more hearts required]


Victim 11: Walter Sullivan

Committed suicide in his jail cell in Silent Hill, by stabbing a spoon
into his neck. Was the victim of assumption. Using the ten hearts he had
harvested from his victims and with the scripture, white chrism and
obsidian goblet he could perform the 'Assumption Ceremony' and escape
the prison of his mortal body, achieving the first sign and able to
carry on his work even further.[NB: it says body was never found though
victim confirmed. The body was certainly discovered in the cell and buried,
so this may be reflecting on the fact that the body was taken after burial
by an unknown party - aka reborn Walter].

Victim 12: Peter Walls

High school student and juvenile white male, a junkie and a coward without
marijuana. He was beaten to death, the theme of his murder being VOID.
Found in the Hotel room of South Ashfield. He was getting high in the
alley across from South Ashfield street, rumour being that he bought
the marijuana from Toby Archbolt, the Priest. There was an old ladder
belonging to the hotel next to the allet, he climbed it and was never
seen again, reportedly he shouted just before disappearing from sight,
that he had seen God.

Victim 13: Sharon Blake

A middle aged white female, a housewife, her family are members of the Silent
Hill Cult. She was discovered dead in the woods in Silent Hill, having drowned.
The theme of her murder was DARKNESS. [NB: I had thought in the game that
the woods were NEAR the town of Silent Hill]. Sharon knew the Church of Silent
Hill to be a fraud and her family most likely abducted captives. She was
refused entry into the Church whenever she tried to see them, and after reading
Joseph Screiber's article about child abuse at Wish House, went to the woods,
seeing the grave of her son and realising the death of her family...

Victim 14: Toby Archbolt

Middle aged black male, Priest of the Holy Mother sect of the Cult. A gambler
and sexual deviant. He was killed after being pushed from a 100m High Cliff
in some woods in Mexico. The theme of his murder was GLOOM. The Valtiel
sect's influence began to dwindle after the death of it's two Priest's being
killed. Seeing opportunity, Toby began illegal dealings (see Wall's death for
example) to further strengthen his Holy Mother sect. He reopened Wish House
orphanage and was elected to city council for his contributions to the city
of Ashfield and its people.

Victim 15: Joseph Schreiber

Journalist, middle aged white male. Theme of death DESPAIR. Also known as 'J',
he was interviewing and researching a cult infamous for the negative rumours
that surrounded it and had heard the screams from a mother whose son was
kidnapped by the cult. He introduced a five page scoop article about them in
the gossip magazine 'Concord' to get people's attention.

[See character analysis of Joseph Schreiber for more details]

Victim 16: Cynthia Velasquez

White female who was murdered in South Ashfield subway, stabbed multiple
times. Her theme of death was TEMPTATION. She usually has nice dreams, and
until she met Henry believed herself to be in her own private dreamscape,
'a horrible one at that.'

[See ritual section for more details]

Victim 17: Jasper Gein

Burned to death in an alter room of Wish House, ground floor. The theme of
his murder was SOURCE. We can hear on the special news report on Henry's
radio that; 'In a forest near Silent Hill, the burned corpse of a 30yr old
male was discovered earlier today. The police have ruled it a homicide and
are investigating...'

Victim 18: Andrew DeSalvo

Middle aged white male, guard who watched over the abused children at Wish House
Orphanage (and presumably the Water Prison). Theme of his murder was WATCHFULNESS.
He was drowned by Walter.

Victim 19: Richard Braintree

Neighbour of Henry's in Ashfield Height's Apartments. Was electrocuted in an
electric chair in room 207.

Victim 20: Eileen Galvin

Beaten near to death by Walter, with only 'Little Walter' and Henry's
interferrence possibly stopping her from becoming a victim so soon.
Found in her apartment room of 303, the theme to be of her murder was
MOTHER.

Victim 21: Henry Townsend

Theme of his murder was WISDOM, which he was the RECEIVER of.

NB: The Silent Hill 2 Double Pyramid Head Theory!

