Silent Hill

Amnion

Amnion appears as an androgynous humanoid figure attached to a large mechanical apparatus resembling a spider. The human body is pale and bloated, like a waterlogged corpse, or a woman in the final days of pregnancy. It has no arms and its six spider-like mechanical legs are fused into its ribs. Another feature is a hose-like structure that comes out of its mouth and attaches between its legs, like an umbilical cord; however, it convulses and flows as if it has fluid circulating in it. Amnion’s face also telescopes forward, all attached to a mechanical frame which fits back together. The spider limbs end in very wicked, claw-like instruments, much like that of the horrific surgical tools seen in the game’s opening scene.

Amnion appears when Alex discovers the ritual chamber where the Order buries their sacrifices. After recalling accidentally killing Joshua by taking him to thelake (then fighting over the Shepherd Family Ring, leading to Joshua’s death), Alex learns he was destined to be sacrificed. It was not Joshua’s death that ruined the ritual however. The emotional strain of now lacking both children broke Alex’s parents, and so they refused to carry out the sacrificial ritual. After this sudden realization, Alex returns to the Otherworld and Amnion descends from the ceiling, initiating the final boss fight.After defeating Amnion, Alex slices its bloated stomach open, revealing Joshua’s corpse. Alex finally accepts what he’s done. Taking responsibility for Joshua’s death, he begs for his brother’s forgiveness and leaves him with both the ring which they fought over while on the boat and the flashlight that Alex had given to Joshua years before.

Symbolism

Amnion could be seen as representing Joshua’s anger towards Alex for his death, and also his desire to have Alex accept what he’d done. Another view on the creature argues that it could represent Alex’s guilt regarding Joshua’s death.
Its form is derived mainly from Joshua’s death via drowning and his love of insects and spiders, as evidenced by his collection and drawings. It is also representative of the fact that Joshua was “babied” by his parents, and was in fact called a baby by Alex not long before his death; this notion is supported when Alex cuts open Amnion to see Joshua’s body in the fetal position. It slightly resembles Arachne, a Greco-Roman spider woman who could not acknowledge where her knowledge came from, and may be a representation of Alex refusing to acknowledge his brother’s death.
Further symbolism of the theme of birth and Joshua’s death include: the name “Amnion” referencing the amniotic sac that surrounds a fetus, the tube of water protruding from her mouth referring to the act of drowning as well as the imagery of an umbilical cord, and the iron lung component used for Amnion’s “neck.”
The extending neck is reminiscent of a view camera, which may symbolize Joshua’s love for photography. The similarity that Amnion’s legs have, and also its way of death (its flipping upside down and legs crumbling up) to a spider symbolizes Joshua’s love for spiders

Asphyxia

Asphyxia resembles a mass of female bodies gruesomely fused together in a chain. She has a single pair of legs, but no feet, and uses dozens of arms and hands to walk with; she snakes across the ground and uses them for striking. She lacks eyes and her mouth is usually covered by the upper hands growing out of her shoulders.

Alex faces Asphyxia.Asphyxia attacks with her numerous limbs, but she primarily strikes with her four main arms, often in a series of three swings. She can also spin around and knock Alex down with her long tail section, or simply charge him head on, as well as open her mouth and let out a ghastly shriek which can send Alex tumbling backwards. Her weakness is that she is somewhat easy to dodge (though quite damaging), and her “tail” section is a weak vital point on her body; striking it hard stuns Asphyxia long enough to get a hit on her head. After taking enough damage, Alex forcibly parts the hands covering her mouth forcing her to breathe, killing her. Unlike the other bosses of the game, Asphyxia only has one combat form

Symbolism

Asphyxia’s name and appearance are symbolic of how Nora Holloway died. Her mother, Judge Holloway, strangled her in order to sacrifice her, to appease the Order’s dark God and protect Shepherd’s Glen. The numerous hands choking and groping Asphyxia’s body symbolize how she was murdered.
Nora also loved to read, particularly her favorite book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as seen in her photograph. Having multiple arms, Asphyxia’s form appears similar to that of the Caterpillar in the book and her “scream” is similar to how the Caterpillar blew smoke from his hookah at Alice.
Her appearance is also heavily sexualized, yet unrevealing (vaginal area and breasts are covered in the same manner as a girl would try to cover herself), perhaps symbolizing how she was nearly a woman full grown but denied it. As depicted in the game, Asphyxia exhibits a tormented existence. It is noted that there is a green substance emitted from the Asphyxia’s tail when she performs a swiping attack. Usually anything green emitted from the body is a sign of serious infection or is a toxin. The green substance can be attributed to poison; poison can be linked to the wellness, or lack thereof, concerning the soul or the mind.
Asphyxia’s lack of eyes may also symbolize how Nora Holloway died. Normally, if a person loses consciousness, the lungs automatically seek air and the breathing functions continue, which makes it nearly impossible for someone to suffocate themselves. This could mean that Nora died half-conscious, half-unconscious, which would give the hands around Asphyxia’s mouth a dual meaning — not only was she unable to breathe, she was given no reprieve, even once she blacked out.

