There's the sigils of the Olympian spirits that flash on the multiple TV screens after Cheryl appears on them in Silent Hill Town Centre. They also reappear in both sigil and name in Nowhere.
Unfortunately, I can't think of anything about SH 1, but I'm sure a video about SH 3 and its comeback to the original game's mythology and divine conception themes will be pretty rad
I have a game for you to cover, and theres a ton of religious imagery, like fallen angels, demons, vampires, kings, catholic aesthetics, pagan and occult aesthetics and rites, old primitve rites, deities, demiurge like gods, biblical allusions, and much much more to uncover: LEGACY OF KAIN - SOUL REAVER
Ive always been curious in the Christian faith what are the allowed forms of mysticism god permits are there even any past prayer and the rare exorcism?
UPDATE: After several astute viewers noted that Midwich was based on Centralia, PA only in the SH movies and not in the games, I decided to cut the minute or so of the video where I discussed Centralia. I don't want inaccuracies to remain in my videos as this channel is all about accuracy, and if I make a mistake I'll make it right to the best of my ability. Thanks to everyone who made me aware of the error 😎
It's a completely forgivable mistake, since there were fan sites back in the day that misreported that fact, and that was the explanation that stuck, even though it only applied to the first movie. It may be further compounded by some of the original members of Team Silent traveling to the US to get more direct inspiration for the Town of Silent Hill. The earlier Internet had a lot of that kind of "Telephone Game" misnomers & such.
I haven’t even begun watching and I’m subscribing already because of this post. This level of care for accuracy of anything is fantastic and commendable!
Yeah, the actual setting for the Town is in Maine as far as hard the canon of the games are concerned. Christoph Gans is a problem as he tried to rewrite the story in his own image and idea than actually adapt or add to any of the previously established material. In Gans’ own words “it’s a Puritan Witch story”, which is completely false, as any Silent Hill fan will tell you. Also, the primary faith of the Town’s religious community, *The Order* , combines the Western European settlers beliefs and the original native people’s beliefs. The book “Silent Hill's Ancient Gods: A Study of Their Etymology and Evolution” in Silent Hill 3 touches on how the local native beliefs influenced the settlers own and states that: "When this religion fell into the hands of immigrants, it was deeply influenced by their own original Christian beliefs". Hence the heavy Abrahamic belief leaning material. Realistically they’re an Eschatological Doomsday Cult. I’m clearly new here, so I’m not sure if that was previously touched on in a different video or not. Really awesome video though, glad this randomly came up on my feed.
@@SomaCruz500 Yeah, as much as I did actually like the movie, it was really only the style and atmosphere that did it for me (which was the only thing they faithfully adapted from the games, using some game scenery and music). It would be nice if people could just stick with what worked in a popular bit of media rather than just egotistically imagining that they can improve on it when they've done nothing nearly as noteworthy. Gans went full artist, and it would be lovely if these guys could realize that you never go full artist when you're riding on the coat-tails of another work's name; Nobody really likes "reimaginings".
The town in the games was still influenced by centralia; The devs knew about it, it's just that it wasn't directly translated into the SH town as it was in the movie.
This video popped up randomly on my home page and I'm just blown away by it. Concise, no nonsense presentation and an immersive atmosphere. I was playing a video game on my other monitor while I was watching and I put it down in the first few minutes because you grabbed my full attention. I don't think there's anything else quite like this on RUclips and I'm very happy I stumbled across it.
Ryan Hollinger has some great videos about horror, the one about "The Mist" movie adaptation is really good, and he occasionally touches on his highly religious upbringing to talk about religious themes in horror media. It's not his focus, however, but still might provide some good companion media to the videos in this channel
The dark religious and occultic lore of silent hill 1 is truly bizarre considering the game made its way into the mainstream and became a "popular" video game published by the very popular Konami. I still consider silent hill 1 to be one of the darkest video games or even media to be ever released to the mainstream. And I believe the developers could've made the game even darker than it already is but had to overall tone it down so it can barely slip through the release without it being deemed too obscene for the public. By the way this video reminds me alot of the gaming muse's channel
@@t.kahraba763 take into account that silent hill was launched when the survival horror genre was giving their first steps and at that time such elements wasn't taken so seriously by the gamers. Is more a recent thing explore the lore and the symbolisms behind the Game although it doesn't mean that at the time the Game was launched nobody notices the symbolisms and relate it with the real life. Maybe it wasn't much people.
Excellent work Doctor. I’m an Episcopal in the process of being ordained a Priest, so it’s really nice to see fellow religious folk analyze the kind of media I also like. Peace be with you.
Your in-depth observation's of Silent Hill's Lore is most impressive and really is a testament to Team Silent (The folks who worked on developing the first four games) and their ability to implement all of these subtle details into the their games. It's so great to have well read people like you, doing deep analysis videos of games like silent hill, which oozes with mystery and alluring subtext. Thanks for making this, You really should make a little mini series and dissect interesting theological/mythological contexts of silent hill 1-4 as there is plenty of it just waiting to be discussed. Love this video, thank you again!
AMAZING VIDEO! This is exactly my “niche” type of video, as soon as I saw your username I knew I hit a jackpot! Please keep it up! Also, it reminds me a lot of wendigoon’s religious videos.
Incredible video. I would like to add that Silent Hill 3 has a far more in-depth explanation of the town's cult and lore. It explains that western esoterics were mixed with mesoamerican mythology to form what we see as the cult in the game. Samael was also never the name of the God, that was not the intent with SH1, where in the official guide the director says it was Dahlia's red herring and we know the name of the creature in the end is Incubus. A being that haunts the dreams of women (Alessa was trapped in an endless nightmare) taking the shape of Baphomet because it was an image the cult associated with their God. Ironically SH2 is all about the Succubus, the inverse of the Incubus. In the third game we learn that Samael was a name given to the God by unbelievers, giving her (yes, she's female) the name of a demon.
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal In fact, the "deity" of the cult is known as "The God of Serpents and Reeds" and his symbol is the "Halo of the Sun." And this God is the one venerated by the cult, but it is unlikely that he is the only one worshiped before the conquest.