As many of you know, near the end of Silent Hill 2, James encounters
and has to battle two Pyramid Heads. Bearing in mind what is discussed
concerning Victim 1 - Jimmy Stone, who was nicknamed the 'Red Devil' 
and wore a triangular hood (see discussion below in section D first
as well for the link to Silent Hill 2 with the Walter file),and the 
death of his right-hand man George Rostin (victim 6), this new theory
holds great weight. This is, that the two Pyramid Head's James
fought were in fact manifestations of Walter's two victims, and
high ranking/important people of the Cult of Silent Hill.
(Thanks to claudio88au for this brilliant theory).

------------------------------------------------------------------
 D) Why do we find Walter's body in SH4 when he died in his cell?
------------------------------------------------------------------
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
In the Silent Hill 2 memo file, it says that the Walter committed suicide
in his prison cell by stabbing himself in the neck with a spoon and was
later discovered by a guard, by which time it was too late. In Silent Hill
4 we overhear the fact that the police did recover the body and that he is
definitely dead. Yet once again, the body went missing from the grave which
was marked on the coffin '11121'.

This then asks the question, why is his 'real' body discovered in the secret
backroom alter of room 302?

Let's look at the possible explanation...

We know for sure, that Walter ended the ritual of The Holy Assumption by
becoming his own victim, the eleventh, using the 'rebirth' materials
(e.g. white oil etc) that Henry later finds undisturbed in that room along
with his body, left discarded from where he finally killed himself and left
his body to fester. Although we know for sure that this was not the end of
Walter's life, it was merely the beginning of a new chapter and life, a new
form that was no longer human but a mental representation of himself in the
worlds he had created. Which means, who is the body the police were left?

There are a few possibilities:

1) It is not Walter, but a mentally unstable man who was wrongfully arrested
for Walter's crimes. This would collaborate the part in the memo that says the
suspect told the Police 'I did it,but it wasn't me!'.

In my opinion, this theory cannot be supported.

2) After Walter died and was reborn into his new form, he allowed himself to
get arrested and then acted out the 'facade' of committing suicide in the cell
so that the world would think him dead, the murders stopped. This would stop
the police or anyone investigating further so that he could carry on the
murders and other part of the ritual without being disturbed.

In my opinion, this theory is again very weak. He continues the murders and
second half of the ritual a whole seven years after his supposed 'death'
begs the question why? Although arguably making the police completely
disregard your involvement and look to a copy cat just doesn't sit well.
Also, if he didn't want anyone to dig further into his business, it makes
the involvement of Henry seem very sloppy, a potential person who has enough
knowledge to beat him. Yes, this may have been accounted for because of
what Henry needs to become (and to become wise from the truth is a risk, but
he is the last sacrament!), but still, this theory is far from satisfactory.

3) Walter conducted the ritual and of sealing it by becoming the eleventh
victim, and then was caught by police or allowed himself to be, and was
arrested and imprisoned. In prison, he freed himself from his mortal flesh
by committing suicide, his mortal body being discovered by the guard.
The new form of Walter was now freed, and his 'real' body buried.
Sometime during the seven years after his death, and presumably before Joseph
moved into room 302, the reborn Walter retrieved his 'real' human body (buried
in a cemetary just outside of his hometown of Silent Hill) and housed it in
the secret alter room, sealing up the room (perhaps with occult magic).

In my opinion this would seem to be the most logical theory, although it does
ask you to accept one fact that the game does not show and hence prove, that
the reborn invulnerable Walter can cross between the dimensions of the world's
he has created and that of the real one. Can his new form, powerful in his
created worlds, sustain itself in the Lord's realm and reality and cross over
into a physical form? If so, this theory is most likely the true one.That he
can create worlds and have them flux into reality, (best example being the
hauntings of room 302 by evil), then he can draw in people from reality such
as Henry, Eileen, Richard etc, and thus can walk in both realms, a world that
'exists in a space separate from the world of our Lord. More accurately, it is
within, yet without the Lord's world. Unlike the world of our Lord, it is a
world in extreme flux'.

NB: 'The Twin Walter Sullivan Theory'

This is a theory that I have heard from a few people, but in a few different
forms. In a sense, this theory does make you consider the Walter piece of the
puzzle in much the same way as the film 'The Cell' (see the influences on
Silent Hill 4 section of this guide).