The Bogeyman

The Bogeyman has a minor, albeit important, role in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Much like Pyramid Head’s was to James Sunderland and the Butcher’s was toTravis Grady, his role is a physical manifestation of Adam Shepherd’s guilt. As decreed by a pact with the Order’s God, every fifty years, each of the founding families was to choose and sacrifice one of their children to ensure the prosperous future of Shepherd’s Glen and avoid the fate of the Fog World and Otherworld “invasion”- however, Adam neglected to sacrifice his eldest son Alex Shepherd in the wake of Joshua Shepherd’s death, and instead sent him away to a mental institution, breaking the pact and leaving the Shepherd’s Glen townspeople at the mercy of the Order.
The Bogeyman only appears physically twice to Alex. He is first encountered in a cutscene in the Grand Hotel in Silent Hill. Seen simply dragging his knife down a hallway and being trailed by insects (as he often was in the film), he turns to face Alex, who has hidden himself behind a pile of rubble. The Bogeyman turns away, and continues walking down the hall. Much later, within the Church of the Holy Way, he appears a final time and executes Adam, cutting him in half lengthwise right before Alex’s eyes.
Although unseen, he makes himself known to Alex in the game’s introductory level, Alchemilla Hospital. His first action is the murder of the doctor who wheels Alex into the Operation Theater. As the player progresses through the hospital, a grinding noise can be heard periodically. Presumably, this is the Bogeyman dragging his knife across the floor. As the first level ends, Alex is riding an elevator, following his brother. As it comes to a stop, the Bogeyman Knife plunges through the still-closed elevator door toward Alex. The scene then transitions to a truck cab, and an awake Alex, revealing that he was dreaming.
The most surprising aspect of his appearance within Homecoming comes with the “Bogeyman” ending. Alex is seen bound in a chair, with a Bogeyman approaching from both sides of him. Each bears a piece of helmet identical to their own, internally lined with long sharp spikes. Alex screams as they attach the pieces to him, transforming him into one of them. As Alex stands, it’s revealed that he has taken on the physical characteristics of the Bogeyman. This may represent Alex embracing the darkness within him that the Bogeyman represents, as to get the ending the player must commit “evil” actions (refusing to kill Lillian, refusing to forgive Adam and not healing Wheeler). With this ending, the Bogeyman costume is unlocked.
In addition to his scenario-significance, the Bogeyman is also mentioned in a series of child’s drawings found throughout the course of the game, each of which has part of a gruesome poem on the back, which was presumably told to the children of Shepherd’s Glen by their parents, to cover up for the disappearances of their friends

Feral

Ferals are dog-like creatures in Silent Hill: Homecoming. These creatures are very similar to previous enemies, namely the Groaners, Double Heads, and Sniffer Dogs, all of which are also canine enemies.Alex Shepherd first encounters one in the Rose Heights Cemetery, after hearing it barking and growling in the distance.

They appear as skinless, heavily muscled canines with fresh blood dripping from their bodies. As large dogs, they are very powerful indeed. A strange feature of their heads is the fact that they have no ears.

Symbolism

Ferals are highly representative of Alex’s father, Adam Shepherd’s, hunting hobbies, where he was seen to be skinning his kills. Adam also admits that he treated his dog with more respect than he did Alex, so they may represent Alex’s anger over his mistreatment. They may also be a nod to Eddie Dombrowski, who famously shot a dog to death, as the achievement “Eddie’s Legacy” is obtained after killing one when playing on an Xbox 360

Lurker

Lurkers are a common monster type in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Alex Shepherdfirst encounters one in his flooded basement, from where his mother had recently left, but to actually get into the basement itself, Alex must first talk to his mother.

They appear as bald humanoid monsters with huge claws. Their legs are fused together or bound by layers of dead skin, so they drag them uselessly behind them. Their faces are blank save for a huge, vertical slit down the middle of their heads, filled with horrific teeth. Most notably their wrists are severed and a series of three, sickle-like blades are grafted on to the stubs of their arms. They use their arms to crawl and attack.

