Silent Hill is one of the seven scariest fictional settlements, according to the magazine Total DVD. This name has become a household name today because the city is seen as a direct participant in the events in the Silent Hill series of computer games and the film by Christoph Gahn. For some reason, the foggy, depressing and otherworldly Silent Hill does not repel, but attracts people, personifying dark power.
Where is Silent Hill located?
Silent Hill is a city in Maine, USA, although in most games the exact location of the town is not mentioned. In the work of Christoph Gahn, Silent Hill is a mining town in the state of West Virginia, in the fictional administrative district of Toluca on the shores of the lake of the same name. The lake divides the city into two parts - south south vale and north paleville. The village is located in a place with unique natural conditions, so there are frightening and even terrifying silence and tranquility.
Nearby is the smaller settlement of Shepards Glen, beyond the mountains - Brahms, even further - the large city of Ashfield. Relatively close to Silent Hill is the real Portland, Maine.
The old part of the city (northern quarters) includes a resort area with a small amusement park and a business center. South Silent Hill was built up over the course of the twentieth century. This is an industrial zone, which also houses the former federal prison, converted into a city museum, a park with a memorial complex dedicated to the victims of the mysterious epidemic, a historical society and a hospital, once a clinic for the mentally ill.
The history of the ghost town
The first settlements in the place of the modern location of the city were founded by colonists who came from Great Britain, who forcibly displaced the North American Indians. Indigenous people called these territories the sacred "Land of Silent Spirits." It is known that the beliefs of the Indians had a significant impact on the first inhabitants of the village.
In the eighteenth century, the city suffered from a mysterious epidemic and was abandoned for several decades. Silent Hill turned into a real ghost town, but by the beginning of the nineteenth century these territories were again inhabited. The foundation of the hospital and federal prison dates back to that time. A few decades later, significant deposits of coal were discovered in these territories. A mine was opened, which provided work not only for all residents of the city, but also for visitors.
Shortly before the American Civil War, a sect appeared in the city, but the mysterious events began much later. Many cases of disappearances were recorded at the beginning of the twentieth century. The loudest was the disappearance of a pleasure yacht with the whole crew and passengers. The game takes place several decades after the incident, tentatively in the last quarter of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. Exact dates are not called.
When the game takes place
It is known that before the events of the series of games, the city became the center of the drug trade, hallucinogens. Production was in the hands of representatives of the sect. The authorities failed to influence the situation in any way. The third part takes place almost twenty years after the events of the first. The events of the fourth part, most likely, occur before what is described in the third. When the action of the second part takes place, it is unknown, but exactly before the fourth (this is indicated by references to the characters in the newspaper).
Silent Hill reality layers
The “real” Silent Hill is not shown in any game, but there are characters living in it. These heroes do not see the terrible images of the city. The “foggy” Silent Hill seems to be abandoned by people: only nearby buildings are visible through thick fog, cars are left on the streets, windows in most houses are boarded up, there is no water or electricity. In the film and some games of the series, you can see dips similar to the traces left after a strong earthquake.
The "otherworldly" city appears from time to time and looks different for different heroes. Silent Hill is a reflection of personal fears and the internal state of the characters. It is almost always dark here, everywhere you can see traces of violence, many bars and fences, smokestacks are visible against the sky. In one of the PC games, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is covered in ice and covered in snow, in another (Silent Hill 2) it looks like it is falling apart, but construction work is underway in it.
Silent Hill PC Game Series
The Japanese survival horror game series is one of the most famous in the global computer industry. The early Silent Hill games (walkthrough and review - in the video below) are the most prominent representatives of the genre, which largely determined its further development. The main series includes eight games. The development of the ninth episode was canceled. Additionally there is a text quest, several games for mobile phones and a version for slot machines. According to many players, the best "Silent Hill" - the second part. In addition, official comics have been published in games licensed by the developer since 2004.
The film "Silent Hill" (2006)
In 2006, the horror film directed by Christophe Hahn for the Silent Hill series of games was released. The plot develops around the fact that Rose Dasilva goes to the city to find out the cause of her daughter's illness. In Silent Hill, she falls into alternative dimensions, where monsters are robbed. The picture received mixed reviews. The plot, which they considered pointless, was negatively perceived by critics, but many appreciated the elements of horror and the visual component. Silent Hill trailer (in Russian) below.