This being, that there are two adult Walters, one existing in the real world,
and the other existing within the nightmarish dimensions.

1. That the real Walter of reality was not a serial killer, but a normal,
average law abiding citizen. It was he, who was captured by the police and
later committed suicide in jail with the spoon. The comments made by this
Walter during that time, that it 'wasn't him' support this theory. This
also collaborates the fact that the Super of the apartments, Sunderland,
saw Walter soon after around the place, and heard movement in room 302.
This presumably was the 'real' Walter of Silent Hill 4's game, reclaiming
the body of the other Walter and marking him as victim 11. These two 
Walter's were of course identical. The Walter of Silent Hill 4 was only
told that his name was 'Walter Sullivan' by the cult of Silent Hill,
so that the normal one could be wrongfully convicted for the killings
and leave the real killer's trail free from investigation.

NB: In my opinion, this theory stretches the plot too far, but is
nevertheless an interesting take on the events of the prison cell
and the comments made. In my theory, those comments were made
by the real Walter who as we know from the official plot, was
possessed by the entity of Valtiel. This just highlights the fact
that Walter was being controlled. I suspect that his real inner 
self did not want to commit suicide or go to the extent of the
rituals that he was doing, that it was his 'child like' self
emerging out into the open before he died. And when he did die,
his inner child self (symbolically his innocence) was
separated forever from his inner desire to be with his mother
at all costs projected by the demon Valitel. The child Walter
may sysmbolise his maternal need for his mother, but not
the murderous tainted knowedlege of the older one, who lack
of compassion for life and psychopathic behaviour is reinforced
by Valtiel from within, who simply is using him as a vessel to
ressurect the God it serves, aka the Devil, Samael.

----------------------------------------------------
 F) Walter's weapons for the murders
----------------------------------------------------
One thing in the game that certainly is not by chance, are the items/weapons
that Henry comes across in the game, in the other realities that Walter has 
created, and in fact uses.

To highlight just a few of these: there is a sub-machine gun in the game,
attainable once you have finished the game under certain conditions.
Victim 4 - Steve Garland, was murdered by Walter with a sub-machine gun.
With the Locane murders an axe was used, and of course, Henry finds a
rusty axe to use in the game.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 4) An In-Depth Analysis of 'The Room'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room in Silent Hill 4 is essentially the main character of the game,
and it plays an important part besides the obvious task of being the only
place in the game that allows you to save your game, and for a brief spell,
a welcome haven from the horrors of the other nightmarish dimensions.

The room represents the main focus of Walter's desire since childhood.
To him, room 302 is his mother as he never knew his real parents, his
real birth mother, both having fled soon after his birth and abandoning
him there. It seems that Walter has throughout the course of his life,
reflection on this traumatic event, and the brainwashing of the cult/his
possession, has created a strong bond with that room, which he sees, and
if we look at a young Walter symbolically banging on the outside of the 
door 'to be let in', that a process of monotropy has occurred. This is
a similar method to imprinting. He has created a strong bond, which was 
broken, on two occasions (as an infant, and later as a young boy), and in
his eyes his 'mother' the room, not responding to him, it is quite obvious
that he would suffer serious consequences.

Hence we have a situation of 'maternal deprivation', a theory explained
by the psychologist Bowlby, where a child separated from its 'mother'
within it's first 5yrs will seriously affect the child's social
development, and will also produce juvenile delinquincy. One could
say, the beginnings of a violent nature once the Cult had habitually
'conditioned' Walter to their teachings and radicalism. Forming from this
maternal deprivation may also be a condition known as 'affectionless
pschopathy', an extreme consequence of course, but one Walter seems to
have suffered from being away from his 'mother' during those formative a
and impressionable early years. Bowlby found that such juveniles lacked
conscience, they had trouble or could not develop a social conscience
and would become psychopaths as a result of this, acting out of self-
interest without the thought of others. This is clearly the description
of Walter.

Looking back at the room, and in a slightly different perspective
(leaning more to the metaphorical) that the room is really just another
prison which Walter is wanting to enter, having only just left his 'own
prison' (the Water Prison). It certainly is a prison for Joseph and for
Henry, and it seems ironic that we experience the adventure through
a main character whose sole aim is to escape. Symbolically both
Walter and Henry/Joseph are prisoners, the former being on the outside
wanting in, the latter on the inside wanting out.