@@yaninsanchez6136 I'd agree Samael is probably not their deity. Though the video doesn't explicitly state this. I think. Either way Samael absolutely inspired the direction of the writing in my opinion. The Portuguese DID bring a form of Catholicism to Japan back in the day.
@@TheCatholicHorrorGalI'm going to assume you finished SH1. Silent Hill 3 is a DIRECT sequel. So much so you actually play as Henry's "daughter" Heather (Alessa and Henry's girl combined). Henry even plays a brief role. It is available for PC and if you enjoyed the puzzles in 1... BUCKLE UP for 3. You will not miss out on anything by skipping SH2. A couple characters from 1 are mentioned but don't drive the plot.
Silent hill 4 while not as good (from a gameplay perspective) as the previous three does expand upon how the cult operated in silent hill as the main antagonist (the spirit of a deceased serial killer named Walter Sullivan) was raised (as well as physically and emotionally abused) in an orphanage run by the cult. While going into his motivations would be a major spoiler for the game, his actions are all in accordance with a specific rituals taught to him by the cult.
Far too many people ignore the incredible importance of religious influence across all four of the original Team Silent games. I have a feeling it's because the majority of people who've played them are atheist or agnostic and haven't really bothered studying various religions. Taoism is extremely important through Silent Hill as well. This is great content!
No, the reason everyone ignores the religious aspects of Silent Hill is because of Silent Hill 2, I'm an Atheist and religion/spirituality is fascinating.
@@MetalRainbow999 yeah, I’m also agnostic/atheist for the same reasons. Not to mention that most “Christians” in a lot of our personal lives tend to be addicted to wrath, envy, and follow mammon. Not all religious are bad people, obviously, but we need to be skeptical.
I am a fan of the first three Silent Hill and I was always fascinated by its dark story, nothing is done at random in that game, thank you very much for providing so many interesting facts ❤
First of all, I thank you for such an interesting and well-done video. As a reaffirmed Catholic and Mexican, I also noticed Mesoamerican religious concepts, the use of reeds, the names of the guardians inspired by Mayan names, snakes, the mystical meaning of water, the sacrifice of the gods for the good of human beings, and the terrible and angry gods that also punish mankind. Much of this is found in Silent Hill 3. I have a degree in History and a great interest in religions and philosophies, I think that since I discovered the Silent Hill franchise (i was a teenager in 1999), it inspired me to study humanities. Thank you and continue the magnificent work you do.
It is such a loss that most of the mainstream horror media lacks this level of depth and world building the original Silent Hill has. Especially looking at Bloober's take on Silent Hill 2. I hate how today's target audiences assume that older games are basic and depthless just by looking at their graphical limitations and gameplay. Very great work by the way.
Aside from the Centralia bit (it was not at all inspired the games, just the movies) everything else is great. I'm happy that the algorithm recommended your channel!
When I saw Dahlia for the first time it surprised me because it really looked like a mantilla to me, and I am not very used to see such things in videogames, especially if they are based in a US town. I am from Spain, particularly from Basque Country, and I am pretty familiar with it. My grandma used to have one. During the Holy Week a lot of Andalusian women wore them, they appear in the TV all the time. Thanks a lot for the the analysis of the SH lore, I find the reading of all these manuscripts and books very interesting from an archaeological and historical point of view. Besides, I love Silent Hill. You might find Basque Mythology very interesting because the syncretic ties between Christiansm and all the Basque leyends and folklore inside the mythology. I wonder if you could also make some research about SH3 and SH4. SH2 is amazing too but I think there is less religious imaginary there. Sorry if I made any mistakes since English isn't my mother language. Cheers :D and thanks again for all the effort you put in the video.
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal Hi, thanks for your fast response and your kindness :) I imagined Catholic women still would wear them in the US, but most of times US movies/TV shows shown around here do not depict Catholic faith but other ones. That is why I am not very used to that depiction haha.
Game suggestion for you. Blasphemous is a metroidvania that is heavily influenced by early and mid era spanish Catholicism combined with various mystical elements from spanish historical culture along with the obvious tie ins to early jewish mythos
What a fantastic video! Thank you so much for taking the to time to create and sharing it with us. Finally may I say what a charming and rich soothing voice you have. I could listen and learn much from you. Thank you so much. Love from 🇬🇧
It's very sad to me that the deep dive in the occult got progressively more lost between releases of Silent Hill's games. The occult and its many symbolism was what made it stand out from the rest of the genre. Now it's became "spooky town purgatory that mentions demons here and there".
It's really interesting how Lost Memories book mention that Samael and Metatron are the same being, and thus they both are aspects of Valtiel, responsible to overseer the flux of life and death.
That's one of the unfortunate errors that gets introduced into games, movies, etc. that are based on real religious texts -- nothing in Jewish literature suggests that Samael and Metatron are the same. They're both angels but they're not the same being. Metatron is said in some Jewish texts to be the same as the human man, Enoch, who was transformed into Metatron. But Metatron and Samael aren't the same. 😎
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal Maybe not in jewish literature, but the cult is its own thing since it mixes a lot of different beliefs and practices. They aren't christian but believe in angels, but also in many other gods and communicating with the dead. But since it's Lost Memories, I'd say it's canon to the games.
Man I wish they remade this legendary game instead of part 2, this was the first and only game to really scare me and get under my skin, such an amazing work of art.