Symbolism

Lurkers may represent the restraint Alex felt throughout his life and the lack of love from his family. The mouth of the Lurker is reminiscent of vagina dentata, suggesting possible gynophobia.
They also possibly represent the death of his brother Joshua, as Joshua drowned and Lurkers have an appearance similar to a twisted version of a mermaid. Its claws also highly resemble tools of torture.
Their significance can be further expanded upon after obtaining the Kneeling Man Plate, which in the puzzle signifies penitence. If the tablet is examined, the picture displays a kneeling man in prayer whose upper body looks exactly like the Lurker when its body is at its most upright; this could imply that they mainly symbolize Alex’s regret and need for penitence after what he did to Joshua.
Much like the Lurker, Alex’s memories lay hidden just below the surface. When they emerge, they bring with them only pain and suffering

Needler

Alex Shepherd first encounters them in the Grand Hotel’s elevator, where five of them attack Alex in succession by breaking through the elevator’s walls and attempting to pierce him in the confined space.Needlers also appear in the spin-off game Silent Hill: Book of Memories.

It appears humanoid, but its arms and legs are replaced with very sharp blades which it uses to walk around, as well as to attack. These blades are grafted onto the severed wrists and ankles of the creature. However, its legs are double-jointed. It seems as though its head had been removed, especially evident as it approaches Alex. However, its sharp-mawed mouth is located between its legs.

Symbolism

Its head is located between its legs, a design choice that, when combined with its reclining posture and stirrup-like leg blades, may be intended to viscerally symbolize childbirth — a constant theme in the Silent Hill series, and a particularly emergent theme in Silent Hill: Homecoming. The “needles” themselves may be expressions of the surgical orbitoclasts used in a frontal lobotomy, or simply represent hypodermic needles used to inject pyschotropic medications. The severed head might also foreshadow the manner of Joshua Shepherd’s death: a broken neck

Scarlet

Scarlet is the second boss encountered in Silent Hill: Homecoming. She is themanifestation of Doctor Martin Fitch’s guilt over murdering his daughter Scarlet Fitch, who was dismembered and sacrificed to appease the Order’s God.
The act of murdering his daughter took a heavy toll on Dr. Fitch, as evidenced by his uncertain behavior and self-mutilation. After being presented with one ofScarlet’s dolls, Fitch’s scars open and he begins to bleed profusely, and Scarlet’s doll rises from the bloody pool and mutates into a tall doll-like monster, whom Fitch begs for forgiveness. In response, the Scarlet monster seems to cradle him for a moment, as if thinking about it, then bites Fitch’s head off and tosses his body aside.
Afterwards, she is promptly defeated by Alex Shepherd, who then sinks into the pool of blood and returns to the Fog World.

Scarlet’s monstrous form is well over 12 feet tall, and extremely thin. She has segmented armor resembling a porcelain doll that can be broken away to reveal a thin, fleshy underlining. The head of the doll can be shattered and broken, showing it to be hollow with a fracture along the mouth, allowing an increase in her bite radius. Her mouth is filled with needle-like teeth, and she is prone to letting out snake-like hisses and shrieks. She wears black Mary Jane-style shoes on her club-like feet. Her hands resemble more of a wild beast’s than a human’s with short, stubby fingers.

Symbolism

The monstrous form of Scarlet is just that, the memory of Scarlet Fitch manifested from her father’s horrible guilt. Her form is based on Scarlet’s love of dolls, which fill her room and can be found strewn along the path to Fitch’s location.Her rapidly beating heart, visible only after her back’s ceramic layer is peeled off, is quite possibly a representation of the sheer trauma Scarlet experienced at the moment of her death.
Fitch sacrificed Scarlet by dismembering her, and the Scarlet creature’s doll form shows this with the disjointed form of her joints. Additionally, the lines along the monster’s breasts indicate a kind of sexuality about her murder, that Fitch cut off his daughter’s breasts as he murdered her, or possibly to symbolize how Scarlet never got to become a woman. The absence of Scarlet’s mother implies that perhaps Fitch, like some fathers whose wives have died, imposed his view of his wife on his daughter, adding to his shame.
After defeating her the first time, she revives and crawls around like an insect, up walls and on all fours. The reason for this is probably to take on Alex’s guilt of his brother Joshua’s death, as Josh had a love for spiders

Schism

The Schism is a tall, pale, gangly, humanoid monster in Silent Hill: Homecoming.Alex Shepherd first encounters them in the police station.Schisms also appear in the spin-off game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories.