In Henry/Joseph's situation, they are ironically trapped in their own
hell. A place which was once the centre of their lives, the intimate and
personalised place of solitude and peace, has now become their own hell,
their own prison. The element of free will, of choice has been taken away
from them, and the familiar has become completely the opposite. Perhaps
this reflects on some deep observation as well, that Henry's own life,
the way he chose to live that life in relative independence and isolation,
has come back to haunt him. We can make the assumption, judging by his
personality, behaviour, his relationship with Eileen before the nightmares,
and those photos that adorn his living room dresser, that he has led a
sheltered life. There may be many reasons for this, simply out of his own 
choice,because he is socially inept, that his parents perhaps smothered him 
with their love during his developing years, there could be many reasons
yet it is a distinct observation nowadays that children live a more
sheletered and protected life than say fifty years ago. Once again, this
may be due to many factors such as the birth of electronics, the public
knowledge and greater exposure of child killers and the threat of violent
assualt, yet does the room in Silent Hill 4 not at its core represent
the 'new' form of maternal attachment that occurs nowadays. Children 
want to be indoors, people feel safer to be indoors, there is something
reassuring about this alternative.  

Walter was deprived of this maternal affection by any form of parents,
he was maternally neglected and then abused at the orphanage. For him
not to have received the love from his maternal figure, to question
his very existence, what came before, logically makes him search for
this affection from an external source, in any way he can. The room
is the closest thing to his past, the beginning of his existence, and
where consequentially he feels bonded to like a symbiotic relationship.
Henry on the other hand, if we can conject that he came from a loving
and stable family and parents, that he perhaps was loved just too
much that it became smothering to his social development, yet he would
not need to seek out such external sources, indeed, he may even avoid 
them. Perhaps it is a tale of two men, ironically parallel in their
plight, but both to some extent suffering due to their upbringing.

Is Silent Hill 4 and it's room merely an allegory to this common fact?

That would be for you to decide.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 5) A look at the monsters of Silent Hill 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------
 A) Doubleheads
--------------------------------

Certainly my favourite monster in the game and perhaps the whole series for
design. Shame that the 'screaching cry from the rolling demo video' is not
implemented which blunts their impact slightly.

They actually represent the two victims of Walter's, the Locane siblings
Billy and Miriam.

This once again reinforces the maternal theme in Silent Hill 4, which
reflects Walter's own psyche and his life. The Locane twins were adolescents,
but in his world they are reflected as blind infants. They are anything but
vulnerable though. You may have also noticed, that when they spot Henry,
they sometimes point and whisper the word RECEIVER, which is of course what
Henry's sacrament is. They are effectively physical manifestations of
Walter's subconscious guilt, victims seven and eight, victim's of the First
Revelation/Sign.

NB: It is strange that the doubleheads are the ONLY victims of Walters' in 
the game who aren't represented as 'Victim' spirits. This may be because
as they were the youngest of his killings and still children, that they could
not go to hell as they were still children and innocent. Instead, Walter's mind
crudely dresses them up in cloaks to unite them and make them look more LIKE
monsters and aberrations in his own mind. It seems as if these were the only
ones of his victims that he could not 'spiritually claim' and instead, we are
viewing simply an imaginative facade of humanity corrupted by his hand and
the ritual. 
[thanks to dj sparrow for this foundational theory].

--------------------------------
 B) Sniffer Dogs
--------------------------------

Very fast aren't they? In my mind, these are borne from Walter's memory
the day he went into Garland's pet store as a little boy, and was amongst
all the caged pets which were most likely barking and scary for a little
boy. It may be as well,that Garland had his own pet dog which
Walter may have confronted as the man threw him out.

---------------------------------
 C) Victims
---------------------------------

Walter's victims haunt the realms he has created, forever damned to roam
in torment in the manifested memories of Walter's twisted psyche.
Only the Locane siblings are free from this fate.