I’ve been on a Silent Hill video binge since playing the SH2 remake so I stumbled onto your channel in related videos and you have fantastic content! Keep it up, this channel’s going to blow up sooner or later
Incredibly well done video. I'm doing research for a horror game I want to create and this is exactly what I was looking for. Immediately subscribed, thank you! I'd love to see a video on Fatal Frame or Echo Night
This is so, so, so good. Everything is so cleverly analyzed and explained, and I'm so glad this popped up on my homepage!! You have a knack for storytelling :)
I loved this, great job! I'd love to see you tackle the "Hellraiser" movies (particularly the first two and the 2022 reboot, as they all have some interesting religious symbolism)... Also, I realize it's not quite a horror show, but there are two specific episodes of "Doctor Who" that definitely qualify as being in the genre of horror and have some pretty deep religious themes as well: "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit"... I'll say again, good job, I think your channel could really take off! =D
So glad I found this channel! Would love to see your takes on Rule of Rose, Haunting Grounds, and any and all Shin Megami Tensei games especially SMT 3: Nocturne! Keep up the great content!
video essays on this game have quickly become the same regurgitated content/ideas, but this video is a complete breath of fresh air. as others in this comment section have already stated, i loved everything about how you presented the topic at hand. it was clear, concise, and VERY informative. as i've always been fascinated by the ways that religion (Catholicism especially) can be interwoven with horror media, i'm overjoyed with coming across your wonderful channel!! instant subscription!!!! such fantastic work 💗
I'm reminded of other neat details that I, admittedly, don't have the sources for any longer: the point that in some translations of Job, it's Samael specifically acting as the foil to God. Not as some kind of demon, but *very* specifically as an angel, tasked with questioning and opposing God. So basically, with being an adversary. Which makes it funnier in connection to this video's information. Because much like "God" isn't that deity's name, but a title, "Satan" isn't a name. It's a title, meaning "The Adversary". This then works perfectly in Silent Hill 2, where Samael isn't mentioned at all but the *point* of the game is the town trapping, then setting challenges and trials in the path of guilty people. And in Silent Hill 3 it takes an even more interesting turn, because the God of the town's religion is very, very strongly associated with the sun. Lucifer is not actually a Jewish figure at all: he's taken entirely from a neighboring Canaanite religion. But, he is also a conception of Satan powerfully associated with light...
As a lifelong Silent Hill fan, I would like to thank you for the very informative video regarding the first installment of the series, you gained a new subscriber. Since you liked the first game, I would suggest checking out the sequels, Silent Hill 2-4, especially Silent Hill 3, which is a direct sequel to the first game and explores the Cult and its mythology deeper. I believe you would appreciate it and I would love to see more Silent Hill content!
Amazing video! A game you should check out is “Who’s Lila?”. It’s a trippy point-and-click/ARG that uses a lot of symbolism from the major arcana and zodiac. I’m not as familiar with the more biblical references but there’s definitely plenty of that in there as well. The game revolves around themes of autonomy, identity, and existentialism as you try to piece together the events that led to the disappearance of high schooler Tanya Kennedy, the player assuming the position of William Clarke, the last person known to have seen her.
I've always been fascinated by the religious themes of Silent Hill. Thank you for covering this so thoroughly and I appreciate that you were able to take note of the inaccurate connection between Silent Hill (the game) and Centralia - a veryyyyy common misconception! Looking forward to diving into the rest of your channel!
Awesome video! I am Mexican American, my mother and her side of the family are apostolic. They still use mantillas, I remember my great grandma used to make her own
This is what captured my interest when I first experienced the first Silent Hill game when I was just a wee lad. I always had an interest in esoteric/occult like things and I remember finding it fascinating that they had incorporated it into the game.
This is a great video. I know that the etymology of Metatron is the subject of much speculation: meta-thronos makes sense but the Greek word thronos isn't found elsewhere in tamuldic literature.
Yeah there's some debate about the name's origin. The reference to throne makes sense because of the association of Metatron as the "lesser YHWH"; but non-Greek linguistic origins have also been suggested. It could be one of those things that started out meaning something different and then developed into something else under Greek influences.
Just thought of a couple more games, my favorite of all time "Legend of Dragoon" has tons of biblical-esque things, and has a huge cult following. and I'm sure you've gotten quite a few requests for this one, but Diablo would be filled with things to analyze. Watching this a second time with my girlfriend, your video on the Exorcist was great too!
Excellent video! I've replayed SH1 a half-dozen times since it came out and I had no idea that there was so much meaning behind a lot of the names and symbols in the game! I particularly found the origin of the Flauros' name interesting because in Silent Hill Origins it's retconned that the Flauros had a demon trapped inside of it.
Hope you return to the Silent Hill series; as other commenters mentioned, “The Book of Lost Memories” contains a lot of lore from the games, though it would be better to play through SH2 (original not remake), 3 and 4 first. I reverted to Catholicism around ten years ago, and in light of what I know now, could pick up some new things I missed before, especially from Silent Hill 3, but won’t detail in case of spoilers. Twin Perfect’s videos covered the occult influences, but it’s only surface level, and not particularly deep.
I would LOVE to see you cover religious imagery used in Resident Evil 4 if thats possible! I just discovered your channel and all of this history is so fascinating. As someone who loves both horror and religion, I'm excited to see what youll do next
Love your work! As a Catholic and fan of Silent Hill, I want a remake of SHs 1, 3 and 4 😭 Would recommend making a video on SH 2, 3 and 4, as they’re also steeped in spiritual themes.
Seriously great video, glad I randomly saw it pop up. I knew most of this since I love Silent Hill, but was still 100% engaged throughout. As someone else mentioned, Silent Hill 3 goes a lot more into detail on the cult's religion and would be great to see covered.
Absolutely incredible how much knowledge and expertise you pack into this video. I've not seen anyone make content analyzing the religious themes of horror games or media so your channel is really interesting. Your content is truly unique and I hope your channel blows up in size cause this stuff is incredible.
If you're asking for game with religious imagery, there is almost no way past the two Fear and Hunger Games. They also took a lot of stylistic influence from the Silent Hill Games. But they are certainly a lot less bright and happy. And yes, I know how that sounds.
wow some actual quality information about metatron quite a lovely surprise. call this polymathic philosoper impressed. never played the games but loved the first film when I was younger and doing shadow work. this is some great quality content I would love to see more.
Amazing video!!!! All of this information is extremely interesting and I wish you could upload more about silent hill symbolism. You know a lot of stuff and every bit of this was very interesting to me. Thank you!!!!