Its most distinct feature is its elongated head, which ends in a cruel blade. Its mouth runs down its entire head and splits vertically, much like several other monsters in previous entries in the series. It has a set of dull teeth that run down the length of its head, and when its mouth opens, its tongue flails about. However, it usually just uses its bladed snout and wicked claws to attack.↑ hide

Symbolism

The Schism could represent duality because its head is split in two. Given that the head is shaped like a pendulum, a medieval clockwork torture device designed to elicit a confession from a prisoner by dropping a swinging blade incrementally toward their flesh over the course of hours, it could represent Alex’s fractured mental state and his slow, steady realization of guilt. The image is even stronger as the Schism stands idle, letting its head swing side to side as it hangs downwards.
The Schism has a boxlike object on its genitals that, coupled with the general phallic shape of the monster’s head, may symbolize sexual tension.
Another quality to note is that the Schism’s right hand is double jointed and facing backwards, whereas its left hand faces forward. This further symbolizes a dual nature.
As with the Lurker monster, the Schism has a set of dentures running on the inside of its “mouth.” This is reminiscent of vagina dentata, enforcing the possibility of gynophobia.
The Schism may also represent the split of the founders of Shepherd’s Glen, and that of the Order in Silent Hill. Since the Pact was broken, these monsters appear to punish the town for its actions.
Finally, the split head could represent Alex’s insanity, as he is separated from reality and his mind is split similarly to the mental disorder schizophrenia (from Greek: split mind). This also links to the ending where he undergoes electroconvulsive treatment, which can treat schizophrenia and other mental disorders

Sepulcher

Sepulcher is the first boss monster of Silent Hill: Homecoming and the monstrous physical manifestation of Sam Bartlett’s guilt over his son Joey Bartlett, whom he buried alive in the garden of the Grand Hotel as a sacrifice tothe Order’s demonic God as decreed by the Founding Family Contracts.

He appears as a gigantic cross between a corpse and a tree. He hangs from his bloated, mutilated underside which looks like the mutilated trunk of a tree, with bits of bodies hanging out of it. He supports himself with his long arms and fused fingers (making a three fingered hand with four fingernails), which he also uses to attack. His face is dominated by a root-like, fleshy tumor as well. His “trunk” is connected by hooks to several bodies which are wrapped in a cocoon-like sack of flesh. When dismounted, he will crawl on his arms and drag the rest of his body behind him.
Sepulcher appears when Sam Bartlett throws his son’s watch into the garden behind him. Joey Bartlett’s watch then sinks into the ground, and the tree uproots itself, revealing itself to be Sepulcher. Mayor Bartlett pleads with the Order’s God to have mercy on him before Sepulcher slams his hand down on Sam, crushing him with a single blow.

Symbolism

Sepulcher is a physical manifestation of Mayor Bartlett’s guilt over his son Joey’s murder. He was sacrificed via suffocation while being buried alive. The garden Sepulcher calls home was where Joey was buried, and then he rises from the hole as a larger-than-life monster with a dark, oozing gag in its mouth. Its body is at first encased in the bag Joey was buried in, and all of the bags around him represent him as well. When buried, Sepulcher’s backside looks very plantlike, which reflects Joey’s adoration for plants.

Siam

Siam is a miniboss monster in Silent Hill: Homecoming. These are first encountered in Shepherd’s Glen Police Station, where they cause severe damage to the building and vehicles.

It appears as two humanoid figures, one male and one female, horrifically fused together and tied with a series of bondage gear and straps. The male side is the attack side, and his arms are morphed into huge, club-like appendages much like those of the Closer and Mandarin monsters from previous games. He also appears to be wearing some sort of chest armor. The female is fused into the male’s back, with her hands tied above her head and thereby the male’s as well, while her feet dangle freely behind.

Symbolism

The Siam represents helplessness and being dragged along by fate. The female is helplessly bound to the male and dragged around with him, much as Alex Shepherd himself has been bound by his birthright. Additionally, the form represents the powerlessness of Alex’s mother. His father made all of the decisions, and she was forced along with it, agreeing with him despite her own feelings.
Siams always appear when Elle Holloway is in trouble or missing, which perhaps accentuates the bonded feeling, that Alex doesn’t want to leave Elle because harm might come to her if he does not protect her, as indeed it does.
The Siam’s appearance can also be representative of James Sunderland andMary Shepherd-Sunderland from Silent Hill 2. The monster’s bondage-like appearance and the male side’s aggression alludes to the sexual frustration felt by James. The configuration of the two sides can also refer to James “carrying” Mary, whether it means carrying the guilt of his crime or the burden of caring for her. Defeating a Siam gains the “Shades of James” achievement, which makes the connection more apparent