---------------------------------
 D) Greedy Worm
---------------------------------

We see this unkillable and so it seems, unretaliatory or aggressive worm in
the very first level at the subway where its pulsating body is entwined
through the wall and through the various level. We see it again at the
Water Prison by the water wheel, as it dives in and out. The greedy worm
seems to represent the umbilical cord, and once again, Walter's feelings
of maternal hatred towards his birth in a scary and lonely world. To his
subconscious at least, he sees babies as parasites with the umbilical cord
as a constantly hungry source of food, in itself a parasite to the mother.
This would explain why at the end of the game and boss Walter, the use of
the umbilical cord has a detrimental effect to the monster's body, making
Walter and his very world recoil in weakness. It has once again 'put him
in linked touch' with the reality that he despises. The birth of children
is in effect a vibrant symbol of the Lord's realm, and of good.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 6) Looking Back on the Series: Nature v.s. Industry
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------
Article by Aryan Ice Queen
-------------------------------

Silent Hill – Nature vs Industrialism


If you look carefully enough, you can see one of the true essences of Silent
Hill’s horror factor stems from the spirituality of mankind, and the potential
for this spirit’s corruption. Though this corruption of the spirit is
recognisable internally through parental irresponsibility, marital disloyalty,
and maternal infestation, the main protagonists are also thrown into an
environment of external disequilibria.


In Silent Hill we encounter a town surrounded not only by a physical mist
concealing the predatory nightmares lurking around street corners, but also a
veil of secrecy trying to bury the town’s nightmarish past.


The most interesting confliction however comes from the geography of the town.
Places of function cease in their productivity, and mankind’s sudden
dependency on technology is replaced by a feral battle between instinct and
animal ferocity.


All around James, Heather, and Harry, we witness machines acting
inappropriately, streets leading to dead ends, telephones dying, televisions
displaying static, and the securities of man turning renegade. In a heartbeat
a friendly American town is transformed into a wasteland.


Hospitals no longer heal. Schools no longer teach. Shopping Malls no longer
sell. The commercialism of man is sucked dry and James is thrown quickly back
to the stone age when his pictorial lifestyle is torn asunder.


The main ideology for this dysfunction stems from the primary law of nature –
birth / life / destruction / rebirth. The society of Silent Hill has
collapsed, and the rotting decay now evident is simply the beginning of a
new birth – one of a daemonic entity and his cohorts.


A rather simple example of nature combating Silent Hill is visible within the
opening scenes of Silent Hill 2. We stand on a panoramic viewpoint, blocked
by fog, but we are aware of the naturist atmosphere by the treetops, winding
country lane, and general air of uninhabited space. Aside from the few cars
the forest seems startlingly empty.


As James progresses through the forest we begin to notice certain signs of
society – fenced areas dictating where we go – and if you’ve completed the
game once you already you find the felled tree and chainsaw. Remarkable how
instantaneously the surroundings are blemished by the familiarity of man.


The town of Silent Hill itself is also surrounded by rumours of the land’s
retaliatory strikes too, like the Lake claiming the townsfolk, the fire
destroying Old Silent Hill, the White Claudia a natural narcotic enslaving
the desires of certain characters within the plot.


We can see quite a few hints of Tolkien-esque suggestion that mankind is
evil, and in reality the town of Silent Hill is only a deadly environment
because we make it so. The town thus parodies the facts that not only are
the buildings man-made, but so are the threats haunting them. It’s known
that the monsters themselves only take the forms the human mind subliminally
loans to them: the visage varying from a paedophilic father in Angela’s case,
to the cruelty of physically judgmental people in Eddie’s.


James comments on a certain ending to SH2 that ‘The Old Gods have not left
this place’ referring quite clearly to the spiritualism of the land.
This territorial awareness of Silent Hill gives off the essence of a
native Indian feel of a burial ground. Both the Native Indian culture
and Alessa, the primary source of the town have something in common, too;
they were horribly wronged.


Though it would be bold to suggest every character getting ‘what they
deserve’ and the town being innocent, it would be fairer to theorise that
the town and its victims are equal accomplices, and that humanity has a lot
to consider before it sees itself as the unjustified target of Silent Hill
(and the person’s own guilt).