This was really amazing. I never liked the silent hill games gameplay wise but unraveling the esoteric nature of the story, the lore and real world inspirations have always deeply fascinated me. I would love to see more of this kind of content, exploring the religious, occultic and symbology of many games and alternative pieces of media. It's hard to think of more games that do it better than silent hill 1 but regardless of what game/story/media you delve into next you've earned an eager subscriber ready to see pieces of media with themes of religion or philosophical concepts explored with your perspective and knowledge.
might be old hat on youtube at this point, but i find your perspective wonderful and would love it if you where to do a video on the Faith game trilogy. I know that the dev is well read on religion and included a great deal of detail hidden in the game.
I really enjoyed this! I learned so much cool lore and history that I had no idea about, Silent Hill is one of my all time favourite video games and it makes me so happy to learn more, thank you for sharing. :)
Really appreciate your work and input on this game. Just discovered you. Religious horror has always bothered me and disturbed me more than any other kind. Keep up the good work.
Wow! Really amazing work, I adore the Silent Hill series and am fascinated by ancient mysticism. Really happy to see such an educated analysis on this. I think the delivery of Dalia’s “foretold by gyromancy” is a total red flag, but so camp especially with Harry’s “what” after 😂 he’s surely just the average atheist who got thrown into this mess. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of the likes in this and the series.
What is the symbolism of Cheryl? Is she carrying Alessa’s soul and thus needs to be sacrificed so Dahlia can awaken the demon in the end? Does that mean that the torture and murder of Alessa by Dahlia (and others in the town) was successful in that it brought the other world into reality, but failed as it didn’t complete the seal?
This is the first comment I've left in over 10 years. I just happened to stumble across this video and I'm astounded that you don't have more followers. The clarity and precision of the presentation, and the attention to detail is incredible. I love this video and I can't wait to dig into more of your content. Keep up the good work, I'm stoked to be able to tag along as this channel grows, as it definitely will.
This was a very informative video over a series I love! I never took the time to look into the religious meaning behind most of this stuff, so it was good getting to finally learn. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah there's a perception that Christians can't watch horror films or play horror games. But I have a feeling there are more of us out there than we might realize 😎
I think SH is more like a western re-skin of Shinto dark forces. The way the cult operates, the dark rituals and etc are very close from what we see in fatal frame and siren.
Fatal Frame was inspired by Silent Hill so its more the other way round. Siren shares key staff with the first Silent Hill and the Cult allegedly has syncretic Christian elements. Creepy cults aren't an element of pre-modern Japanese ghost stories its a very Christian trope.
@ Didn’t Herod send the magi with orders to kill Christ? If so, they may have carried knives which were stayed by the power of the Epiphany. I could see that imparting a sort of ‘purity’ or ‘innocence’. It’s like an inversion of the Spear of Longinus where the spear is sanctified through violent contact with the body of Christ, but the dagger is made significant for having been defeated by Christ’s love.
If you are into games, you might like digging around in Bloodborne. While it's mostly influenced by H P Lovecraft, there is a lot of Christian and pre Christian imagery and references.
great video but, and im sure you've heard this enough, no the games town is not based after Centralia, Pennsylvania. it was made with dense fog to cover the ps1 poor render distance. the movies however did take inspiration from Centralia, Pennsylvania. Also there is plenty of references to stephen king in SH1 so possibly also the mist may have inspired it, but thats only conjecture. As a side the town was designed to look like a typical midwestern American town to give the feel that it could take place anywhere. Id like to see an analysis on SH2 and SH3 eventually because this video is very good mind you.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Did you notice any religious references in Silent Hill for PS1 that aren't mentioned here? Any underlying themes left unexplored? Let me know!
There's the sigils of the Olympian spirits that flash on the multiple TV screens after Cheryl appears on them in Silent Hill Town Centre. They also reappear in both sigil and name in Nowhere.
Unfortunately, I can't think of anything about SH 1, but I'm sure a video about SH 3 and its comeback to the original game's mythology and divine conception themes will be pretty rad
Because SH I have the seal of Aratron painted in the door of my restroom.
I have a game for you to cover, and theres a ton of religious imagery, like fallen angels, demons, vampires, kings, catholic aesthetics, pagan and occult aesthetics and rites, old primitve rites, deities, demiurge like gods, biblical allusions, and much much more to uncover:
LEGACY OF KAIN - SOUL REAVER
Ive always been curious in the Christian faith what are the allowed forms of mysticism god permits are there even any past prayer and the rare exorcism?
UPDATE: After several astute viewers noted that Midwich was based on Centralia, PA only in the SH movies and not in the games, I decided to cut the minute or so of the video where I discussed Centralia. I don't want inaccuracies to remain in my videos as this channel is all about accuracy, and if I make a mistake I'll make it right to the best of my ability. Thanks to everyone who made me aware of the error 😎
It's a completely forgivable mistake, since there were fan sites back in the day that misreported that fact, and that was the explanation that stuck, even though it only applied to the first movie.
It may be further compounded by some of the original members of Team Silent traveling to the US to get more direct inspiration for the Town of Silent Hill.
The earlier Internet had a lot of that kind of "Telephone Game" misnomers & such.
I haven’t even begun watching and I’m subscribing already because of this post. This level of care for accuracy of anything is fantastic and commendable!
Yeah, the actual setting for the Town is in Maine as far as hard the canon of the games are concerned. Christoph Gans is a problem as he tried to rewrite the story in his own image and idea than actually adapt or add to any of the previously established material. In Gans’ own words “it’s a Puritan Witch story”, which is completely false, as any Silent Hill fan will tell you.
Also, the primary faith of the Town’s religious community, *The Order* , combines the Western European settlers beliefs and the original native people’s beliefs. The book “Silent Hill's Ancient Gods: A Study of Their Etymology and Evolution” in Silent Hill 3 touches on how the local native beliefs influenced the settlers own and states that: "When this religion fell into the hands of immigrants, it was deeply influenced by their own original Christian beliefs". Hence the heavy Abrahamic belief leaning material. Realistically they’re an Eschatological Doomsday Cult.
I’m clearly new here, so I’m not sure if that was previously touched on in a different video or not. Really awesome video though, glad this randomly came up on my feed.
@@SomaCruz500 Yeah, as much as I did actually like the movie, it was really only the style and atmosphere that did it for me (which was the only thing they faithfully adapted from the games, using some game scenery and music). It would be nice if people could just stick with what worked in a popular bit of media rather than just egotistically imagining that they can improve on it when they've done nothing nearly as noteworthy. Gans went full artist, and it would be lovely if these guys could realize that you never go full artist when you're riding on the coat-tails of another work's name; Nobody really likes "reimaginings".
The town in the games was still influenced by centralia; The devs knew about it, it's just that it wasn't directly translated into the SH town as it was in the movie.
This video popped up randomly on my home page and I'm just blown away by it. Concise, no nonsense presentation and an immersive atmosphere. I was playing a video game on my other monitor while I was watching and I put it down in the first few minutes because you grabbed my full attention. I don't think there's anything else quite like this on RUclips and I'm very happy I stumbled across it.
Thanks so much!
Ryan Hollinger has some great videos about horror, the one about "The Mist" movie adaptation is really good, and he occasionally touches on his highly religious upbringing to talk about religious themes in horror media. It's not his focus, however, but still might provide some good companion media to the videos in this channel
Clear, concise, not an ounce of slop. Great video, can't wait to check out the rest of your content.
The dark religious and occultic lore of silent hill 1 is truly bizarre considering the game made its way into the mainstream and became a "popular" video game published by the very popular Konami.
I still consider silent hill 1 to be one of the darkest video games or even media to be ever released to the mainstream.
And I believe the developers could've made the game even darker than it already is but had to overall tone it down so it can barely slip through the release without it being deemed too obscene for the public.
By the way this video reminds me alot of the gaming muse's channel
@@t.kahraba763 take into account that silent hill was launched when the survival horror genre was giving their first steps and at that time such elements wasn't taken so seriously by the gamers. Is more a recent thing explore the lore and the symbolisms behind the Game although it doesn't mean that at the time the Game was launched nobody notices the symbolisms and relate it with the real life. Maybe it wasn't much people.
‘Gods poison’ is so metal
Right?! 😄
there's a metal band called Samael too
I had this exact reaction when I first read the name to Transmetal's "Angeles Envenenados" (poisoned angels)
Loved this! Well done. Horror, symbolism, esotericism, and actual sources. You've got it all.
Excellent work Doctor. I’m an Episcopal in the process of being ordained a Priest, so it’s really nice to see fellow religious folk analyze the kind of media I also like. Peace be with you.
And with your spirit 👐
I'm thinking of becoming a priest, glad to see others like me also enjoy Silent Hill.
Video games are sinful and ungodly
@@illegalsmirf Which verse said that? (:
Priests playing video games 😂
Your in-depth observation's of Silent Hill's Lore is most impressive and really is a testament to Team Silent (The folks who worked on developing the first four games) and their ability to implement all of these subtle details into the their games. It's so great to have well read people like you, doing deep analysis videos of games like silent hill, which oozes with mystery and alluring subtext. Thanks for making this, You really should make a little mini series and dissect interesting theological/mythological contexts of silent hill 1-4 as there is plenty of it just waiting to be discussed. Love this video, thank you again!
Thanks! I plan to cover all of the SH games eventually.
AMAZING VIDEO! This is exactly my “niche” type of video, as soon as I saw your username I knew I hit a jackpot! Please keep it up! Also, it reminds me a lot of wendigoon’s religious videos.
Oi, sumida! 😅
Incredible video. I would like to add that Silent Hill 3 has a far more in-depth explanation of the town's cult and lore. It explains that western esoterics were mixed with mesoamerican mythology to form what we see as the cult in the game.
Samael was also never the name of the God, that was not the intent with SH1, where in the official guide the director says it was Dahlia's red herring and we know the name of the creature in the end is Incubus. A being that haunts the dreams of women (Alessa was trapped in an endless nightmare) taking the shape of Baphomet because it was an image the cult associated with their God. Ironically SH2 is all about the Succubus, the inverse of the Incubus. In the third game we learn that Samael was a name given to the God by unbelievers, giving her (yes, she's female) the name of a demon.
I'm not familiar with SH3 so thanks for adding this info!
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal
In fact, the "deity" of the cult is known as "The God of Serpents and Reeds" and his symbol is the "Halo of the Sun." And this God is the one venerated by the cult, but it is unlikely that he is the only one worshiped before the conquest.
@@yaninsanchez6136 I'd agree Samael is probably not their deity. Though the video doesn't explicitly state this. I think. Either way Samael absolutely inspired the direction of the writing in my opinion.
The Portuguese DID bring a form of Catholicism to Japan back in the day.
@@TheCatholicHorrorGalI'm going to assume you finished SH1. Silent Hill 3 is a DIRECT sequel. So much so you actually play as Henry's "daughter" Heather (Alessa and Henry's girl combined).
Henry even plays a brief role. It is available for PC and if you enjoyed the puzzles in 1... BUCKLE UP for 3.
You will not miss out on anything by skipping SH2. A couple characters from 1 are mentioned but don't drive the plot.
Silent hill 4 while not as good (from a gameplay perspective) as the previous three does expand upon how the cult operated in silent hill as the main antagonist (the spirit of a deceased serial killer named Walter Sullivan) was raised (as well as physically and emotionally abused) in an orphanage run by the cult. While going into his motivations would be a major spoiler for the game, his actions are all in accordance with a specific rituals taught to him by the cult.
You have such a Silent Hill character vibe. I love your narration and explanation so much. You could be an in-universe expert in the series.
Thanks!
Far too many people ignore the incredible importance of religious influence across all four of the original Team Silent games. I have a feeling it's because the majority of people who've played them are atheist or agnostic and haven't really bothered studying various religions. Taoism is extremely important through Silent Hill as well.
This is great content!
....what? I'm an atheist and trust me the majority have studied most religions it's partially why we are atheists.
No one is indoctrinated into atheism like Christianity and many of us were religious in the past.
I'm also an agnostic atheist because no one actually KNOWS if there is an afterlife or God's.
No, the reason everyone ignores the religious aspects of Silent Hill is because of Silent Hill 2, I'm an Atheist and religion/spirituality is fascinating.
@@MetalRainbow999 yeah, I’m also agnostic/atheist for the same reasons.