But this is more than eco-terrorism arising via Satanism. Looking now
conclusively we see the ballet played out in nature’s cycle as the game
begins, and ends. Mankind exists, and is killed off by the dominant
predatory suddenly emerging in the form of Silent Hill. This monstrosity
battles on against humanity, and toward the end of the game we see a winner.
Is James reborn, walking through the forest with Laura, purified? Does he
select the water, a symbol of life itself to be his final resting place?
Or does he resort to his old methods of selecting Maria, where there last
scene together is by the car, as they return to civilisation as doomed
individuals, one to death and the other to despair.


Though the clues may seem trite, and miniscule, the symbolism is apparent.

NB: In Silent Hill 4, note that the otherworld dimension, notably Henry's
room at the start of his 'dream', has the room's surfaces invaded by
'blood and rust'.

------------------------------------------------
8) Influences on Silent Hill 4: The Room 
------------------------------------------------

For the scenario, we got the inspiration from a book called
'Coin Locker Babies' [Ryu Murakami's twisted adventure of two
teenagers in Tokyo].

During the subway level, you may notice the 'King Street
Line' and 'Cronenberg Street'. This is in reference to
two great horror people. Stephen King the novelist, and 
David Cronenberg who has directed such films like 'The Fly',
'Videodrome' and the novelisation of King's book 'The Dead
Zone.' (the latter is one o fmy favourite films/books ever).

Silent Hill 2 - frequently visiting the room's
toilet will lead to Henry thinking "There's something in
the toilet...Should I grab it?" Yet no matter hos hard you try,
he won't grab it and instead will say he's not brave enough.
This is a reference to the classic scene in Silent Hill 2
with James Sunderland and a Blue Creek Apt. toilet.

The radio advertisement about Silent Hill being that
'special place to spend quality with your loved one' is 
another James Sunderland/Mary reference.

The Wheel Chair demons are synonymous with the Alessa link
back in Silent Hill 1, where she spent most of her time in
a wheelchair after the horrid accident of being burned alive.

The artifacts found in the back room of 302 are the items
required for the 'Rebirth' ending of Silent Hill 2, and the
'Born from a Wish' chapter for Maria.

Robbie the soft toy rabbit on Eileen's bed, is from the
Lakeside Amusement Park of Silent Hill 3.

The photo's in Henry's bedroom are of places Harry visited
in his adventure in Silent Hill 1, the main core of the Cult's
dealings.

There also seems to be a clear influence by the Hollywood
film called 'The Cell' starring Jennifer Lopez and Vince
Vaugn. In the plot, Lopez enters the mind of a serial killer 
using a new scientific technique, where she must make sense
of his killings and the underlying cause, while preventing
the opssible death of another outside in reality. She also
meets the serial killer's manifestation of his younger, 
innocent self, who she tries to befriend and coax his 'evil'
self from stopping her.


------------------------------------------------
 9) CONTACT
------------------------------------------------

I unfortunately cannot promise to answer ever email I receive,
particularly as the guide becomes older. I certainly do read them
and am very interested in your feedback and own ideas/theories.

My email address is HellboundHeart3@aol.com

If it changes, the guide will be updated for the relevant
information and marked at the top of the page, please keep checking back
regularly for them.

Likewise, if you would like to leave a comment on my site and the
relevant section, instead of an email, please go to:

http://heavensnight2k4.proboards29.com/index.cgi

You're welcome to stay.

------------------------------------------------
 10) Legal Information
------------------------------------------------

All characters and fictional content regarding the story discussed 
in the FAQ are the property of Konami.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are 
owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.

This guide is for personal use only. Any other use is prohibited, 
except for the guide being included on any non-profit or 
non-commercial site as long as the following conditions are met 
and strictly adhered to first:

1) You ask for my permission first (thus my consent), contacting 
me by the email address provided under contact information.

2) Affirmation to your request will depend on my reply and 
whether I agree to it.

3) You do not alter in any way the contents or layout of this 
guide.

4) You ensure that the guide represented on your site is the most recent 
version available.


------------------------------------------------
 11) Bibliography
------------------------------------------------

www.translatedmemories.com

www.sh42004.com

www.gamefaqs.com (SH4 board)

The Official Silent Hill 4 Guide (Piggybank - UK)