Not to mention that most “Christians” in a lot of our personal lives tend to be addicted to wrath, envy, and follow mammon.
Not all religious are bad people, obviously, but we need to be skeptical.
I am a fan of the first three Silent Hill and I was always fascinated by its dark story, nothing is done at random in that game, thank you very much for providing so many interesting facts ❤
First of all, I thank you for such an interesting and well-done video. As a reaffirmed Catholic and Mexican, I also noticed Mesoamerican religious concepts, the use of reeds, the names of the guardians inspired by Mayan names, snakes, the mystical meaning of water, the sacrifice of the gods for the good of human beings, and the terrible and angry gods that also punish mankind. Much of this is found in Silent Hill 3. I have a degree in History and a great interest in religions and philosophies, I think that since I discovered the Silent Hill franchise (i was a teenager in 1999), it inspired me to study humanities. Thank you and continue the magnificent work you do.
I'm so grateful I got this channel recommended. Hope this video blows up!
It is such a loss that most of the mainstream horror media lacks this level of depth and world building the original Silent Hill has. Especially looking at Bloober's take on Silent Hill 2. I hate how today's target audiences assume that older games are basic and depthless just by looking at their graphical limitations and gameplay. Very great work by the way.
Aside from the Centralia bit (it was not at all inspired the games, just the movies) everything else is great. I'm happy that the algorithm recommended your channel!
When I saw Dahlia for the first time it surprised me because it really looked like a mantilla to me, and I am not very used to see such things in videogames, especially if they are based in a US town. I am from Spain, particularly from Basque Country, and I am pretty familiar with it. My grandma used to have one. During the Holy Week a lot of Andalusian women wore them, they appear in the TV all the time. Thanks a lot for the the analysis of the SH lore, I find the reading of all these manuscripts and books very interesting from an archaeological and historical point of view. Besides, I love Silent Hill. You might find Basque Mythology very interesting because the syncretic ties between Christiansm and all the Basque leyends and folklore inside the mythology. I wonder if you could also make some research about SH3 and SH4. SH2 is amazing too but I think there is less religious imaginary there. Sorry if I made any mistakes since English isn't my mother language. Cheers :D and thanks again for all the effort you put in the video.
Your English is great! Mantillas are often still worn by traditional Catholic women here in the U.S.
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal Hi, thanks for your fast response and your kindness :) I imagined Catholic women still would wear them in the US, but most of times US movies/TV shows shown around here do not depict Catholic faith but other ones. That is why I am not very used to that depiction haha.
Game suggestion for you. Blasphemous is a metroidvania that is heavily influenced by early and mid era spanish Catholicism combined with various mystical elements from spanish historical culture along with the obvious tie ins to early jewish mythos
Also, anything fromsoftware does is steeped in the occult.
Theres a huge demand for videos about older videogames. Id recommend expanding on stuff like this. Thanks for the good content
You’re so cool, thank you for sharing this well made video!
What a fantastic video! Thank you so much for taking the to time to create and sharing it with us. Finally may I say what a charming and rich soothing voice you have. I could listen and learn much from you. Thank you so much. Love from 🇬🇧
Forbidden Siren would also be perfect for a video like this
It's very sad to me that the deep dive in the occult got progressively more lost between releases of Silent Hill's games.
The occult and its many symbolism was what made it stand out from the rest of the genre.
Now it's became "spooky town purgatory that mentions demons here and there".
It's really interesting how Lost Memories book mention that Samael and Metatron are the same being, and thus they both are aspects of Valtiel, responsible to overseer the flux of life and death.
That's one of the unfortunate errors that gets introduced into games, movies, etc. that are based on real religious texts -- nothing in Jewish literature suggests that Samael and Metatron are the same. They're both angels but they're not the same being. Metatron is said in some Jewish texts to be the same as the human man, Enoch, who was transformed into Metatron. But Metatron and Samael aren't the same. 😎
@@TheCatholicHorrorGal Maybe not in jewish literature, but the cult is its own thing since it mixes a lot of different beliefs and practices. They aren't christian but believe in angels, but also in many other gods and communicating with the dead. But since it's Lost Memories, I'd say it's canon to the games.
Man I wish they remade this legendary game instead of part 2, this was the first and only game to really scare me and get under my skin, such an amazing work of art.
Yeah I think it was really the first of its kind.
I’ve been on a Silent Hill video binge since playing the SH2 remake so I stumbled onto your channel in related videos and you have fantastic content!
Keep it up, this channel’s going to blow up sooner or later
Incredibly well done video. I'm doing research for a horror game I want to create and this is exactly what I was looking for. Immediately subscribed, thank you!
I'd love to see a video on Fatal Frame or Echo Night
This is so, so, so good. Everything is so cleverly analyzed and explained, and I'm so glad this popped up on my homepage!! You have a knack for storytelling :)
It’s not a game, but I’d love to watch your analysis of the religious themes in the show Midnight Mass!
I do movies too, and plan to add series in the future. Midnight Mass is definitely on my list. It's a good one!
I loved this, great job! I'd love to see you tackle the "Hellraiser" movies (particularly the first two and the 2022 reboot, as they all have some interesting religious symbolism)...
Also, I realize it's not quite a horror show, but there are two specific episodes of "Doctor Who" that definitely qualify as being in the genre of horror and have some pretty deep religious themes as well: "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit"...
I'll say again, good job, I think your channel could really take off! =D
So glad I found this channel! Would love to see your takes on Rule of Rose, Haunting Grounds, and any and all Shin Megami Tensei games especially SMT 3: Nocturne! Keep up the great content!
video essays on this game have quickly become the same regurgitated content/ideas, but this video is a complete breath of fresh air. as others in this comment section have already stated, i loved everything about how you presented the topic at hand. it was clear, concise, and VERY informative. as i've always been fascinated by the ways that religion (Catholicism especially) can be interwoven with horror media, i'm overjoyed with coming across your wonderful channel!! instant subscription!!!! such fantastic work 💗
Great analysis, keep up the good work!
I'm reminded of other neat details that I, admittedly, don't have the sources for any longer: the point that in some translations of Job, it's Samael specifically acting as the foil to God.
Not as some kind of demon, but *very* specifically as an angel, tasked with questioning and opposing God. So basically, with being an adversary.
Which makes it funnier in connection to this video's information. Because much like "God" isn't that deity's name, but a title, "Satan" isn't a name. It's a title, meaning "The Adversary".
This then works perfectly in Silent Hill 2, where Samael isn't mentioned at all but the *point* of the game is the town trapping, then setting challenges and trials in the path of guilty people.
And in Silent Hill 3 it takes an even more interesting turn, because the God of the town's religion is very, very strongly associated with the sun. Lucifer is not actually a Jewish figure at all: he's taken entirely from a neighboring Canaanite religion. But, he is also a conception of Satan powerfully associated with light...
As a lifelong Silent Hill fan, I would like to thank you for the very informative video regarding the first installment of the series, you gained a new subscriber. Since you liked the first game, I would suggest checking out the sequels, Silent Hill 2-4, especially Silent Hill 3, which is a direct sequel to the first game and explores the Cult and its mythology deeper. I believe you would appreciate it and I would love to see more Silent Hill content!
This is a topic I feel like is overlooked, let alone explained in detail! Enjoyed your video a lot, excited to see more!
I loved that this just appeared on my home page at midnight. I am SUBBED.
You have an excellent voice for narration. Great watch!
I really wish there were more creators like you on RUclips. What an amazing production, great job.
Criminally underviewed video!
Thanks! 😁
Amazing video! A game you should check out is “Who’s Lila?”. It’s a trippy point-and-click/ARG that uses a lot of symbolism from the major arcana and zodiac. I’m not as familiar with the more biblical references but there’s definitely plenty of that in there as well. The game revolves around themes of autonomy, identity, and existentialism as you try to piece together the events that led to the disappearance of high schooler Tanya Kennedy, the player assuming the position of William Clarke, the last person known to have seen her.
Sounds right up my alley, I'll check it out. Thanks!
I second this!! I love Who’s Lila and I’d love to see more analysis videos of it
Great video ! Subscribed
I've always been fascinated by the religious themes of Silent Hill. Thank you for covering this so thoroughly and I appreciate that you were able to take note of the inaccurate connection between Silent Hill (the game) and Centralia - a veryyyyy common misconception! Looking forward to diving into the rest of your channel!
Awesome video! I am Mexican American, my mother and her side of the family are apostolic. They still use mantillas, I remember my great grandma used to make her own
im so happy i found your channel I can't wait to see the rest of your videos
This is what captured my interest when I first experienced the first Silent Hill game when I was just a wee lad.
I always had an interest in esoteric/occult like things and I remember finding it fascinating that they had incorporated it into the game.
Absolutely brilliant. Looking forward to your next endeavors.
This is a great video. I know that the etymology of Metatron is the subject of much speculation: meta-thronos makes sense but the Greek word thronos isn't found elsewhere in tamuldic literature.
Yeah there's some debate about the name's origin. The reference to throne makes sense because of the association of Metatron as the "lesser YHWH"; but non-Greek linguistic origins have also been suggested. It could be one of those things that started out meaning something different and then developed into something else under Greek influences.
Just thought of a couple more games, my favorite of all time "Legend of Dragoon" has tons of biblical-esque things, and has a huge cult following. and I'm sure you've gotten quite a few requests for this one, but Diablo would be filled with things to analyze. Watching this a second time with my girlfriend, your video on the Exorcist was great too!
Fantastic video! You've earned a new subscriber.
Excellent video! I've replayed SH1 a half-dozen times since it came out and I had no idea that there was so much meaning behind a lot of the names and symbols in the game! I particularly found the origin of the Flauros' name interesting because in Silent Hill Origins it's retconned that the Flauros had a demon trapped inside of it.
Hope you return to the Silent Hill series; as other commenters mentioned, “The Book of Lost Memories” contains a lot of lore from the games, though it would be better to play through SH2 (original not remake), 3 and 4 first. I reverted to Catholicism around ten years ago, and in light of what I know now, could pick up some new things I missed before, especially from Silent Hill 3, but won’t detail in case of spoilers. Twin Perfect’s videos covered the occult influences, but it’s only surface level, and not particularly deep.
Will definitely return to SH. Not sure if I can play the original SH2; I think the remake is the only one I have access to.
instantly subbed, what a great video, I love how you get into the fine details of everything esp about Metatron.
Your clarity, tone and style of delivery is great! Keep going 🥰
I would LOVE to see you cover religious imagery used in Resident Evil 4 if thats possible! I just discovered your channel and all of this history is so fascinating. As someone who loves both horror and religion, I'm excited to see what youll do next
Love your work! As a Catholic and fan of Silent Hill, I want a remake of SHs 1, 3 and 4 😭 Would recommend making a video on SH 2, 3 and 4, as they’re also steeped in spiritual themes.
I'm eager to play the "new" SH2.
Fancy seeing you here Adrian!
@@happyfaults likewise Felix! Glad to see a fellow Catholic and SH fan!
Seriously great video, glad I randomly saw it pop up. I knew most of this since I love Silent Hill, but was still 100% engaged throughout. As someone else mentioned, Silent Hill 3 goes a lot more into detail on the cult's religion and would be great to see covered.
Absolutely incredible how much knowledge and expertise you pack into this video. I've not seen anyone make content analyzing the religious themes of horror games or media so your channel is really interesting. Your content is truly unique and I hope your channel blows up in size cause this stuff is incredible.
If you're asking for game with religious imagery, there is almost no way past the two Fear and Hunger Games. They also took a lot of stylistic influence from the Silent Hill Games.
But they are certainly a lot less bright and happy. And yes, I know how that sounds.
This was an awesome review of the religious references in Silent Hill. Awesome watch, will definitely subscribe to your channel.
Commenting for the algorithm because this channel deserves the attention! Very informative without being dry 👏
wow some actual quality information about metatron quite a lovely surprise. call this polymathic philosoper impressed. never played the games but loved the first film when I was younger and doing shadow work. this is some great quality content I would love to see more.
Amazing video!!!! All of this information is extremely interesting and I wish you could upload more about silent hill symbolism. You know a lot of stuff and every bit of this was very interesting to me. Thank you!!!!
I will be covering other games in future videos 😎
This was really amazing. I never liked the silent hill games gameplay wise but unraveling the esoteric nature of the story, the lore and real world inspirations have always deeply fascinated me. I would love to see more of this kind of content, exploring the religious, occultic and symbology of many games and alternative pieces of media. It's hard to think of more games that do it better than silent hill 1 but regardless of what game/story/media you delve into next you've earned an eager subscriber ready to see pieces of media with themes of religion or philosophical concepts explored with your perspective and knowledge.
might be old hat on youtube at this point, but i find your perspective wonderful and would love it if you where to do a video on the Faith game trilogy. I know that the dev is well read on religion and included a great deal of detail hidden in the game.
Someone else mentioned Faith in a comment too! I've been playing it but haven't finished it yet. Definitely one to cover.
Great investigative work!!! Loved it, greetings from argentina!
Ive been waiting all my life for a channel exactly like this. Thank you.
Great video! First time viewer and the narrative, pacing, content are all A1.
I really enjoyed this! I learned so much cool lore and history that I had no idea about, Silent Hill is one of my all time favourite video games and it makes me so happy to learn more, thank you for sharing. :)
Wow this is incredible! Definitely thought it would have waaaay more views! So detailed! Thank you very much!!
Girl, you're cool. I love your content. Subscribed!
Fantastic work. I came to the video half-expecting religious fanaticism, but your work was very level and concise. Well done!
Really appreciate your work and input on this game. Just discovered you. Religious horror has always bothered me and disturbed me more than any other kind. Keep up the good work.
Wow! Really amazing work, I adore the Silent Hill series and am fascinated by ancient mysticism. Really happy to see such an educated analysis on this. I think the delivery of Dalia’s “foretold by gyromancy” is a total red flag, but so camp especially with Harry’s “what” after 😂 he’s surely just the average atheist who got thrown into this mess. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of the likes in this and the series.
Very cool and informed presentation. I am glad to have found your channel. Keep up the great analyses.
What is the symbolism of Cheryl? Is she carrying Alessa’s soul and thus needs to be sacrificed so Dahlia can awaken the demon in the end? Does that mean that the torture and murder of Alessa by Dahlia (and others in the town) was successful in that it brought the other world into reality, but failed as it didn’t complete the seal?
I think Cheryl is more of a plot thing than a symbol. Not sure about the seal. 🤔
Astounding video. You came up quite randomly in my feed and im so, so glad for it.
This is the first comment I've left in over 10 years. I just happened to stumble across this video and I'm astounded that you don't have more followers. The clarity and precision of the presentation, and the attention to detail is incredible. I love this video and I can't wait to dig into more of your content. Keep up the good work, I'm stoked to be able to tag along as this channel grows, as it definitely will.
Thank you!
This was a very informative video over a series I love! I never took the time to look into the religious meaning behind most of this stuff, so it was good getting to finally learn. Thank you for sharing!
Oh cool! I always wanted to know more about this esoteric stuff. I'm surprised nobody really talks about it.
Really appreciate the deep dive into one of my favorite series. Horror is a topic my friends at the FSSP parish typically sidestep.
Yeah there's a perception that Christians can't watch horror films or play horror games. But I have a feeling there are more of us out there than we might realize 😎
love your narration and the dedication you have, really comforting video, great work. :)
I think SH is more like a western re-skin of Shinto dark forces. The way the cult operates, the dark rituals and etc are very close from what we see in fatal frame and siren.
Fatal Frame was inspired by Silent Hill so its more the other way round. Siren shares key staff with the first Silent Hill and the Cult allegedly has syncretic Christian elements. Creepy cults aren't an element of pre-modern Japanese ghost stories its a very Christian trope.
The RUclips algorithm hit gold finding your page. Excellent video. You have a new fan.
Just found your channel. What a unique and awesome combination for a RUclips channel! Subscribed
Thanks!!
I love your content so much its so clear and the annuciation of words and clear references to historical texts and events are so OOMPH
Super interesting video. You have the perfect voice for narration, would love to see your take on the expanded cult lore in silent hill 3!
Please do a video on Pathologic 2! It’s the only recent game to give me a similar feeling to playing the silent hill series for the first time.
I suspect that the Dagger of Melchior may represent King Herod’s thwarted attempt to slay the newborn Christ.
Hmm, interesting association. Melchior didn't use a weapon to stop Herod though 🤔
@ Didn’t Herod send the magi with orders to kill Christ? If so, they may have carried knives which were stayed by the power of the Epiphany. I could see that imparting a sort of ‘purity’ or ‘innocence’. It’s like an inversion of the Spear of Longinus where the spear is sanctified through violent contact with the body of Christ, but the dagger is made significant for having been defeated by Christ’s love.
No, Herod told the magi to find the child and then go back to him and tell him where the child was.
If you are into games, you might like digging around in Bloodborne. While it's mostly influenced by H P Lovecraft, there is a lot of Christian and pre Christian imagery and references.
great video but, and im sure you've heard this enough, no the games town is not based after Centralia, Pennsylvania. it was made with dense fog to cover the ps1 poor render distance. the movies however did take inspiration from Centralia, Pennsylvania. Also there is plenty of references to stephen king in SH1 so possibly also the mist may have inspired it, but thats only conjecture. As a side the town was designed to look like a typical midwestern American town to give the feel that it could take place anywhere. Id like to see an analysis on SH2 and SH3 eventually because this video is very good mind you.
This is so good!! Will you be doing one on Silent Hill 2 or any of the other entries?
Hopefully! Maybe in a few weeks 😎
You are so awesome! Loved this video and definitely will be checking out the rest of your work.
I've been on a silent hill kick lately and this popped up on my homepage, really enjoyed it
Great video, popped up randomly and I love it ! Amazing narration as well
One of the most unexpected and amazing videos i have ever seen! Congrats!
This was so informative! First time for me on your channel, I'm happy I found this.
Great video! Subscribed right away